The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [6]
Part-time EC’ers catch whatever they are able to, but don’t practice EC all the time. They might focus on EC during the mornings, for instance, when they are able to spend uninterrupted time with their baby, or for an hour or two in the evening. They might be catching all of their baby’s bowel movements; in fact, quite a few EC’ers start with bowel movements because they are so predictable and it is so rewarding for parent and baby not to clean a poopy bottom and diaper. There are even EC’ers who focus only on bowel movements during most of infancy, choosing to approach pees later, when their child is older.
Occasional EC’ers practice EC only occasionally. This could mean catching as little as one pee a day, or even less often. It can even mean offering the baby a chance to use the potty at a time when the diaper is going to be off anyway—during a diaper change, for instance, or right before bath time. Occasional EC’ers may also use diapers nearly all the time without even using a potty, but make an effort to cue their baby, to recognize his signals, and to keep communicating with him about elimination even if it is happening in a diaper. If they change his diaper pretty quickly afterward so that he doesn’t have to sit in a dirty diaper, and if they talk to him about the process as much as possible, there is a really good chance that the baby will be able to retain his bodily awareness of elimination, which will result in a smoother transition to being diaper-free later in infancy or toddlerhood, when there are renewed opportunities to practice EC in other ways.
As this book will show you, EC can be as simple as offering your baby a chance to use the toilet once a day, when her diaper happens to be off, or as intensive as aiming to catch a majority of your baby’s output. There is a huge range of experiences out there that qualify as elimination communication. What they all have in common is the parents’ desire to connect with their baby, to understand what their baby is communicating, and to show their baby that they are there to lovingly and gently help him meet his needs. Remember that the wonderful thing about EC is that it offers you flexibility depending on what suits your and your baby’s needs best. You don’t have to commit to one track rather than the other—just go with the flow. As you’ll see, there are a variety of EC’ing parents out there whose experiences are sure to resonate with you.
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS
I encounter a range of reactions when people find out that my little ones were in underwear when they were so young. Although most people are intrigued and amazed, they are also often skeptical that EC could ever work for their own families. Below, I’ve listed and addressed the most commonly cited reasons why parents believe the EC lifestyle won’t work for them.
1. “I think it’s training the parent, not the child.”
EC’ers hear this a lot. If you think that learning to tell when your baby is hungry or sleepy is “training” you, then yes, learning to read your baby’s cues that she needs to go to the bathroom could also be considered parent training. However, I prefer to emphasize that it’s not about training at all. EC is not toilet training the way you train an older child to use the toilet. It’s engaging in communication and becoming in tune with your wonderful baby by responding to a basic need. There’s nothing negative about being “trained” in this way. Above all else, realize that focusing on “training” leads us away from what EC is really about. EC is not so much about the result (a toilet-independent child) as it is about the process of communication.
2. “Wouldn’t it just be easier for my child to train on his own when he is older?”
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