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Parents Speak About Others EC’ing Their Baby:

I work, and Dorian’s grandparents, uncles, and aunts all EC with him.

—DIANA, MOM TO DORIAN, 7 MONTHS

I asked about EC as part of the interview process when looking for caregivers for my daughters. I wanted a caregiver who would develop her own EC relationship with my children. We’ve had three caregivers and they have all EC’ed my daughters. So have my husband, my mom, and my dad.

—KEILA, MOM TO JANE, 27 MONTHS, AND HELEN, 8 MONTHS

EC is a pretty amazing experience to be a part of. For a year and a half, I’ve been EC’ing these two girls I babysit. I think it’s cool because it makes you really pay attention, and I believe it brings you very close to the kids. It’s nice to be able to EC on the go because instead of just letting them sit and suffer, you can pull over and have a potty ready for them. It’s nicer for them and quieter for you. I feel like we’re making a special connection and sharing lots of laughs. I love to make funny faces, read books, or tickle their feet while they’re on the potty. Sometimes people around me laugh, but I explain that even if we do miss, when I get it right and you see the happiness on their face, it feels really good.

—KAYLA, BABYSITTER TO JANE, 27 MONTHS, AND HELEN, 8 MONTHS.

I’m a pediatrician, and Betsy was my first child. Our nanny had had over ten years of direct child-care experience. When we told her that we had gotten a potty for Betsy and that she had pooped on it, our nanny thought we were nuts. She said Betsy would regress and that she would have problems later. We told her it was fine with us if she handled toileting however she was comfortable and continued to use diapers on Betsy. But after Betsy had been using the potty with us for three or four months, she really started to express her preference to poop on the potty. One day, when I got home, our nanny told me with amazement and some amusement that Betsy had been scooting along the floor fussing and turning red, and so the nanny had finally put her on the potty, whereupon she immediately pooped and was happy! After that, the nanny was on board with using the potty, and we gave her one to take to her house for when Betsy visited there. Interestingly, months before our nanny accepted using the potty with Betsy, we had a premed student babysit a few times in the evenings whose daytime job was working as a program aide with children with multiple disabilities. We told her what signals to expect and she was happy to try EC with Betsy. She had a lot of success with it even the first few times she sat with her.

—EMILY, MOM TO BETSY, 2

My wife and I both work full-time, and I would suggest EC to anyone. What I like about this method is that Felix doesn’t have to sit in his own waste and that he learned from day one that his waste belongs in the toilet and not in his pants. Although it’s pressing at times, I do enjoy sitting in front of him while he sits on the toilet. At the end of the day, I am glad I am spending this time with him. It is very easy to let the other parent take care of the baby and say that you will spend time with your children later. EC means I spend time with Felix, because when he needs to go, he needs to go!

—PRAVEEN, DAD TO FELIX, 17 MONTHS

MULTITASKING: EC FOR THE BUSY PARENT

You may wonder if EC is for you when it seems like your life as a parent is busy, busy, busy. How can you possibly stay alert to a child’s subtle elimination signals, all the while working, taking care of household tasks, and possibly raising other children as well?

Again, as with everything, it’s a question of balance. If EC resonates with you, then I can assure you that once you invest a little bit of time at the beginning to learn your child’s signals and patterns, then it is not going to be overwhelming later on. And besides, as my friend Laura points out, being more in tune with your child will pay off in so many other ways by making your overall relationship more harmonious!

If EC does feel overwhelming for any reason, then