FOX23 Community

I enjoyed seeing the segment on diaper free babies. I was shocked when I first heard of the concept and dismissed it as laughable or possibly insane. I figured only people living with dirt floors in the far regions of the earth could be capable of parenting in such a way. However, after my daughter herniated her belly button in her strong resistance to being diapered at 10 months old (she strained herself, arched her back and attempted to fly off the changing table). I had no choice but to give it a shot. She is 18 months now and is what most people would call potty trained. However, I did not start EC with the goal of an early potty trained child in mind. EC is not "potty training"  in the conventional sense of the word and it is not "pushing" a child to do anything before they are ready. The pediatician on the program was certainly not an expert in this area and obviously lacks understanding of this gentle and healthy way to keep babies clean and happy. I suggest anyone curious about this concept do their own thoughtful research. Once you understand it standard American potty training is what seems absurd.

Chatting with my doctor the other day I mentioned that we practice EC with my 4 month old.  She spent  15 minutes trying to convince me that that isn't possible, that it's a "reflex," and that babies have no idea what is happening. It probably is some type of reflex involved. If someone threw something in your face you'd blink. That does not mean that you can't blink on your own. We do not catch every pee on the potty.  But when I put my daughter on the potty and say " Do you have to go?" her little stomach starts flexing and she'll poop or pee if she has to.  She'll be dry for an hour and I'll sit her on the potty and she'll go immediately.  I do not think she withholds when she has to go.  I do know that she knows how to control her muscles  and can release her waste when I put her on her little potty (Baby Bjorn- she'll go on nothing else!)

Our culture has a fault of thinking we are the smartest and best at everything, and what we say and what our "experts"  says goes. Half the world who practices "EC" without a thought are wrong? Now that I practice EC I think super absorbant diapers are disgusting.  I know I don't want to sit in my excrements for hours. I tell you, I feel so good about doing this.  I didn't do this with my two year old, and potty training has been so easy because she wants to pee on the potty like her little sister.

Don't knock it till you try it.

EC has been unfortunatly called Infant Potty Training.  This misnomer perpetuates the idea that it is just the infant who is being "trained".  Far from it.  If any training occurs, it is the parent who receives the training.  I first read about EC in American Baby magazine just before our beautiful baby boy was born.  My husband and I researched the practice (not wanting to go with just some fad for babies) and discovered EC as a very real and benificial practice.  So far, we've had fantastic success!  As an added benefit, aside from a very happy baby with no diaper rash, we've saved so much money from not having to buy diapers that little Rowan can go to college with the savings we've started for him.  My friend, who doesn't use EC spends about $12.00 every couple of days on diapers.  That's thousands of dollars a year!  The doctor you interviewed as obviously never interacted with a parent and their child who practice EC.  If she had, she would be preaching the other way. If anyone is interested in getting some real information on Elimination Communication, the books Infant Potty Training by Laurie Boucke or Daiper Free:  The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer are fantastic reading. 

I too liked the segment.  I thought it gave a good general look at how simple it can be to teach your kid about the potty, just like you would teach them about eating or other learned skills. 

The only thing I didn't like about the piece was the pediatrician's use of the phrase "aggressive training".  This doctor is obviously not well-informed since many countries follow this method and their people do not seem to suffer from it.  In fact, I've discussed EC with my own pediatrician and he is in full support of it.

For me and my family, EC is all about using diapers differently, that's why I like the term of going diaper free.  We aren't dependent upon them.  We still use diapers, we just use them differently than we did on our older child (who came along before we knew about EC.)  As a result, we have such great communication with our daughter and learning to use the potty is just another part of the many things she's learning.  I'd suggest that if the idea of Infant Potty Training resonates with anyone, that they investgate the idea further and see if it's right for their family.