EC generally means asking your infant to pee on demand. It doesn't mean you have to head to the potty every hour, or give up diapers, just that you allow your infant a greater than normal chance to understand and control elimination.
EC stands for Elimination Comunication, implying some wonderful connection where you actually know what your baby is trying to tell you, I never had any such connection! But then I am dense, some mothers actually do get it. (they often become 'diaper free' mothers)
Another term often used is IPT, meaning Infant Potty Training, implying actually training your infant as you would a 2 year old, but that is too drastic for me.
For me I really do just ask my kid to pee on demand, thats it till they want to hold it, and can ask for the potty. I can tell you what I do with my kids, but please if you decide to try it, do it your own way, don't think EC is all the Perky way or nothing!
Step one: Communicate tell your baby from the start (or from right now) anytime they are peeing, or pooping. Not in a bad way, just matter of fact yep thats pee, pee on me, pee on the floor, you are peeing. (if you must have emotion giggling is better than anger!) Treat each and every event as a learning experience (though no need to leave your kid to pee any more than you are comfortable with, most newborns pee on you often enough with diapers!)
step 2: Figure out the hold After they can hold their head up(you can do this earlier, even from birth, but I don't), hold them comfortably over a potty asking them to pee, or poop. This is the step that feels the hardest, cause you as the parent have to figure out what is most comfortable for you both, a postition you can hold for a minute that they will not get angry for(never force your kid to be anywhere near a potty!). If at first you don't succeed wait a day, week or more, then try again, if nothing else you only wasted a minute, not gonna hurt, (at some point your baby will gain the balance and eventually not need you for sitting)
During step two your kid will prolly pee on the floor in the bathroom, or the wall or even in the potty! (or the tub..) name and praise (you peed, good job, yeah pee in the bathroom/potty!)
step 3: Pee on demand up the number of times you ask to whatever you are comfortable with, I have no desire to spend all day in the bathroom, but I find a couple times a day my kid happens to be dry I figure a potty is prolly going to work. and if I fail, he is only 5 months no big deal! So far you have not even asked your kid to 'hold it' so don't be annoyed if they don't!
step 4:Yeah dry! Praise dry diapers, now that your kid can pee o demand there will likely be some dry diapers. But don't be mad if there aren't
step 5:More communication Wait for communication from your child about their desire to use a potty. This might be when they crawl/toddle to the door (and might be a boredom buster of theirs) or might be when they learn the word pee. Or might be when they follow you in. Or when they see their friends doing it. Whatever. just continue with step 3 and 4 till they do, always use words (shall we pee now?) always stop before you get frustrated.
Step 6: Ask your kid to 'hold it' Just ask, Ask for dry diapers, praise when you get them. One simple way to avoid a mess is to have your kid stand in the tub and wait their turn(mommy has to pee too!), if they pee, no big, little spray little water, tubs is clean.
Step 7: Fully train Wait a bit then finish up, maybe you now have a day trained kid who still pees at night, or one who pees once a day on the floor but the rest in the potty, or one who pees on demand but only asks when bored. Kids ar all different, the first steps (pee on demand, then hold it) are the same, but what makes a kid decide to never (or practically never) pee anywhere but a potty varies. Some like underware, some like 'big beds' some like freedom (soap they can do on their own) some need stickers. By this time you prolly have a 1.5 or 2 year old and you can modify traditional rewards. (but you will have saved many diapers over the last year, and have an easier time, no fear of potty to overcome.)
JC didn't start till around 7 months (when she followed GMC in the potty) but was fully night and day trained at 1.5 (cept when sick she pees the bed now at 2)
Right now my 5 month old is in step 3 and 4, I am not moving on till he is older, we are just enjoying the self pride when he pees or poops in the potty (oh and almost no poopy diapers from him! pretty much all in the potty, pee on the other hand takes longer)
The How to's of ECing (it is cheaper than regular diapering)
April 14th, 2006 at 04:33 pm
April 14th, 2006 at 04:46 pm 1145029563
April 14th, 2006 at 05:10 pm 1145031058
June 6th, 2008 at 01:51 pm 1212756666
I highly recommend the Baby Bjorn infant potty seat that costs only about $10 - it is tiny and perfect for the little ones.
Good luck all!
June 10th, 2008 at 07:59 pm 1213124373
I just had another kid, and am not sure when I am up to trying, definitely not on day 4 though! (tough I know others who do start at birth with success)
June 24th, 2008 at 06:42 pm 1214329324
February 19th, 2009 at 03:19 pm 1235056773
July 21st, 2009 at 04:52 pm 1248191529
July 21st, 2009 at 06:20 pm 1248196818
If you are willing to let them lay naked for a bit let em.
If you can't stand the thought/have company/going out then just look for signs (you know that feeling of warmth when a diaper is being filled.)
It wont help your baby if the sight of pee/poop makes you scream, so pick your comfort level.
My advice is try the naked for a short time each day (right after bath is nice, or before.) then make it gradually longer.
October 11th, 2010 at 06:08 am 1286773704
October 11th, 2010 at 02:48 pm 1286804917
But, numbers 3 and 4 were almost 2 and a half before they were really potty trained (4th still not night time trained)
So go for it, but don't think of it has full potty training, think of it has preventing the kid from becoming diaper trained.
August 28th, 2011 at 04:31 am 1314502310
August 28th, 2011 at 05:09 pm 1314547766