I have been practicing EC for 3 weeks with my 3 month-old daughter. At first I thought the idea was crazy, but then I thought, "She communicates when she needs to eat, and when she needs to sleep, why would she not communicate her need to go potty?" We have been brain-washed in this culture to tune out this aspect of meeting our infant's needs. But don't take my word for it! Just try it.
I held Sarah over the bathroom sink after she awoke from a nap. I wasn't that amazed when she went to bathroom as most babies do upon awakening. But when I'm with her in the middle of an awake period and she fusses briefly and I take her to the potty and she goes - now THAT amazes me.
I can understand why people like that doctor would be afraid of the word "training" but we're not training our babies. We don't reprimand or scold for misses. We just try to figure out how WE failed to miss the clues (timing, signals, etc) that led to it. If there's any training going on, it's the parent trying to train themselves to be more in tune, more connected, more aware of their baby's needs.
I love how connected I feel to my daughter every time we have a catch. I cannot believe how we underestimate babies in this culture.
I cloth-diaper when away from home and at night. I urge people with babies to learn more about EC and give it a try. It's fun, simple, and free. What have you got to lose?
Kimberley R.
Mommy to Sarah 07/24/06
