elimination communication

Just wondering if anyone has tried 'elimination communication'? I read 'The Diaper-Free Baby' before DD was born and it says that babies are aware of when they need to go to the toilet and will give some sort of signal. Also, you're supposed to 'cue' the baby with a sound so she learns to associate going with that sound, and then later you can put them on a potty, make the cue sound and they will know this is a good time to go.
So, since birth we've been watching her during nappy free time, looking for her signals and saying 'pssss' when we notice her weeing. But she doesn't even seem to notice that she's weeing - there's no different expression, no change in movement, no noise, no anything! And when I make the 'psss' noise more often than not she looks at me in surprise and stops weeing. So, not going how we'd planned!
I love the idea of being able to offer my baby the opportunity not to sit in a wet nappy if we can avoid it. But I'm wondering if this is one of those things where all babies are different and maybe she just isn't aware of her elimination? Or should I be looking for something else, and/or trying different cues?
EC seems to fit with the parenting style of BB, so I'm hoping someone else out there will have done it and have some ideas for me :)

You probably know about Dr. Sarah Buckley's work / information on this, but just in case:

Mothering, Mindfulness and a Baby?s Bottom: An introduction to Elimination Communication

There are some EC'ers on BB but not many :)

I'm not sure how many have done it, but I know Sammiejane does, so hopefully she'll be able to answer some questions for you :)

It's a lot easier to pick up on signals if you wear your baby as well - as much physical contact as possible because that engenders that closeness that facilitates the 'communication' in EC :)
DD is only 3 weeks old, so I haven't done much with her yet, but I have caught some wees so far - it's very exciting! DS was nearly 2.5 yo when I applied some of the principles to night-time continence...took less than 2 weeks and he was essentially continent (with the regressions Ingrid talks about in the book).
There's a website called Part Time Nappy Free, and that ties into what the book says and is probably better suited if you're going to be doing EC on a partial basis.

OK, so this weekend I made more of a concerted effort to use the vintage enamel chamberpot I bought before DD was born. We ROCK! DS is getting in on it, too, making the 'psssss' sound when DD stirs and cries...sure enough, out comes a wee :) I even caught a poo today.
The hardest part, I think for me anyway, is getting the gumption to start. Like an assignment for uni - the hardest part is opening the Word document and starting the introduction. So, I just took off the nappy for longer than 'nappy free time' and it turned out to be easier today and yesterday to watch for the signs than to keep changing nappies as soon as they became wet.
I figure, if most of the world's population does it without reading books or thinking about it...what is stopping me from at least giving it a red hot go at home? It's actually nice to make a gesture to my baby that I am listening to her and wanting her to be comfortable. We'll see how we go - she's only 3 weeks old, after all ;)

We did EC with DS from about 6 weeks old (he is now 1 year old).

I started by doing the psss noise whenever I saw him weeing or pooing - we were forever being weed on during nappy changes, so no shortage of opportunities. We did this from about 2 weeks old, and then at 6 weeks started holding over bowls and potties.

Have you tried using timing? I found I was almost guaranteed to catch a wee straight after a nap, or on waking in the morning and also 5-10 minutes after a feed (this got longer as he got older). I also used to offer him every 20 minutes or so until we both got the hang.

Probably the best tip I ever got (on the mothering dot com forums) was to just relax. If I was tense becauase I was overthinking it it generally wouldn't "work".

Have you heard of Dunstan baby language? Have a look on youtube - there are some videos. DS never had good body language cues, but I did discover he would make an "ungh ungh" noise when he needed to wee (when he was very little - after 6 months or so this stopped).

Also, we have been teaching DS sign language since about 6 months. He's just now starting to sign toilet after he has wet or pooed his nappy - which I count as a great victory even though it's after, because it means he's aware of what's going on. I'd strongly recommend sign language when your DD is a bit older because it's great that he can now use this to communicate with us since his cues are pretty much non existant now.

