Elimination Communication

[stephanieannmom]

Hi,

My daughter is 7 months and we have been cloth diapering and I am interested in early potty training.  Some call it elimination communication.  I have no idea how to start this or what "supplies" I need. Any advice appreciated or experience with this!

[Sunshine71980]

Rachel (11 months old) wakes up dry in the mornings (11 pm-8am) and has for months so we started going to the bathroom as soon as we wake up.  She knows what to do when I put her on the potty seat.  We are still working on her telling me when she has to go but I figure at least she won't be afraid of the potty!  We only use 3 cloth diapers a day because we go potty together (as in at the same time-I sit her on her potty and then I sit and go too). 

My advice is to be relaxed and patient.  Good Luck!

[issoaisavi5]

I'm kind of skeptical about this.  Until your child can actually walk to the bathroom, pull their pants down and go are they actually potty trained?  One of my kids used to poop as soon as I put her in the tub.  As soon as I saw she was about to go, I whipped her over the toilet, but I didn't consider her potty trained.  I just don't think as a parent you can force it. 

[JoJoBean8]

I have never done it but my friend did it with her dd and loved it. 

[EthansMomma2010]

I so wish I had done this!!! Now I have a 26 month old who won't train because idk how to tell he needs to go. Good for you and good luck!!

[hriabywx4]

I did it part time from 2 months with my son, by 18 months he was dry night and day and verbally communicated his need. He was 3 before he could even get on the potty without a step stool. He's really short! But I considered him completely potty trained at 18 months because he no longer had accidents. :)

Also it's not about forcing them to use the potty, more about offering them a different place to go.

Quoting issoaisavi5:

I'm kind of skeptical about this.  Until your child can actually walk to the bathroom, pull their pants down and go are they actually potty trained?  One of my kids used to poop as soon as I put her in the tub.  As soon as I saw she was about to go, I whipped her over the toilet, but I didn't consider her potty trained.  I just don't think as a parent you can force it. 

[kirita323]

We do it part-time with our 18 month old. She just runs around naked for a few hours and hopefully she pees in the toilet. I got her a potty seat since she's terrified of the big toilet, even with a baby seat. I don't force anything on her, though, it's all positive reinforcement. We've had a few successes and a few messes but she's starting to realize when she's peeing bc she feels it.

[jconney80]

I don't think anyone really claims it's potty training. It's a respectful method of not forcing your child to only eliminate on themselves all day. You give them the chance to use a potty rather than having to go on themselves.

Also it helps keep your child from becoming OK with pooping and peeing on themselves and that being their normal. When that is their normal for a very long time it can cause lots of potty training issues.

I did EC part time with my 2.5 year old from 4 months and up. I was very inconsistent as he never slept and I was exhausted but it did help out in the long run. He was totally day potty trained by 25 months. He was used to pooping in the potty long before he turned 2 so it was never a huge transition at all. When I started intense potty learning (what most would consider potty training) I read his cues when he needed to use it and it helped teach him. By the beginning of the second week he was taking himself to his little potty when he had to go

Quoting mmccrea:

I was going to do this, but my ped assured me it was a waste of my time.  It is not teaching your child to use the potty.  It is essentially potty training YOU, since YOU have to recognize the potty signals your kid is giving you, then run them to a potty.  It is not teaching or training your child anything. 

[jconney80]

I start out easily by putting them on the potty when they start grunting as that is an easy cue to spot. Then I put them on the potty after they wake up in the morning, after naps, after eating or drinking. It's easy to learn their patterns and yes there is a pattern. When babies start eating, nursing, drinking their digestive system starts moving almost immediately. It's only a matter of time before they start eliminating. A good way to watch their cues is to put them in a prefold with no cover with a Snappi on or let them be diaper free. Keep track of timing for a few days. I know my son would pee almost immediately after waking up. My daughter takes about.15 minutes.

[jconney80]

I bought several little potties to put around the house. I love any of the different sizes of Baby Bjorn potties. I keep an Ikea potty in my van, 2 little potties in my living room lol (my 1 & 2.5 year old fight over them), 1 in the bathroom, and have one of those toilet seats that has a kid sized seat built in that you flip up or down as needed. You can also use little containers, the sink, and hold them over the big toilet.

[Defiance]

 

Quoting issoaisavi5:

I'm kind of skeptical about this.  Until your child can actually walk to the bathroom, pull their pants down and go are they actually potty trained?  One of my kids used to poop as soon as I put her in the tub.  As soon as I saw she was about to go, I whipped her over the toilet, but I didn't consider her potty trained.  I just don't think as a parent you can force it. 

 "If your child is not capable of going into the kitchen and fixing their own food feeding themselves, and so you have to do it are they actually eating?"

Elimination communication IS NOT potty training. A child is communicating to you that they need to eliminate. Instead of treating a child like they are an idiot and train them to soil themselves, which is what a parent is doing by sticking a diaper on them and leaving them in it- they are showing the child "I am listening to you". It is not forcing. The child has to want to communicate. Children are born knowing what is going on with their bodies, and if you are willing to dedicate your undivided attention to them they will respond. You cannot have impatience with the child at all, because then you ARE forcing. If you provide a loving, learning, patient enviornment then you are doing it correctly.