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Elimination Communication
Infant Potty Training
One of the latest parenting trends has been branded, Elimination Communication - in other words, potty training your baby from birth. Quite a few moms in my social circle have shared their experiences with me and I became very interested to know more about it. The more I learn about infant potty training, the more I believe that this is the way mothers around the world have been handling potty training for centuries.
The best age to begin is between birth and the beginning of crawling which is usually around 6 months. While most infants are not physically able to sit down on a potty-chair on their own the process of elimination communication involves reading an infant’s body language and cues and responding promptly to their needs.
Part of being moms and dads is changing smelly diapers. We often know when the fatal moment is about to occur… we take a deep breath and prepare for the next diaper change… but what if we took that same moment to learn and communicate with our baby?
It’s a mistake to assume that infants are oblivious to peeing and moving their bowels. What if instead of encouraging our babies to use their diapers – we introduced them to the toilet?By diapering a baby, it is teaching Baby to use the diaper. Babies communicate from birth. If the parent does not respond appropriately to the baby’s “language” the baby will stop communicating no longer try to “tell you” when he or she is using the diaper.
Elimination Communication Method
Observation
The parent places the baby in a comfortable, warm and safe place without a diaper on. The parent must observe:
timing when and how often in relation to feeding and sleeping/waking or simply by the clock.
body language baby’s body movements that may signal a bowel movement (such as twisting or grimacing while defecating)
sounds vocalization, grunting, noises baby makes when making
Awareness and Anticipation
The parent learns to anticipate when their baby needs to go. When the parent expects that Baby is ready, they make a sound such as "pshhhhhh." If the baby starts to go during observation, the parent makes the, “pshhhhhhh” sound. The baby learns to relate the sound with going to the toilet… hence the term.
The Toilet
When the parent thinks their baby needs to go, they gently hold their baby over a potty, toilet, sink, or whatever and make the chosen “potty sound”.