Well done for giving it a go and good luck with it! Just keep trying! :) :clap:

Tish
xx

Thanks, Tish - I was only reading about the signing last night in Bauer's book, so it's good to get the extra recommendation.
It might not get used much, but it would be great to have an EC general chatter thread, huh? Everytime I start a conversation about it here it gets lost in the threads eventually and someone starts a new one that also eventually gets lost!
Anyhow, in the 'general chatter' vein, I caught our first morning poo today, yay me! Caught lots of wees last night and this morning and in between (whilst sleeping) the flannel flats DD is wearing remained dry for ages. She's a bit of a screamer before it actually happens - she'll be sitting calmly over the chamber pot then she'll tense up and wail...then all is well once she's eliminated.
EC is so underrated!

Thanks for all the replies! I second Mayaness' request for an EC thread - I was quite surprised that there wasn't one already as it fits so well with the rest of the baby-led, gentle parenting style of BB.
We have actually been doing ok with catches based on timing - most mornings we'll get a good wee and maybe a poo, and sometimes post nap (usually though I think she pees before she's fully conscious, then wakes up unhappy with a wet nappy). I am really glad we're doing this much - now she's big enough and has enough neck control to be sat on a potty, so we're using that more often - which means that the potty won't be a strange object by the time she can control her sphincters more.
I'm just a bit disappointed that we haven't got the actual communication happening at all, whether because I'm missing what she tells me, or because she doesn't know it's happening! But I guess the only thing is too keep up with it (warm weather is really helping with that!) It has taken me a while to learn her cues for 'hungry' and 'tired', and I was much more on the lookout for them.
Anyone have any tips on catching while breastfeeding? B almost always poops during or just after a feed. She will usually come off the boob just before, but not in enough time for me to get her nappy off... so I've just been putting an unfolded nappy between her legs, which is a little nerve-wracking, and sometimes messy... the website talks of having a container, but where does it go, how do you hold it upright, how do you hold the baby over it, how does it not go everywhere?!

Jess we used from 6 weeks old a roger and armstrong potty (from big w) which gave us a good platform to rest his bum on while using the classic hold (holding thighs). I didn't feed and potty often, but when I did I'd have the potty between my legs while I was kneeling, holding bubba over the potty and sort of twisting around so he could have a boob in his mouth. I'd strip him off then attach to boob and then put on potty. It was never that comfortable so we didn't do it often. I don't know if there's a better way of doing it? LOL

Cheers,
Tish

I've been putting the chamberpot between my legs whilst sitting up, and having DD's bum in it (fits snugly) and reclining her to feed - good way to catch wees and poos and to see the expressions she uses for doing each. She's getting spoilt, though - she protests loudly when I miss a cue or just can't get her over the pot in time...lots louder than her plaintive cry just before she wees!

Wow, you guys are so lucky that your bubbas cue like that! DS had colic/reflux pain and would cry all the time - it was so hard to know why, because it was almost constant some days.

Anyway - just wanted to log on with a massive brag! Just in the last day DS has started signing toilet before he needs to go. We've caught 2 out of 3 poos today as well as 3 wees. I was so proud this afternoon I nearly cried LOL I really think it's all clicked in his head all of a sudden and he's toilet training himself!

He used to be sooo good, and then it all fell apart when he started crawling - and even worse when he started walking. We went from catching all poo and most wee to maybe 1 a day! I'm sooooo proud of him! And I can't brag to anyone really, I don't want to be one upping anyone. Plus people think we're hippy enough as it is! LOL

Tish, that does sound complex!
Mayaness, I tried the sitting with bowl between legs thing today - she can feed sitting up so it works quite well. We caught a poo! Yay! I need a bowl with a thicker edge though I think or it will press painfully against her thigh if she's there too long.

Yeah I came to that conclusion too, about the bowls, so we went with the potty but that was almost impossible to feed on as you can see LOL

I found the op shop was a great place for a wide range of bowls, you might find a good one :)

