Only last weekend I was musing on infant potty training and elimination communication (EC) - wondering whether it's really possible to go diaper-free if you're a working parent. (For more scoop on EC, check out Warren's post on 'potty whispering' or Kyeann's take on diaper free babies.) As a soon-to-be parent, I'm intrigued and attracted by the possibility of ditching diapers early, but find it hard to envision an intensive routine of EC. As I suspected in my first post, it's not all-or-nothing.
Charndra of Part-Time Diaper Free and other commenters made it clear that you can indeed adopt a more gradual approach - combining EC with cloth diapers, and simply giving your baby the option of using a potty as and when it works for your schedule.
Charndra has actually put together a free online guide (you need to join her site to gain access, but it is indeed a free resource) to gaining diaper-free confidence. She also wrote an online guide to explore whether part-time EC might work for you. Her list of statements to check include:
" Imagine you are quite happy to use diapers for pees, but know your baby's poop rhythms and signs well enough for baby to do virtually all of them in a potty. Wiping poo off your baby's soft skin is an uncommon activity for you, and you are very pleased with this!"
So far you'll find no argument here.
"Imagine offering your baby wee breaks at home, in natural transitions in the day's activities, yet using diapers as a full-time 'backup' - for peace of mind as the idea of accidents on the carpet just make you too nervous! You find catching pees in the potty several times a day (and most poos in the morning) to be great fun - baby enjoys it - it's an enjoyable way to connect with your baby each day."
Again, sounds like an excellent idea to me.
"Imagine using Modern Cloth Diapers, knowing baby stays aware of when they are using their diaper, and inviting them to wee in the potty at diaper changes, or when you check and find a dry diaper while you are at home. In time, your awareness of baby's attempts to communicate that they need to use the potty grows and you can help them when they need to go."
Heck yeah. I'm sold. This whole approach just seems to make so much sense to me - I'm just confused why it's not more common. After all, it hardly seems right to let babies sit in their poop and pee for their first few years and then suddenly tell them this is somehow wrong. A gentler, more gradual transition to going diaper free seems like the kindest and probably least messy route possible.
Any readers know of other good resources out there?
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss! After reading this I thought what a great concept. Why not?
I think that any new parent could benefit from this...just have a room that
doesn't have any carpet though....
This makes a lot more sense (as they say) then allowing babies to sit in their
wet diapers!!!!
You can find more information HERE!
(Photo/wiki) Actually, you have to be a little bit in love with your leading man and vice versa. If you're going to portray love, you have to feel it. You can't do it any other way. But you don't carry it beyond the set." - Audrey Hepburn
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