The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [9]
In chapter 3, “Getting Ready to EC: Gear and Other Fun Stuff,” you’ll learn all about EC’ers’ favorite items to help make infant pottying go smoothly. There is special clothing such as split-crotch pants, wool leggings to keep little legs cozy, and baby-sized training pants and underwear. I will introduce you to soft waterproof pads to spread out under your diaper-free baby when she’s playing or sleeping, special potties just the perfect size for your infant, and other equipment that helps when you’re out and about. I also discuss, in some detail, baby carriers and cloth diapers. You don’t have to use either, but many parents do find them useful. Carrying your baby close to your body, especially at the start, helps you learn his elimination patterns. Coverless cloth diapers used on occasion can aid in providing a measure of “diaper-free” time for your baby, helping her retain her awareness of when she is going to the bathroom.
In chapter 4, “Newborn Bliss: Getting to Know Your Baby, Getting Started on EC,” I’ll focus on babies aged birth to three months and discuss how to connect with your newborn baby. I’ll tell you how to get started, cover the typical experiences many parents go through, and teach you all the best EC’ing positions for a newborn. You’ll hear many parents’ strategies for balancing life with a newborn while helping to address your baby’s elimination needs.
In chapter 5, “EC’ing During Middle Infancy: Smooth Sailing,” we’re going to look at EC’ing a baby who is in middle infancy, which roughly covers ages three to eight months, or until baby really starts to become mobile. Whether you’re just starting out or continuing on from the newborn stage, you’ll learn about the basics of EC’ing during middle infancy. These babies are able to hold their heads up and sit on their own, which makes this a smooth and predictable time as babies’ patterns become clearer and they are much more responsive and communicative. We’ll talk about learning to read your baby’s signals and introducing the potty or toilet. And of course there’s plenty of information on EC’ing at night, on the go, or while working out of the home.
Chapter 6, “The Joys of EC’ing Your Mobile Baby,” discusses EC’ing an older baby (roughly eight to twelve months) who is mobile and crawling, maybe even starting to walk and talk. You’ll encounter new challenges at this time, whether you’re continuing on or just getting started. Your baby is so excited by all his new developmental changes that he may be more distracted, but learning to walk and talk also introduces exciting opportunities for your child to take even more initiative with EC. Parents will tell you their strategies for keeping things going in a low-key, supportive, and loving way.
If you’ve got a one-year-old, you’ll find chapter 7, “EC’ing Your Toddler,” full of information you can use. It’s so much fun at this age—your child is enthusiastic, loves to imitate adults, and is generally not going to be resistant in the way an older child might be. Whether you’re just starting now or are continuing on from before, I’ll discuss how to understand and work with your child, and how to lovingly keep him on the EC track even when he is so immersed in exploring and playing that he doesn’t want to stop to go to the bathroom. You’ll read lots of strategies for helping your child become more toilet-independent and involved in his own success.
Chapter 8, “Final Hurdles and Graduation,” shows you how many different families have dealt creatively with challenges such as toddler potty pauses as they approached “graduation,” or toilet independence.
In the last chapter, “If Your Situation Is a Little Different,” you’ll hear from parents of preterm babies, multiples, and babies with special needs, whose unique situations might not have been covered in the previous chapters. I’ll also briefly discuss how the gentle principles of EC can be adapted to aid toilet training a child of any age, including children older than eighteen months.
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Gathering Support and Making the