That's why I love the chamberpot - has a nice wide rim (must feel as comfy as a toilet seat during transition in labour!!) - got it from a recycler of antique crockery and vintage clothes up in the hills :)
Jess - that's fantastic!! IKWYM about not being able to really chuff about it with mothers of kids the same age who are very much still in nappies...just chuff with us here! I love being able to say that DS learned himself, in response to "oh, wow, you toilet trained him" - cos I was such a chump in hindsight about when he needed to go and when he was telling me that, before I figured it out.
Tish - I would have had a harder time catching anything with DS, too, because he was very windy (I had horrible oversupply issues due to mismanagement of undiagnosed Tongue Tie) and the wind issues only reduced when we got a HAB at 4 weeks, and then at 3 months when I stumbled upon settled sleeping patterns if he slept on my chest, which he did till about 6 months. So, yep, I'm thanking my lucky stars with DD - it's all so different with her, and I'm trying not to spend all my time comparing the two experiences and being too busy being grateful instead of just enjoying her. The EC caper this time is really helping me reclaim those first few weeks with DS, though :)

Tish, that's a brilliant idea about the op shop. I might pop in later today and see what I can find... So you never had physical cues either, and you've still managed to get him to the stage where he has the concept of eliminating and will tell you about it after if not before? That's pretty cool!
B has mild reflux too, and when she was littler we would get those days of just crying and crying. Not so much now, which is great :) It does mess with the cueing - she fusses at the boob in three situations: she's hungry and the letdown is not fast enough, she's about to spew, or she's about to poo/just pooed. I had undersupply due to tongue tie until we got it released, so I was always offering more boob thinking she must be hungry, until I figured out the spew thing. Now it seems like she's keeping her milk down better so maybe I should do the nappy check before the sit-up-with-spew-cloth-handy... It's a bit of a constant guessing game trying to keep up with them. Little babies change so fast! But it's so cool when you get it right and really feel that you're in tune with them :)

Yeah, it's pretty cool! I think they will pick anything up as long as you are consistent :) Timing worked really well with us, and the sign language has been awesome (just generally it's great, he knows about 7 signs at 12 mos).

I'm glad that your reflux situation is settling down - it only just ended with us, we were on Zantac for a long time.

You've reminded me about some feeding related cues that we DID used to have - I read about them somewhere - I'm just trying to remember what they were!!

I think it was popping off and on was a poo and being fussy was a wee? Gah I can't remember now!! Maybe take a look at tribal baby, I think that's where I initially latched onto the idea!

You're right about it being cool when you feel in tune with them. DS had a tough time when he was tiny, and I had this impression that he was a little less frustrated after we started EC, like he was thinking "Thank god these people are FINALLY listening to me"!!

Have fun at the op shop!!

Hi ECers :)

We've had a few milestones in the past few days so I thought I'd check in :)

We h

• ad our first outing wee today - I pottyed him in the boot of the car LOL. Passers by must have wondered what the hell was going on, but he'd been dry half the day and I didn't want to mess that up...!
• He's now consistently signing *before* he wants to go and then actually going on the potty - only if it is in the front doorway and the door is open - the man needs a view apparently.
• Today he needed to go and couldn't see a potty so he weed in a cardboard box instead :lol: Only in our house would this be a victory :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm counting misses these days instead of counting catches. I'm even tempted to break out the ecapants again! It feels so good to be back on track, I'm so proud of him - and I think he's proud of himself too. He claps as soon as he starts weeing/pooing. So cute.

He also thinks he needs to be on the potty to foof (as we call it... fluff) *giggle*.

How are you guys going?

Tish
xx

Oh and I just hung out 4 days worth of nappies and there are 12 on the line.... wooohooo! It'd be triple that normally!

Awesome news!! Man, we REALLY need a general chatter thread!!
Are there specific signs, or do you just make up your own sign for signing? I wouldn't mind incorporating signing into things at this stage.
We're getting back on track now, with much more comfortable nights (no congestion) and catching wees after long sleeps. I bought one more pocket nappy for outings - I'm not always attentive enough to read when she needs to go, but I got one today when I went to the MCHN and took her to the loo there :)
I was talking to a friend from my mothers group today who has pretty much started EC with her 18 month old. She gave me two crotchless outfits that she got from someone, so that will be great for later on!
Tish - your 12 nappies are like my 5 that are still in a pile in the basket next to my bed...nappies that just didn't have to be used last night!
We're just kicking goals :)

Hi Mayaness :)
We've been using Auslan since about 7-8 months old. He could do some signs really early on (cat was his first spoken and signed word and he uses it A LOT lol), and hes started using toilet in context about 3 weeks ago - about age 1. You can google australian baby hands or the victorian deaf assoc (I know that's not the right name, can't remember it now!) has a website where you can look signs up. Toilet is a flat palm and you point to it with your index finger to make a "t" sign. Some signs we make up (e.g. milk was the action for milking a cow and I found that a bit offensive haha so I made a fist and banged my chest for "boobs" heh). I know some bubbas pat their hips when they need to go. Whatever works :) I could rabbit on forever about baby signing - I think it's wonderful. He's got 7 or so words now?

