The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [70]
A FEW STRATEGIES IF YOUR TODDLER EXPERIENCES A POTTY PAUSE
Change potties or even have your child pee outdoors
Switch to a toilet insert or potty
Let your child pick out a new potty
Change the location of the potty or try a different bathroom if one is available
Change your activities while on the potty
Step back, offer much less, and give your child much more say in initiating pottytunities
Step up your open-bathroom policy
Cue your child’s dolls or stuffed animals
Have your child watch an older sibling, friend, or other EC’ed babies use the potty (the latter is particularly effective!)
If your baby is going through a potty pause, taking her to a gathering with other EC’ed babies can help!
Parents Share Funny Toddler EC’ing Moments:
Perhaps the most rewarding part of EC’ing a toddler is that it just makes for such amusing moments! It’s wonderful to see how delighted they are and to have a window into their world.
When Wally was eighteen months, we were taking a walk. It was fall. We’d peed outside behind trees and bushes all summer. As we approached a tree, he signed toilet and walked over expectantly. He peed. Kept walking. Next tree, same thing. Next tree, same thing, except that he was out of pee at this point. Every tree for the whole five blocks and back, he signed potty and marched up like he was going to pee. Apparently, that’s just what trees are for!
—SARAH, MOM TO WALLY, 19 MONTHS
We are so open about bodily functions and communicating about elimination that sometimes it makes for funny moments. One time Katie saw a man in a store who had a funny expression on his face, and Katie loudly said, “Man need a potty? Got to poop?” Another time, when I gave a urine sample at the doctor’s office, she waited outside with Daddy, The waiting room was packed. I came out, and Katie yelled to me across the room, “Mommy! Wash your hands when you go pee-pee!” Everyone thought it was wildly funny. I assured her I had washed my hands and she told me, “Oh good, Mommy!”
—KELLY, MOM TO KATHLEEN, 2
And, a reminder of why it’s good to keep a sense of humor about you…
A few weeks ago I heard Isidora and Neve coming out of the bathroom. I’d heard them go in to pee a few minutes earlier and had smiled to myself, thinking how much the kids learn from each other. Now I could hear Isidora saying, “Let’s dry our feet off on the carpet.” I went to the bathroom. “Why is the floor wet?” “Oh, Neve just made a mistake,” Isidora told me, “pouring out the potty.” Neve was copying me, trying to pour her pee from the potty to the toilet. Those little toddler arms!
—ANGELA, MOM TO ISIDORA, 3, AND NEVE, 17 MONTHS
STAYING THE COURSE
Despite the many joys of EC’ing your child, it can sometimes be challenging to stay the course when you run into obstacles along the way. There may be times when it’s hard to find the affirmation and encouragement you need to continue this adventurous journey with your little one. There are many parents out there just like you—seek them out! There are so many resources available at your disposal. In the meantime, here are some inspiring thoughts from other parents of EC’ed toddlers:
I try to approach EC lovingly and with a positive attitude. It’s so normal; to us, it’s just toilet learning. Just like we teach Willow to use a spoon, to wipe her nose, and to throw a ball, we also teach her about using the potty. And one of the greatest things I’ve learned is this: anyone can do it and it’s adaptable to any lifestyle. You can practice it casually, or you can apply it full-time. EC’s not goal-centric, it’s more about a learning