thecutestblogontheblock.com/backgrounds/

Search This Blog

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Elimination Communication

Chazaq is 8 weeks old!  I can't believe it has gone by so fast, but it feels like he's been with us forever.

Several years ago Jeremy & I were in China where we noticed that none of the babies were wearing diapers.  It seemed strange to me so I asked some of the folks there and also saw moms taking their babies to the restroom.  I decided to do a little more research.  That's when I first discovered Elimination Communication. 

It seemed a little strange to me so I didn't try it until I read a few more articles about the time Zoan was 1 yr old.    One thing that stuck out to me, "If they are eating and suddenly seem a little fussy, they probably need to potty."  So at Zoan's next meal, I noticed her getting fussy, took her to the little potty and... she went #1 & #2! Zion had turned 3 years old before she was potty trained and I thought anything could be better than what I had already tried.  Using this method as a tool,  Zoan was very easy to potty train from this point forward.

Now we're on baby #3.  At 2 weeks old after his circumcision had healed, and his umbilical cord had fallen off, I started taking him to the potty.  I had already noticed that he hated even the smallest amount of urine in his diaper.  His cues are pretty easy to interpret.  Typically after waking or eating, I can take him to the toilet and he will quickly begin to use it.  I'm not catching every time he needs to go, but on average, I figure he uses to potty at least 5 times a day.

I asked my mom when I was training Zion how old I was when I was potty trained.  She told me I was around 18 months.  I didn't really believe her.  My argument was "Zion can barely walk, can't really speak, how could she possibly be potty trained?"  Now, I believe she was right!  (Sorry, mom!)  She must have been much more in tune with my cues.  If only I'd been paying closer attention to my children, I might have saved a mint on pull-ups and diapers!  

3 comments:

  1. I read about EC when I was pregnant with Aidan, but the websites seemed so intimidating. They made it sound as though you had to carry your baby with you 24/7 in order to catch their cues, and that just wasn't possible.
    5 diapers saved is AWESOME!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Most moms that EC are big into attachment parenting. I'm kinda middle of the road. I don't need him attached to me 24/7 but I don't leave him for long periods of time either. The cues are getting even easier to recognize. For instance, last night before bed, after having eaten, he just squirmed and wouldn't settle. I took him to the potty and he pooped. Put him in his bed and he fell asleep almost immediately. I'm increasingly surprised at how well it's going for both of us!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is so awesome! When Aidan was born, I was working a few very short, part time jobs. I was never gone long, but I did have to leave him with someone else, and I guess I felt like it would freak them out to be told to watch for cues. I also thought that it would take much longer to learn the cues myself.

    Well, hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?

    Props to you for giving it a try. I love how it's working!

    ReplyDelete