OMG YAY YOU for catching one at the MHC place!! That's fantastic, and at such a young age ;) My MHCN was a bit anti EC, well more disbelieving I suppose so yay you!! Hehehe. Hope someone saw you coming out of the toilet *giggle*

Crotchless pants sounds like a good idea. I don't know that we'll ever be that confident. Have you heard of ecapants? They're a really good idea if a bit spensy.

Do you guys offer at night? How does that work? I always wondered about that. And are you guys full time nappy free at home?

We went to the park this morning and DS was dry the whole time and did a huge wee on the potty when we get back - YAY - only thing was he was so excited to stand up and inspect the good work he was still weeing when he did it hahaha. Im just so proud he's consciously holding and letting go though.

Have a good one :)

Tish
xx

Wow Tish, you are going great guns! My proud EC moment for the day is much more low key - she was fussing on the boob, so I took her off and pottied her, and she went. Her nappy was totally dry, so I think she had actually been holding out for the potty! :o
Mayaness, I've heard signs only work from about 6 months?

How are you guys going?
We have just started solids, and the resulting poo is sticky and stinky and gross. So glad when I manage to get them in the potty! Just heard a fart noise from her while feeding though - better investigate...

Sorry I've been MIA - we had some thrush issues as well as that hideous cold that lasted forever.
Anyway, ECing still going well and there was a question I hadn't answered - using flannel flat nappies at home, saving most of them from wetness and poo, so washing isn't a huge hassle. Just with the cold and tummy issues (was going to try nappyless this week, but now DD has a 'blocked system' where it's coming out in dribs and drabs) can't do it yet. Also using pockets for out and about. So, doing EC, but not nappy free at this stage yet.
I found that offering at night is the easiest, because there are no other distractions (thinking of 3.5 yo, phone ringing, needing to go out and do stuff etc), and she can go hours between wakings because she does big wees instead of dribbly ones all night in her nappy and will sleep well knowing she'll get to wee when she stirs into light sleep again. Pretty much just like the Ingrid Bauer book is how we're progressing with nights!
Anyway, that's all from me for now. Hope all is going well with everyone.
Jess - yep, when solids start you'll really reap the benefits of toilet learning!!

Hi guys :) Sorry I missed the updates here!

Mayaness you're so brave thinking of going nappy free - proper EC LOL. I was never brave enough... maybe with the next one :) When I was still preggers I had all these ideas of how our child would be out of nappies by the time they were 6 months old, maybe sooner!! hahah. How do you find the EC with more than one? I'm in awe of you. Our friends like to remind me how much extra hard work I create for myself and how it will be impossible with 2...

Jess solids poo is a way big incentive to catch them in the potty!! Don't you just do a little cheer every time? hehe. How are you guys travelling?

Sorry, I've got another little brag... ;) I think we're officially "toilet training", or maybe a better term is "toilet transistioning", because I"m not really training him IYKWIM. DS is signing really reliably at the moment, and only used 2 nappies yesterday (both times in the car, I think from now on I will carry a potty in the car and stop because he signed and I felt bad I couldn't help him), and today NO dirty or wet nappies all day, and only 1 miss on the carpet! I'm so proud of him I could burst, and a teeny bit sad too because he's growing up.... Last week we had a pair of training pants on him, and he chased his dad down the hallway putting his hands between his legs going "YUCK" (he says it GGLLLYYUUUUCK almost dutch sounding LOL), because he'd done a poo. I'm so happy for him that he's not happy to sit in his own poo and thinks that's normal. YAY for EC! I wish it was easier to pass it on to other people without it seeming judgemental, do you know what I mean?

