Eleminiation Communication - Anyone?

[khatty]

Is anyone out there practicing eliminiation communication or early potty learning?

I started listening to my daughter's elimination needs at 5 weeks old.  I use cloth diapers as backups.  I had great success up until she was 11 months old.  She started walking around 10 months and shortly thereafter listening to her elimination needs became very difficult for me.  At 17 months I have lots and lots of misses, but I try to be patient, work with her, and move on.  Yet, I will admit to some personal internal frustration with the whole process.  I am beginning to wonder if all the work/effort of it has really made a difference to our relationship and her potty learning.  Today I am drepressed about it and think maybe I should just stick her in diapers like everyone else..... 

On a related topic though.... a great time to flash cards or dots is when she is sitting on the potty!

Thanks in advance for sharing, Khatty.

[Twinergy]

I never tried EC with my twins, I just thought it would be too much all at once.  I have, however, run accross this http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=227 forum for EC.  I have noticed with both my kids that communication in general really took off at 18 months.  Things just got easier (I hope it stays that way).

[cybermommy]

We did a sort of low key Elimination Communication with my son, starting around 8 months (Baby Bjorn Little Potty), but it was hard because he was in daycare 3 days a week (hence, the low key). We were pretty successful for 2 months, until he decided he wanted no part of the potty chair anymore. He was in cloth diapers at home, and paper at daycare (official policy, and all that).

At 13 months, when he could toddle, we found out that he would stand and pee in a urinal (milk jug cut out and suction cupped to the side of the bathtub), and his control was good enough by 17 months that he could stop his stream, fish out a hair in the urinal, toddle over to the trash and throw it away, and then return to do his business. But then he decided by 18 months that he wanted nothing to do with the urinal either.

We were able to get him to sit on the Baby Bjorn toilet trainer somewhere between that and 2 years old by bribery with books, and most of his early education did occur on the pot. Even when he was mostly dry, though, he refused to give up his diapers until he was 2 1/2 (the first day I became a full-time mom again).

Now it's still sometimes a challenge to get him to the potty, but it's usually because he can hold it for 6-7 hours, and I try to make him go whenever I need to, or before we go out, and he just doesn't feel the urge.

I think the E.C. might have been more successful if he had been home full-time, of course, but part of it, I think, was his resistance to being told to do anything, and it was just a personality thing.

[THen]

I have done a very relaxed EC with my baby.  Like you said, he did great from birth to 7 or 8 months.  (I thank the Lord for 8 months of hardly buying any diapers!)  But then he was mobile and he didn't even want me to take him to the potty.     But when he was in a good mood, I'd take him.  I had him in cloth diapers.  When he hit 11 months he was more willing to go again.  He is now 18 months.  He will stand up and pee in the potty if I take him.  Sometimes he will pull down his pants (he is in training pants most of the time with wool soakers on top) and I'll take him.  Often, if I'm busy (which is often) he'll wet his pants, then pull them off and leave them on the floor for me to find as he happliy runs around bare bottomed.  If I'm attentive, we can go almost a whole day with dry undies.  We also used to do a great job going "stinky" in the potty until he hit 8 months.  I catch it some times, but not often enough, now days.  Arrrgh.  He doesn't mind standing and going pee, but doesn't want to sit. 

But, I have hope he will be self potty-ing before he is 24 months. 
My other 3 boys that I did an even more relaxed EC with, all trained before or around 24 months.  The one child I didn't EC with took until he was 3 to be trained.  For me, it was more of a money saving thing.  And I liked standing in front of a potty more than I liked changing diapers. 

I understand your frustration, khatty.  I finally had to choose to relax and not care so much.  Baby will eventually use the potty.  Sooner will be nice, but later is okay.  If he wants to communicate and go, that's great (I taught my 5th boy a sign for potty, but he doesn't like to use it, I guess he will when he wants to).  A stressed mom (which I was) wasn't good for my family, so I chose to relax.  I read some EC articles and feel guilty or lacking sometimes, but phooey, my family is happy now, and I'm sure my boy will eventually choose to use the potty.   

[ssunita]

In India we generally do it even for 1 day old baby.We hold them in standing position n say Psss Psssss pssss after few min they used to pee gradually it becomes a practice but one need real patience to do that.

[jsmonton]

this is amazing!i have never heard of EC before!i was always taught to used diapers from day 1!should i have know this, would have save alot from nappies!
the idea of potty training my son just came to me when i am stay home mom since i can tell when he wants to pass a pee or poop, his poop timings are basically the same everyday which i thought that he can be ready to be potty trained.although i still did not started it...perhaps because i still did not get his potty!
my friend has started potty as early as 7months and i was impressed with her!maybe should start doing it now...will get a potty immediately!

[khatty]

Thanks for sharing.  It does help to know that others had less success after their baby became mobile.  Relaxing does help

For jsmonton, I read the book "Diaper Free; The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene" by Ingrid Bauer.  It is information and inspiriational.  It has a section on starting EC with older babies that you might find useful.

[staceycanada]

We have only done very occasional EC. (When DD wants) occasionally she just wants to sit and poo on the toilet but never pee. It might be different if I had a real potty and practiced more often.

[Skylark]

Our baby used potty from 2 weeks old. She communicated very clearly from the very beginning that she did not want to have her diapers dirty, and waited for us to change her before she would do her pees and poos. From the very first time we put her on the potty, she loved it, and used it for every pee and poo since then. She has an accident may be once every couple of days, usually when we are in the car and it takes us a while to get off the road to put her on the potty. Otherwise she is very clear in her communications and loves the fact that she is understood. Overall, I think it makes her feel like she wants and can communicate with us and therefore encourages her learning in other areas... Will see how she will do once she will hit the walking and crolling stage. But for now she is doing great.

[PY]

Never hear from EC. I guess I will potty train my daughter when I think she is ready to.

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