Elimination Communication
Become Diaper Free!
Imagine how great it would be not having to use diapers on your baby. Elimination communication or natural infant hygiene can make it possible to be diaper free. You can increase your bonding experience with your baby from birth by becoming in tune with their elimination needs just as you are with there feeding needs. Many other cultures practice natural infant hygiene from birth, however in western culture we seem to dismiss the possibility because we are uneducated on the subject. We are taught by society that traditional infant potty training must begin somewhere between 18 and 28 months of age. While we wait this long to begin, our children have already learned to ignore their elimination needs, thus having to relearn to recognize them which can be difficult.
We can easily learn to listen to our babies elimination communication and respond appropriately. The main components of elimination communication are timing, signals, cueing and intuition. You can become aware of your babies elimination needs by taking them to the potty at the right times, for example when the wake up from a nap. Once you become aware of the cues and signals they make when they have to go, you can respond. Some babies grunt, fuss, squirm or give some type of cue when they have to potty or poo. The more you respond the better your intuition becomes and you will automatically know when it’s about time.
I’ve been practicing natural infant hygiene with my six month old for about a month. I was amazed to discover how easy it really was to get her to respond to my signal to go. I make a pssssstt sound as I hold her or sit her on the toilet and she knows how to release her muscles to go. If she doesn’t have to, she quickly lets me know by squirming and squealing. After only a month, I'm now catching all the poops and nearly all the pees. She gets frustrated at me when I do put a diaper on her for outings or nights. Nights seem to be a little more difficult since I don’t wake up all the time to respond to her signals. We’ve only had one dry night so far but we’re working on it and she tends to hold it a little longer and gets up earlier so she’s only wet once during the night. It’s been great not having to do loads of diaper laundry and she really appreciates not having to wear them or sit in them wet. You could save tons of time and money not using diapers at all and starting from birth.
I would highly encourage anyone to give this a try as you’ll soon see how easy it really is. Sure, there are accidents but the more you work at it the better both you and your baby become at signals and cues. For more information and help understanding this process, read the book, Diaper Free by Ingrid Bauer. It will provide further insight on how to accomplish tuning into your baby and knowing their elimination needs. You can be diaper free when you learn elimination communication and trust your instincts.
Attachment parenting,
/Babywearing,
/Co-sleeping,
/Diaper options,
/Breastfeeding,
/Circumcision,
/Crying,
/Discipline
|