So, who knows I might have to go shopping for teeny tiny undies for a 15 month old soon?! Hahah Mum suggested dolls undies - maybe I"m getting a bit ahead of myself, it's only been 2 days after all - and he did go on strike for about 3 months once upon a time.....!

Hope you guys are well :)

That is so awesome, Tish!
I'm running out of time, but I've requested a discussion thread :)

How do you mean running out of time?

Sorry, had to get DS to childcare! The possibility of an EC discussion thread is being toyed with now :)
No need for awe! DS is old enough to know that when you gotta go, you gotta go, so if I have to put a pause on him to pee DD he's ok with that. He'll also get me the chamber pot if I'm tied up and need it brought to me! It's not that hard, and is about as hard as changing nappies, really :)
I think it's awesome of your DS to be 'getting it' already! It's textbook, really - you've set him up beautifully, good one!

I'm such a dag, I thought you meant you were running out of time for a discussion thread? Der ;)

Ohhh that's gorgeous that you have a little helper :) Gives me hope I'll be able to EC a second one - guess it depends on the age difference a little too.

Thanks, it's nice to hear positive comments re the ECing :) Our IRL friends are a bit miffed by it hehe.

PS I found a good EC FB group yesterday! And also thanks for requesting a discussion thread - I think it will be a good place for us to chat, and hopefully get a few more people interested. When you think about it it really fits well with a gentle parenting/attached parenting outlook.

Can I join in ladies?

I did EC wiht Ds1 when he was about 8 months...he used to grunt when needing a poo so onto the loo he went...from 8 months i didnt have to change a pooey nappy :)...he still cant grasp the wee bit but we are getting there!

DS2 did his first poo on the toilet tonight :leap: I was so proud..he is the same as DS1 he kinda grunts and only goes like once every few days so I knew this one was coming and just held him over the loo! He was smiling away and i just kept praising him.


So how do I teach him to wee on the toilet...also should I maybe use a potty? Cause it was kinda awkward holding him...although I could jsut sit on the loo wiht him?

sorry for crashing the thread! This has really interested me since DS1 was born.
x

Hi Boomba,

Congrats on catching poos! If i had to choose only one to catch I'd choose poo LOL.

You might want to do a bit of googling, cos I'm terrible at explaining things with words only ;) But here goes...

These techniques are for smaller bubs... Some people use the "classic hold" which is where you have the baby's back to you and then grasp the baby's thighs. Then lean their back against your chest. DS's legs usually ended up resting against my wrists/arms a bit. We used to dangle him over a potty like that from about 6 wks old but some people just aim over an ordinary bowl, sink, whatever.

For weeing, whenever we noticed him peeing (e.g. any time we changed him LOL) we made a "pssss" cueing noise so he would learn to wee when he heard that noise. It works well for some people but not so great for us. Some babies give cues as your little one does for pooing (ours didn't do this either). Timing worked really well for us, so offering a potty break straight after waking, or however many minutes after a feed etc. I think when we tried full time EC early on I was offering potty breaks every 30mins during the day with limited success (then the time intervals would be longer as he got older).

When DS got old enough to sit on his own we'd put the potty somewhere there was something to distract/relax him to wee - so the TV, or the open front door (soo funny to see the looks on peoples faces as they were doing their morning walk hehe). We give him lots of claps and cheers and he seems pleased with himself ;) We've got a seat insert for the "big toilet" which seems to work well, but he gets bored sitting there waiting.

Did your DS get a shock with the splash? WHen my DS wees on the toilet the tinkle puts him off and we have to go to the potty hehe.

Sorry for the long post!!

Tish
x

Hi All,

Can I join in? I want to voice my support/interest in a discussion thread on EC.
I started a thread a few months ago, but it fizzled out (I think, or maybe I just fizzled out :D).

I practice EC with my DS2, and I practiced it with DS1. I am a total convert!

Boomba, :clap: That's great!

Tish, I too find that timing works really well. Also, my DS2 'blows raspberries' when he wants to poo (that is his signal to me). He has been doing this since 9 weeks of age. Another time that is obvious to me, is when I am trying to bf and he keeps 'popping off' and fussing. That is a definite signal that he needs to pee. I wish I had know this with my first child (who I did not practice EC with). When she fussed at the breast, I thought it was a bf issue, not the fact that she wanted to pee. If only I had known!

