by: Laura Dunn LPN, IBCLC
Have you ever heard of a child going through their entire stage of infancy without a diaper?
As parents you have a lot of decisions to make including how, if and how frequently you plan to diaper your baby. That's right, I said if you plan to diaper your baby.
Wikipedia says:
"Elimination communication (EC) is a toilet training practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant's need to eliminate waste. Typically the goal is to partially or completely avoid the use of diapers. EC emphasizes communication between the caregiver and child, helping them both become more attuned to the child's innate rhythms and control of urination and defecation. The term "elimination communication" was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby care in less industrialized countries and hunter-gather cultures. Some practitioners of EC begin soon after birth, although it can be started with babies of any age."
Diaperfreebaby.org is a non-profit website started by two moms that provides support and information about EC. They describe Elimination Communication as a:
"modern adaption of an ancient method of childcare. Traditionally this method was seen and practiced by the whole community, learned naturally over a lifetime."EC is appealing to me because of it's impact on the earth, or lack of. Also, it's cheap and I like that it's about being in tune with your baby. To do EC, you have to be in a close relationship with your baby and learn their little signals or cues. It's not unlike a breastfeeding relationship. And if you are doing both, they tie right into each other.
Other waste management options are disposable diapers, cloth diapers and hybrid diapers. Those are for another post. Please share with me your experiences with any of these for me to share with readers. Email them to me at LactationLaura(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks.
Diaper Free Adventures: a Mommy Blogger's take on EC
Ehow article on how to do Elimination Communication
Is Elimination Communication something that you think you would try? Have you already?
I know of one person who used this method with her babies. It's so different from what I know or have ever observed, I just don't know if I want to take it on along with all the other new stuff I'll be figuring out.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a lot of work. The beauty is, that's your choice. Cheers for choices!
ReplyDeleteYou have to be really, truly hardcore into attachment parenting for this. I slept with my babies next to me, nursed till they were two, wore them in a wrap until they hit 35lbs, cloth diapered, made all my own baby food... and yet this is way too "crunchy" for me. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think having a baby can be really isolating already. It's overwhelming trying to get out of the house with them and all their stuff, and if you add in the fact that you can't get them too far from the potty... I mean, how do you ever go out to lunch with an undiapered baby? Plus, I know both of mine would always poop great quantities while nursing. No thanks.
(My 2 cents. YMMV.)
Your two cents welcome here Jenn. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete