Elimination Communication: No More Wearable Toilets!© Sara McGrath
Jul 1, 2004
Some people think I'm crazy when they find out that my one-year-old daughter doesn't wear diapers. They just can't believe that she's "toilet trained" already. When I say that she was never toilet un-trained, they really think I'm crazy. The way I see it--and I'm not alone in this--babies know when they need to eliminate just as they know when they need to eat.
When a baby is hungry, he signals to his mother perhaps by squirming, fussing, or crying. A sensitive mom may even know her baby needs to nurse by a familiar look in his eyes, or just by
intuition. It's the same with a baby's need to eliminate. He signals whether anyone notices or not. He may grimace, grunt, squirm, or cry. Again, some moms just know when their babies need to eliminate, especially those moms who live in cultures where they don't commonly use diapers. Yes, that's right. In some places around the world, parents do not rely on diapers to contain their babies' elimination. Many Westerners assume that something is used in place of diapers, even in tribal settings. Or they assume that babies eliminate all over their caretakers and the village. It's not so. Even in our Western culture, babies were not always confined to diapers. Ever hear of the chamber pot? Moms and siblings used to take the baby to the pot whenever they sensed that he needed to use it. Increasing numbers of parents are seeking out this ancient practice as a healthy and respectful alternative to diapering. I can hear some of you saying, "That's too much work. It's not practical for our busy lifestyles." My response: If you can breastfeed your baby, then you can help him eliminate in a hygienic and pleasant way. I can tell you that practicing elimination communication is more convienient and pleasant than diapering in the same way that breastfeeding is more convenient and pleasant than bottle feeding. Think about it--no more diaper changes, no more diaper rash, better hygiene, less to take with you when you're away from home, and most importantly, a closer connection with your baby. For those of you who do not know how convenient breastfeeding is, or whose babies are in daycare, you can still practice elimination communication when you are with your baby. You can still use diapers as a backup to protect your homes. If you have the desire to practice EC, you can! For more information on EC (aka natural infant hygiene, elimination timing, trickle treat, infant potty training):
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I am in the process of writing an article of how this method worked in my family, and I am adding a suggestion which should help people who did not grow up with it. The article is not finished, but i
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In response to message posted by RaeJane:
I haven't approached EC as something that I am attempting to teach my daughter, b
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In response to message posted by msaraann:
I think I'd have to see it to believe it. Only because I have 2 small children an
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In response to message posted by Zanzi:
I know that children can un-learn having their elimination signals ignored, because
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Do you think that children who have been diapered can "un-learn" having their cues seemingly ignored? Additionally, how would this work in the day care setting, especially considering that oftentimes
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