The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [35]
A lot of parents may already have developed some awareness of their baby’s patterns even without any prior knowledge of EC. You might have noticed your baby tends to poop a couple of times in a row in the morning, for instance. Use this knowledge to determine when might be an optimal time of day to have your baby go diaper-free.
To make diaper-free time comfortable, you can create a cozy little place for her to lie down using a fleece waterproof pad with a few of her favorite toys scattered around. Or, if she’s a cuddlebug who loves spending time in your arms, you can place a diaper between her legs without fastening it. (If you’re using a disposable diaper and it’s hard to tell if she’s gone, you could consider putting a cloth liner, a washcloth, or a little piece of tissue in there to make it easier.) Remember to cue and talk to her whenever you notice she is going to the bathroom. All that acknowledgment helps her to maintain the bodily awareness she was born with, and you’ll both benefit from this later in the process.
Babies are so amazing! They catch on to what you’re doing very quickly. When you make your cueing sound around the time that your baby probably needs to go anyway, your baby will connect the sound with the sensation of going to the bathroom. In the meantime, you’ll have had a chance to see what kind of behavior your baby may exhibit right before or during a pee or poop. She might be grimacing, fussing, squirming, or, conversely, going totally still. She might be vocalizing, grunting, or straining. Try taking her to the bathroom the next time you notice such signs, especially if you know she hasn’t gone in a little while, and make your cueing sound. See what happens. More likely than not, she will eliminate! And any time you respond to her in this way, she will learn to trust that you are there for her and are helping her with her needs.
Four-month-old Hilary on the potty
Introducing the Potty or Toilet
Another way to get started is to put your baby right on a potty soon after drinking, eating, or waking to see what happens; again, cue if you notice the baby going. You can introduce a potty at this age with great success. Since your baby is sitting up (or nearly so), she’ll definitely be comfortable on one, although she will still need your support to help her stay on at the beginning. Of course, little babies aren’t going to be all that comfortable on a large potty made for toddlers, and they don’t need all the little gimmicks (like a lid or a potty that plays music when it gets wet, for instance) that manufacturers often include to make toilet training appeal to an older child. There are lots of potties on the market; choose your potty carefully. The Baby Bjorn Little Potty was seemingly made especially for infants; it allows them to sit in a squat with their feet on the floor and won’t tip over. (Not coincidentally, this position is one that many toddlers instinctively use to poop in, even when wearing a diaper!) The transparent Babywunder Deluxe Clear Potty is great too because it allows you to tell if your baby has gone or not without disturbing her position. And stock up on potties if you can—EC is so much easier if your equipment is within reach. Just as nursing moms are often advised to create “nursing stations” in their homes, you can also create little “potty stations.” By keeping a potty close by in most of the rooms you spend time in (the nursery, your bedroom, the playroom, and, of course, the bathroom!), you will feel more motivated to help your child eliminate outside of a diaper.
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Signs That Your Baby Has to Use the Potty
Sudden fussiness or squirming
Wiggling, kicking
Arching the back when being held
A blank expression or frown on the face
A certain vocalization (that babies may be doing to try to imitate your own cue sound); this is going to be unique to each baby
Moving toward a potty, playing with a clean potty, staring at a potty or