The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [25]
Whenever you feel ready, however, you can start EC. Anytime during these first three months of life is ideal for you to begin because newborn babies still possess such a keen bodily awareness of elimination.
HOW TO BEGIN: OBSERVATION
If you are so inclined, beginning EC right at birth is not as difficult as one might think. It’s always helpful to start EC by simply observing your baby’s body language and her patterns, and this is a great time to do that. Also, babies have less output right at the beginning, aside from meconium. It actually makes sense, from a health perspective, to be as aware of your baby’s elimination as you can during the few days after she is born. If you are breast-feeding your baby, the amount and frequency of your baby’s output is an important indicator that she is nursing well. You can diaper your tiny newborn, lay her upon a blanket, towel, or open prefold, or simply keep her wrapped a bit more loosely with a coverless cloth diaper or loose disposable diaper between her legs. If your baby is a boy, you can place a small washcloth over his penis to prevent being sprayed. This makes it easy for you to check if baby has gone or not without disturbing her.
I also highly recommend that you avoid those one-piece romper-type clothes during the first few weeks, whether you are EC’ing or not. Newborns are sensitive to change, and having to change a baby from head to toe with each diaper change can disturb her. Dress baby in a separate top and bottom, or even a shirt or two on top with blankets or leggings to cover her bottom, to make it easier for her (and you!) during this time. Later on, when she is less sensitive to the newness of everything, you can use a wider variety of clothing.
Your baby is still developing patterns in every way, and her sleep and eating may be somewhat erratic in the first few weeks after birth. This means that elimination, too, is probably more erratic than it will be later on. Still, there are a few general rules of thumb to keep in mind. First of all, babies often eliminate upon waking and during or immediately after a feeding. These are good times for you to observe if your baby is going to the bathroom, to let her know that you’re aware of what she is doing, or to actually offer her a chance to go. At this age, babies go more frequently, so the chances are high that your baby will actually go to the bathroom when you offer her a chance to go. Think of it this way: all that peeing and pooping that newborns are famous for means many more opportunities for you to connect with your baby!
HOW TO CUE
What is cueing, anyway? Cueing is an absolutely vital part of EC. When you cue your baby, you’re holding her in a certain position while making a certain sound. Many parents instinctively make a sound like “psssst,” or some other shushing noise that sounds like water for cueing pees, but you can choose whatever sound comes most naturally to you. You can use the same noise for bowel movements, or you can choose a different sound. Many parents find themselves making a soft, modified grunting noise, imitating the baby herself going to the bathroom. For some reason, this tends to work for most babies. My friend Elizabeth also cues her baby to relax by exhaling on his head. If your baby is peeing while having a bowel movement (or if you think she’s about to), you can alternate cues.
Interestingly, these cues in general are common across families and cultures. They feel very instinctive and babies respond to them. The more often that you make these cues while your baby is eliminating, the more she will associate the very position and sound with your taking her to the bathroom. Eventually she will release her bladder or bowels if they are full when you cue her. This communication is one of the cornerstones of EC’ing an infant.
If you happen to catch your baby in the act of going, such as when you take her diaper off (many newborns