I call myself a casual EC'er. These days (third child), I don't stop the car if I know DS2 needs to go.With DS1, I would stop the car, and pee him in a potty or on the grass. Ds2 wears mcn's and I remove them when he needs to go. But I am more relaxed about it this time. DS1 was fully daytime TT and toileting independently at 2 yr 5m. I don't know if he would have taken longer if he had been 'traditionally' TT. But that was never my goal. I love the enhanced communication and closeness that EC can bring to your relationship with your child.

Mayaness, Tish, Jess and Boomba, I have enjoyed reading your experiences. EC is a wonderful journey. I always remind myself that it is not a linear journey either! Sometimes a case of 2 steps forward, one back. :)

Oh, by the way, I use buckets! (at home) :lol: DH and I always joked that DS1 would have a bucket phobia as an adult! I attempted to transition DS2 to a potty, and he has used it a few times, but I think I still prefer holding him. Tish you have given a great description of 'the hold'.

Goodnight ladies.

Thanks Trish that was reaslly helpfull...I have done alot of reading on the tribal baby webpage so thats helped heaps :) DS1 has never been scared of the toilet...its a big socail gathering for him if DH is home we all have to be in there reading stories and singing...hope he doesnt do this when he is 15 :rofl:
Aliash a bucket sounds like a great idea..hehe bucket phobia as long as he doesnt fall in :)

Well after one success we had 2 unsuccesful attempts...He started to go so I quickly took him in but cracked it :( then this morning he went in his nappy......I will keep persisting he is only 11 weeks so hopefully I will get it more :)

Hello boomba and Aliash! Great to have a few more folks in this thread.
I have been away from the internet, visiting the beach, then a singing conference, then settling Bridie at daycare... and our ECing has gone by the wayside a bit too. We are still offering pottytunities at nappy changes and during nappy free time at home, just not trying when we're out (and we've been out of the house a LOT).
Bridie seems to only go on the potty; if I cue her while holding her over a sink she just wiggles. Sitting on the potty though she happily wees, sometimes even before I cue her, sometimes after a bit of time to relax. DH has invented a song he sings to her: 'it's morning (/afternoon/evening), we're on the potty, and what do we do on the potty? We pssss!' She always gives a big grin for the potty song, so cute :)
Atm, she will whinge when she's having nappy free time and needs to wee, which is great. Only problem is she also whinges to say 'I'm bored' or 'my toy is out of reach' or 'I've forgotten how to roll over on to my back' etc... She probably gives the same signal in nappies but I can never get them off and her on the potty fast enough to tell if that was what she was whinging about. Except just after a nap - maybe it takes the bladder sphincter a while to wake up?
One of the daycare workers was really interested to hear that Bridie wees on the potty at home. They are moving to a new centre soon which will hopefully have a better bathroom set up, so I am wondering whether they'd be willing to try pottying her at nappy changes... we'll see, I guess!
At home, I'm wondering whether to just continue with our current casual EC-ing, or if I should try to get more nappy free EC time in while the whether is warm. I'm not yet fussed about TTing/independence; washing her nappies isn't that big a deal. (Solid poo is pretty icky! But DH rinses them out for me. ;) ) And daycare certainly isn't going to be able to do fulltime EC, with 4 babies to each staff member. Hmm, what to do...

Just quickly - last night DD spent her first nappy free night! Was a warm night and she only leaked once (not much wee there), and was woken by DS once, so I pee'd her twice all up. So cute to see and feel her all naked! Tonight's up the creek, after a fire call whilst on station just after our brigade meeting wrapped up...just going to bed now, but she's asleep in a nappy. Might take it off later, though ;) Just thought I'd let you all know about our first big brave step!

You are so brave Mayaness!!! Let me know how it goes, it's not something I could bring myself to do LOL, but wished I could have. Are you using a wool pad or something to sleep on?

It was just so hot that night that I couldn't bring myself to wrap her in anything! I just had her on a Fluffy brand thing that's long and narrow, under her bum, on her lambskin (lamby gets put out in t he sun in the morning).

