Waiting until a child can verbalize the need to go is not necessary for the process to be child-led.
OLDER INFANCY AND TODDLERHOOD
Many parents don’t learn about EC until their children are past infancy, and wonder if it’s something they can begin at that stage. It cer- tainly is possible to apply these gentle principles with older babies and children, and it’s a good idea to do so, especially if your child is showing signs of interest in the toilet.
Conventional toilet-
training experts advise waiting before intro- ducing the potty, and to do so only when the child reaches cer- tain checkpoints (for instance, can indepen- dently dress herself, can verbalize the need to go to the bathroom, or actually asks to use the toilet). Tis is said to initiate a “child-led” toilet-training process. However, a parent
might observe that a child is interested in toileting at an age when she hasn’t yet reached any of these
checkpoints. EC
encourages parents to be open to any oppor- tunity they notice. Waiting until a child can verbalize the
While EC can take
more time at the
beginning, as you
attune to your
baby, it takes
less time.
need to go is not necessary for the process to be child-led, and can even lead to diaper attach- ment, which ultimately makes toilet training challenging. We don’t require our babies to ver- balize the need to nurse or to sleep, but instead learn to respond to their body language and signals. Most of all, we rely on the knowledge we have accumulated about who our children are. It’s the same with elimination. It may take some time for your child to regain
his bodily awareness if he’s lost it, but continue to communicate with him about this. Encour- age him to take as much of the initiative as he can and go at his own pace. Involve your child: One of the exciting things
74 mothering | May–June 2010
about EC’ing toddlers is that they can express and act out their interest in a variety of ways. Get playful: Try putting the child’s stuffed ani- mals on the potty and cueing them, sing songs, or just hang out and talk. (Some of my most interesting conversations with my young chil- dren have occurred when we were in the bath- room together.) Toddlers love routines such as wiping, flushing, and washing hands. Encourage
your child to pick out her own potty or under- wear. Consider an open-bathroom-door policy
in your home, so that your child can see that everyone uses the toilet, and that elimination is a natural, matter-of-fact part of life. It can be helpful for your baby or toddler to
see other young children on the potty. You
can meet other families or find an EC support group through DiaperFreeBaby: www.diaper
freebaby.org.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Because helping infants and very young tod- dlers use the potty is relatively uncommon in our society, parents may hesitate to embark on the EC journey, even when they recognize its myriad emotional, hygienic, and environmental benefits. Below are answers to some of the ques- tions most commonly asked about EC.
Isn’t it time-consuming? EC is compatible
with all sorts of family lifestyles. Many parents who practice EC have older children, are on the go a lot, or work outside of the home. Very young newborns aside, a baby’s output oſten follows distinct patterns throughout the day. Once you are aware of your own baby’s typical rhythms, EC will seem much more doable. Par- ents who practice EC say that it’s simply a redis- tribution of the investment in time that parents put into conventionally diapering a child for years before beginning toilet training. While EC can take more time at the begin-
ning, as you attune to your baby, it takes less time to quickly potty a baby than it would to change multiple diapers and to buy or wash large numbers of diapers for years. And because EC’d babies are in touch with the muscles associated with elimination, it’s not uncommon for them to experience longer intervals between pees than an exclusively diapered baby does. You don’t have to do EC full-time, especially
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109