We started diapering Ocean with cloth diapers, and have never used a conventional disposable diaper. As a gift my mother purchased a duffel bag full of used cloth diapers in a myriad of sizes and shapes from a La Leche Leauge leader who had also purchased some of them second hand. The ultimate in re-using, re-re-using! This bag has barely been broken into, because with a bit of testing I became a big fan of the simple cotton prefold attachted to precious baby with a plastic snappi. The lovely simplicity of these diapers was nice, Ocean had little diaper rash, but laundry was a pain. Later we were given a set of Baby G diapers with 2 packs of compostable, biodegradable inserts. These are disposable, are SO much better than conventionals. The compostable part is much smaller than a full diaper, the G diaper outside is washable and re-usable. However convienient these diapers were supposed to be, they were also a bit of a mess and a pain when used.
Out on the farm, Ocean would be naked. Being outside and dirty already I did not care if he peed all over me. Then I remembered something my friend Becka had told me she tried with her daughter Lucy. She called it Elimination Communication and when they first started communicating with eachother Becka was so stoked she built a beautiful and fun toilet for Lucy to use. This simple tool seemed to be a wonderful next step for Ocean's evolution. I got on the web I found some great sites (I will put links here) about EC and diaperless babies. It was really inspiring and seemed really easy so I gave it a shot.
Babies are not dolls, and this baby did not enjoy clothes or diapers from the beginning. It was a lasting joke that he only spit up when forced to wear clothes just to get them off again! Going diaperless was just one more thing to take off and it has made a ton of difference. But what about pee? How do you know when the baby needs to eliminate? That is where you come in. There really is no handbook, that is why it is called communication. You must have the time and desire to communicate with your child so that you can learn the baby's cues, body language, and signals. Luckily, we noticed that Ocean has a tendency to get an erection when he has to pee! What a great meter. It is such an effective tool that even our roomate had learned to anticipate pee's and helps call them sometimes! So what happens when you learn the cues? When we think it might be time we ask him "Do you have to go potty/pee? Sometimes he will ignore me, sometimes he will laugh or cry. If it's a laugh or cry we like to take the baby outside to the grass. We started by holding him by the thighs and spreading his legs for him, but soon noticed he preferred to put his feet on the ground. A few moments of encouragement (we make a ppsssssss sound) and he goes.
On a normal day at home this is about 90-99% effective. On a day of travel and lots of new stimulation the effectiveness sometimes drops to about 50%. It's important to remember this is communication. If we were standing next to eachother and talking but ingnoring eachother, neither of us would know what the other was talking about. It is important to be attentive, ask questions and keep communication throughout the whole process. A simple breakdown for those of you who may be skimming through....
- Pay attention to your little one. If they currently wear diapers, try to pay attention to any faces or actions they make when they eliminate. This will be easier with cloth diapers, even easier with no diapers. For little boys an erection is a common sign they have to urinate. Some babies make pee faces. Remember you are just harnessing your babies natural urge and desire to NOT sit in his own pee or poo. They will quickly catch on and be super grateful that you are paying attention.
- Find a place they are comfortable with using the bathroom. Ocean likes to have his own feet in the grass to go. Some babies respond to be held by the thighs in a position that would mimic being on the toilet.
- Make a sound or do something to cue your baby on. This helps them understand that now is the time, now is the place. We use the PSSSSS sound.
- Im not sure how important this is, but we always get excited after a successful pee and laugh and kiss and say YAY! I think he likes it.
- DO NOT underestimate your baby's understanding of your verbal and physical communications. They are so much more aware than what is commonly thought in today's society. You will be amazed when you start really watching. This is something I really can't stress enough in all ways. Babies know what they want and they want to tell you.
Have fun mommies and daddies! There is no time better to start communicating with your baby than now! Peace.
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