early "toilet learning"

who has done EC and who has/hasnt had succsess ???

i have a book on it and am really intruiged by it ...

ive had nix naked all day ... and he is scared of a toilet and big potty so im about to try a smaller one till he becomes comfortable with it ...

i have noticed that if nix goes down for a nap he does a wee before he sleeps so his nappy is wet the whole time ..

i really want to do this to make him aware of his body and eliminate nappy rash ...

i want to hear from the mums who have done this ...

I'm inclined not to push it, but summer is coming up and that's the best time to TT IMO. Mitch practically TTed himself once he realised he could pee all over the place like his dad!

good luck with it!!!
xoxoxo

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who has done EC and who has/hasnt had succsess ???

i have a book on it and am really intruiged by it ...

i want to hear from the mums who have done this ...

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Hi
I did EC with DD#2. We started when she was several weeks old. She moved into OneWet Pants (custom-made training pants) when she was 6 months old and was wearing cotton undies at 12 months. We had accidents now and then until she was independently using the toilet all the time at 23 months.

Some people start and finish conventional toilet training by 23 months, but for us it was an invaluable addition to our parenting "tool box". My daughter very quickly learned that I would respond to her indications of discomfort caused by impending wee or poo and so she became clearer and I then learnt better to understand her too :-)

For us, EC was a gentle and respectful way of helping my DD to keep clean and dry.

Anyone who is interested in EC - or just intrigued(!) - should have a look at the TribalBaby site at
http://www.tribalbaby.org/
because there is a lot of information about EC there - what it is, how to get started and integrate it part-time into your baby's life etc.

HTH
Marnie

I'm interested too... might see if another thread will get some attention! How's it going for you?
Whats the name of the book?

There are three books (that I know of) that are available in Australia specifically about EC and two DVDs.

The books are:
"Infant Potty Training" by Laurie Boucke - very comprehensive with details on how to start at any age and also gives information on a variety of cultures
"Infant Potty Basics" also by Laurie Boucke - a cut down version of the above book, omitting so much of the traditional culture stuff, but also telling how to start
"DiaperFree!" by Ingrid Bauer - how to start and more of "why" to start - talks about respect and other emotional things.

The DVDs are:
"Nappy Free" by Nicole Moore - a practical and pragmatic documentary on elimination communication based on an Australian community doing it
"Potty Whispering" by Laurie Boucke - a two DVD set with interviews from parents, care-givers and medical personnel and footage of a variety of babies and toddlers

HTH
Marnie

thanks for that ..do they have books on "how to sit your toddlers butt on the potty and keep it there" coz hes a worm and wont sit on a toilet or a potty ....

LOL Lea! I worry that we'll be the same, come TT time - DD wont even stay still for a nappy change!
I might look out for some of those for when it is time for us... Thanks for posting, Marnie.

I would just be careful about tt too early as you could put him off or make him scared of the whole process. I am not trying to put you down for trying i think its a great idea. I also know a lady who tt her son early and he was not actually aware of his body she just knew what times he needed to go and reminded him. So by the time he went to pre school he still was not independent on the toilet he was relying on his mum to tell him when to go. Hope that makes sense. Good luck just be aware.

Nikki

I think there is a lot of difference in the approach between EC (elimination communication) and toilet training.

EC is all about communication both ways between parent and child about wees and poos, maintaining (or relearning) body awareness of impending elimination and HELPING the child to keep clean and dry by offering an alternative to going in the nappy. Generally you would start in the first 6 months of the baby's life but starting later than that is possible, but more of a challenge as the baby has learnt to ignore needing to go and is trained to go in the nappy.

It seems to me that toilet training is about requiring the child to communicate with the parent (or preferably just going and doing it in the toilet or potty) with the main responsibility being on the child to keep clean and dry. Usually the child has a big learning curve to go with the change in expectations of them: before it was expected (required) that they use the nappy, now they shouldn't do that but have to go in the potty or toilet...

Beginning toilet training with the expection of the child to take responsibility that they aren't ready for is only a recipe for frustration and worse on the part of parent and child.

That said, you can start EC at any age of the baby - and today is a good time for you to start :-) Part-time EC can be very effective - just pop the baby on a potty or over the toilet when you take off the nappy at each nappy change and when the bub first wakes up and when you get the feeling that they need to go. The baby/toddler will learn that there is a place to go outside the nappy, and will start to wait a bit to take advantage of it. Cleaning up a potty after a poo is ever so much easier than wiping a dirty bottom!

HTH
Marnie

OHHHHHHH!!

Great question charmalea, this is very interesting indeed. How are things going for you?

Marnie thanks for the info. I have never heard of this before so I have copied down the books you suggested.There are so many times when I think my DS could go without a nappy, so i'm really curious about this now!

