The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [33]
—PAULA, MOM TO MARTHA, 2 MONTHS
EXPANDING EC AS YOU GET IN SYNC
Up to now, if you’re new to EC and still getting to know your newborn, chances are that you have been practicing it either as an occasional or a part-time EC’er. However, as you start to connect with your baby, you may be expanding the times when you practice EC, and may feel like moving on to full-time EC will work for you. Families that started out catching only bowel movements may decide to try catching some pees as well. Others who have practiced EC throughout the day here or there may decide that they will start doing it on the go or at nighttime. If you are using disposables but are noticing that you are catching a high percentage of your baby’s output, this may also be a chance for you to switch to cloth training pants or something else at least part of the time.
When we started EC with my first daughter, we were using disposables. But I was constantly wondering if I was putting on a wet diaper or throwing away a perfectly clean diaper. So then I started buying cloth diapers and using those.
—KEILA, MOM TO HELEN, 27 MONTHS, AND JANE, 8 MONTHS
EC’ING YOUR NEWBORN AT NIGHT AND ON THE GO At Night
New parents experience interrupted sleep with newborns—this is a part of life. If you are going to be up doing diaper changes or nursing anyway, you might consider cueing your baby at nighttime as well. This is a personal choice. Some parents feel that they don’t want to EC at nighttime and are just happy to be moving out of frequent diaper changes as the baby gets older. They may decide that nighttime EC will make more sense for them as their baby gets older, especially if their baby is not visibly distressed by elimination in a diaper at night, or they may never do it. Other parents might practice EC one, two, or more times a night with a baby who settles back into sleep happily after being EC’ed. They might keep baby in a diaper but cue the baby—either in a diaper or in a container nearby—followed by a diaper change, so that the baby can comfortably go back to sleep again. A dim nightlight for this purpose is helpful, so that no bright lights need to be turned on that would be stimulating for the baby (or for you!). Others might decide to keep their baby minimally diapered, if at all, at nighttime, and keep the baby on top of a fleece pad to soak up any misses that might occur.
On the Go
EC’ing on the go may feel daunting, but with newborns, just about everything has a learning curve. That is part of what makes this stage so overwhelming and yet so exciting. Figure out which positions your baby prefers and bring along a small container, keeping a few extra containers and diapers in the car or in your diaper bag. The more adept you become at EC, the fewer actual diapers you will probably be stocking in your diaper bag!
Babies can be sensitive to changes in their environment, but this is true for all aspects of their lives, such as eating and sleeping, not just elimination. This is particularly true if going on extended overnight trips. Remain aware of how your baby is reacting to his new environment and accommodate him.
Some people find that travel, especially, is a good time to practice EC because they have more time and energy to focus on the baby. It can actually jump-start some people who only practice EC occasionally to try it more often. Others find that it throws them off and that it takes some time to get back in sync with the baby’s rhythms. If this happens, be assured that it’s not at all uncommon; just do what you need to do to make your lives run smoothly. Keep your baby in diapers for now, and tell yourself that you and your baby will have many other opportunities again in the near future.
The first couple of days we tried EC, I didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere, although I did catch one or two pees. Then, my husband, the baby, and I went away for a week. Where we stayed there was a little