Please share your tips, experiences and opinion regards "ECing or Infant Potty Training" :) 

I started Elimination Communication(EC)  with my daughter when she was a few weeks old. She is now 3.5 months. She had terrible diaper rashes by week 2 so I thought I would just tried to help her poo by pulling her legs up. Guess what? The first time I did it, she pooed and peed!

 Since then I had been ECing her part-time: after a feed, when she wakes up from a nap/sleep. I do it only during the day because I need my night time sleep! I pull her legs up and hover her over the toilet bowl or a potty and cue her with a 'pssss' sound. She used to poo/pee every time I did this. These days, she is pooing less and would only poo/pee half the time I give her the 'potty-tunity'. The rest of the time she is in a diaper. She doesn't poo in her diaper anymore. She would wait till her 'potty-tunity' to poo and then would give me this big smile afterwards. She hasn't had a diaper rash for a long long time.

She doesn't really have a 'tell' when she needs to go to the toilet. I still have no clue when she pees since she wears disposables. I guess to really know when she pees I will need to switch to cloth diapers but I haven't really figured out how the cloth diaper system/routine works yet.

I'm happy with her EC progress. My goal wasn't really to have her be diaper free by a certain timeframe. Initially it was just to prevent diaper rashes which we have accomplished. One side benefit is that we don't need as many diapers as we would otherwise have. I do plan to take EC to another level with her in the next couple of months when I can figure out when she pees as well.

Ramona wrote:

I have a son that will be turning 3 in December.  He knows how to do both "pee and poo" on the potty, but will only do it for a period of time for a "prize" at the end of a week of sticker rewards.  After that, he just refuses to go again (now that he has his prize).  Then, a month later, I try again with him and we go through the same pattern again.  He has been doing this for the last 6 months on and off.  He definitely knows how to do it (on "demand" at times, especially when he is incented for toy prizes), but right now, he absolutely refuses and shows NO interest in making the transition.  Has any one else had these issues at this age??  My doctor has told me time and again how "advanced" he is for his age in every other way, but when it comes to this, he just does not care!  I'd love to hear other people's experiences and advice.  I have prepard him for the switch to underwear by going shopping for "special" designs and I've told him that we will just make the switch soon and he will need to adjust by "going potty", but I don't know when to make that move.  How do I know he's ready??

Hi Ramona

I agree that he should not be given prizes for using the toilet. The truth is that the convenience of disposable diapers ensures a more difficult potty training experience for many children. The diapers work so well that the urine is whisked away from the skin, and the warmth actually creates a sauna-like experience for the child. So there is no motivation for your son to use the toilet. The quickest (and least confusing to your son) way to potty train him is to explain what you are doing and why, and then completely take away his diapers and pull ups. When he refuses to use the toilet and is wearing underwear, he will feel uncomfortable. He will quickly learn to prefer the potty to cold and wet pants. It is more of an effort on the part of the parent, and there will be messes, but diapers and pull ups send mixed messages as they make it OK for him to not use the toilet.

Good luck with everything!

Michelle