Hi all

Starfish has been doing early tt with her dd and has been having some great successes so hopefully she sees this thread (she is part of the July 07 baby group).

Good luck
Jem

We are doing part-time EC exactly like Marnie has described - we put DD on the potty or over the toilet at each nappy change, after she wakes up, and at any time when she seems unsettled/uncomfortable. We have been doing this since she was 4 weeks old. She in now 7.5 months and wees in the potty most times that we put her on it. In the last two weeks or so, she has started doing poos on the potty too. (Yesterday we had two poos in the potty, none in the nappy, woo hoo.) In the past few weeks we have also noticed that sometimes her nappy is dry when we change it and then she will go in the potty. I highly recommend this method to anyone. It is no more difficult than normal nappy changing, and as Marnie says - its much easier to clean the potty than to deal with a pooey nappy. And you end up using fewer nappies too, as if the nappy is clean and dry you can re-use it. HTH. :)

after struggels to keep nixon sitting on the potty i gave up ... but lately i have noticed him being more aware of when hes wet/dirty ..

if hes nude and running around out side , he stops and looks at his willy to watch himself wee...so i do think he is becomming more aware and with poos , he either takes the nappy off before he does one or straight after he does it ...

so after reading all this i should really start EC up again ....

WOW it's so amazing that you can get your kids to do all this!

My son notices when he pees, too. Especially in he bath- he'll just watch himself piddle in the water... and gotta love it when they drink the water later! ewww :p

I'll definitely have to try him on the toilet when he wakes up from his nap, as I can definitely tell he needs to pee just from the look of his penis. I'm not a guy and never had one! hehe but I'm assuming it means he needs to pee when it goes all big and long!

oh yes .. they get a big stiffy whhen they need to pee ..

he did a poo yesterday and ripped his nappy straight off ...so i guess i sould try him on the potty or toilet again ...

Wow this is soooo interesting! Thanks for starting the thread Lea :)

Zofia ~ I was thinking of you too when I posted too!

Just thought that i would bump this as we have decided to give this method a go... (part time using a potty)
For those that just started at the start of the year, did you continue?
Any pointers would be great - what worked best?

Thanks

Great topic.

I'm thinking of TT Ela who is now one. Any pointers and tips as per SJ's thread above would be greatly appreciated!

I'm due in mid October and we're keen to try EC (at least part time) as well. Any pointers would be appreciated! :)

Tish

Wanting to do EC for the next one. DS has been toilet learning for a while now, I wouldn't call it TT, cos we haven't pushed it at all, he's just shown his own inclinations and awareness :) Can't take any credit for it except for buying a potty and a toilet step!
Definitely interested in those split crotch pants for the next kidlet.
I agree, TT and EC and toilet learning are two distinct processes.

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thanks for that ..do they have books on "how to sit your toddlers butt on the potty and keep it there" coz hes a worm and wont sit on a toilet or a potty ....

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You don't have to sit them on a potty or toilet - you can also just hold them over it, or another larger receptacle. If only I'd known then what I know now!!! At least now I know why he wakes up overnight and seems upset.
I've been reading Diaper-Free Babies and getting a lot more inspiration for the next one, and for getting DS night-dry - I think I missed the ideal boat with that one, a few months ago he was waking up night after night for a couple of weeks, with a dry nappy and now he's not :(

we have still been dong part time learning.
MJ now wakes at night if she has a wet nappy, wanting a change, and if i put her on the potty after her 11pm feed (which is not really a dream feed as she has to wake) she will do a wee, often she will wake with a dry or near dry nappy and do a massive wee on the potty.
She often does her first poo of the day on the potty too.

Just recently she has started to realise that she is weeing, when on the potty - maybe more due to the sound - she will stop mid stream and look up at me as if she realises whats going on. i then have to wait another minute for her to finish!

What i do for those that are interested...
Fisrt thing in morning - get up and sit on the potty.
Wait for a few minutes or until she protests (dont want to force her to be there) - regardless of whether she does something or not LOADS of praise for sitting there.
If she does something there is extra praise and clapping and we often will look at it and say 'yay wee wee/poo poo on the potty" and clap.

I repeat this after feeds and just before bed, and before a bath.
Also if she looks like she wants to poo i quickly take her to the potty and often she will finish the poo there.
LAtely i have started the night time one, purely cos she protests to the wet nappy overnight, and she n longer sleeps through, so is up anyway.

We started when MJ was about 5 mths, could sit on the potty with minimal assistance.

The aim is to ovioulsy have her TT early, but also i figure if its not going to be, she will not resent or be frightened or not want to sit on the potty as it is something that she always does iykwim

HTH :)