I've done 2 and a half nights nappy free and feeling braver. So brave that today I've had her mostly nappy-free at home, too. I got a whole stack of clothes for her that I thought I wouldn't need and it's all pink. I decided that I'd dye it all and as it has to be damp to dye, I'll put the pink stuff on without nappies and wash the lot THEN dye it!

It's been a week since my last post, allow me to post again!
The whole week Miss T has been nappy-free at night - no misses, dry nights, two wakings on average :) Last night I put her down, she stirred a little about 3 hours later, I put her on the chamber pot and she did the tiniest wee, she moved about an hour and a bit later but before I could pick her up she was sound asleep again, so I left her...didn't even need to feed her. Next thing I know it's 6.45am and she's still dry, still asleep and hasn't fed :o She didn't do much of a wee (wasn't much input anyway!), had a huge feed (cos it was there!) and she fell asleep again.
Oh, and the last few days we've been getting out of the house during the day (cos it's so messy from packing that our brains are melting down, me and the kids) and we've gone through only one nappy in that whole outing - wee'ing her on time and doing the occasional poo (she'll leave them for the chamber pot sessions, it would appear). She's probably just becoming more aware sooner of her need to go, rather than holding on till I get to pee her, and letting me know that bit sooner. I really believe she's appreciating her cleaner state and I get no grief from her. She smiles and coos and is such a darling to be with - none of the frustration that I'm sure DS had with me for not realising he didn't want to be in a nappy. I can't go back to nappying (other than for having a back up for missed cues) after this, it just makes too much sense and is of such mutual benefit in our family. Even DP can do it. Sheesh, even DS can do it with her except he's too little to lift her over the chamber pot, and just "sssssss's" her instead!
How's everyone else going with their journey??

Hi guys,

Sorry I haven't posted in here for a while! :)

Mayaness it sounds like things are still going wonderfully for you guys - well done on your perserverance and braveness for the overnights LOL You're my inspiration that if/when we have another I'll be able to EC with 2 and put those naysayers in their place! LOL

Was at the podiatrist the other day and DS was signing toilet, and the podiatrist was saying that she knew someone who did EC - so it's good to see it getting a bit more well known out there.

We're going pretty well at the moment. DS is pretty consistently signing before he goes (or afterwards with a guilty face and a point to the spot on the carpet, so cute!). There have even been a very few occasions where he's put himself on the potty and gone without me even knowing! Sometimes he uses potty time as an avoidance technique (he does "micro wees" before bed because it prolongs the routine, little bugger), but not too much.

He's going through a stage at the moment where he's weeing on the floor beside the potty alot though, anyone else experienced this?

We carry a potty in the car so we've always got one while we're out. Got a portable cushy tushy but I don't think he feels comfortable with it.

Mostly he's dry all day (still don't trust him in undies while we're out but his nappies stay dry), with maybe 1 or 2 wees on the carpet and a "poomergency" on the carpet once a week or so? For his age I think he's doing brilliantly, and I love to hear people comment when he's weeing in the potty in the parenting rooms while we're out (so does DS for that matter haha).

Nights are still in nappies now though, he wets quite heavily. I know he wakes up to wee in the middle of the night and cries, if I go in to resettle him he'll sometimes sign too. I've tried pottying him but he gets grumpy with me taking his nappy off etc and wants to lay down again when I put him on the potty. Not sure what to do there!

Glad to hear you're having such success Mayaness, how is everyone else doing?

Tish
xx

Mayaness, that's awesome!

Tish, very cool that your DS puts himself on the potty :)

We were doing well last week - catching wees after naps fairly consistently, and I think every poo - but this week she's decided she doesn't want to sit, particularly not on the potty. She will still wee standing over the potty, but that's not so good as she puts her legs together and arches backwards and the wee goes all over the parent standing in front holding her up! :rolleyes: I've been trying to use the newborn hold instead (hands under her thighs, over the sink) but she's never been a big fan of that and prefers to wait till she's back on the change table, then wee. She has a cold and is teething this week, could these have anything to do with it? Anyone have any suggestions as to what we can do (other than just wait till she's over it this phase)?