• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

—LARA, MOM TO RUBY, 12 MONTHS

Every time he goes I make a sound while he’s sitting on the potty. Lately, while he’s going to the bathroom, he imitates the sound. I’m hoping that he will eventually make that sound before he has to go.

—SABA, MOM TO KENAN, 7 MONTHS

It was amazing, something I will always remember, communicating with such a tiny newborn. He signed ASL for potty at just a few months old! It gave me a lot of confidence in our bond: that he would let me know what he needed and that I could understand him and meet his needs.

—DIANA, MOM TO DORIAN, 7 MONTHS

At one point, Haakon was lying on my lap nursing. Suddenly, he looked me straight in the eye and patted his diaper area. I thought, Oh, I’m probably making this up, but it really looks like he’s telling me he has to pee! So I brought him to the bathroom, and sure enough, he went straightaway and continued to do this a few more times that day. He will also look toward the bathroom or reach out for the potty.

—DARA, MOM TO HAAKON, 8 MONTHS

Do keep in mind that not all babies signal or signal in ways that we can pick up. Don’t feel discouraged if your baby falls into this category. His signals may be subtle, or he may not be signaling in a way that you can discern; this is something that may happen later on for him. All babies are unique. Just remember that by being aware of his patterns and giving him opportunities to go to the bathroom, you’re keeping up your side of the communication.

Feeling Discouraged?

If you feel like you are constantly trying to catch a pee but are getting to your baby just after she has gone to the bathroom in her diaper; if you notice that she is holding her bladder while on the potty (because she is so used to eliminating only in a diaper); or if you just have no idea what signals she might be giving off, then it might help to invest a little time in letting her go completely diaperless and observing her. At some point, she’ll go to the bathroom and you can make your cue sound (“psss!”). Soon you’ll both catch on.

Parents Speak About Part-Time EC:

I am following EC part-time, and it’s going well. I catch most of Soren’s poops in a regular toilet—it’s so much easier. I catch some pees too, but I just can’t be on top of all of them and feel stress-free about it. I was occasionally feeling bad that Soren is not diaper-free yet, but then I realized it’s all a growing communication. We’ve got our poop communication down, and the other will come when we are both ready for that commitment. At least we have a language together.

—VANESSA, MOM TO MARET, 2, AND SOREN, 7 MONTHS

LET’S GO OVER THE TRACKS AGAIN

Track 1, Full-Time EC By practicing EC day in and day out, you have gotten to know your baby’s patterns pretty well by now, and your baby trusts that you’re going to be helping her go to the bathroom in a potty or toilet much of the time. You’re catching a lot of pees and bowel movements, and things are going smoothly. Many people switch to training pants or cloth diapers without a cover during this stage. They still go outside with a change of clothes and training pants, or maybe an extra diaper, but catches are pretty reliable, especially at home. If they’re going through a stage where they’re having more misses because of developmental growth spurts or illness, for example, they can use the “three-miss rule”—after three misses, baby goes back into a diaper for the rest of the day (or whatever time period suits them).

Track 2, Part-Time EC You’re probably giving your baby opportunities (“pottytunities”) a couple times a day. Your baby may be in diapers full-time (although if he’s going in the potty at times, you’re going to need fewer diapers—what a nice bonus!). This is the time when, if you have an hour at home with a little time to just hang out with your baby, you could consider letting her go diaper-free for a bit, or you could put her in a training pant or a cloth diaper without a cover. Using one or two cloth diapers a day is not going to add much to your laundry and