Friday, May 18, 2012

Getting Started

Okay, so you're starting to think maybe EC isn't the craziest thing you've ever heard. You're even willing to give it a shot and put your baby on the potty; but when? It is easiest to learn when to potty your baby after you have spent some time observing. Put down some water proof pads, take off their diaper, and observe. Not only is it good to let your baby's bottom have some fresh air, it also is a good time to take naked bottom pictures :) When your baby does eliminate you will see what signals your baby shows during the process. When we first started my son, Henry, would get a very serious looking face and stare right through me. Once the baby is on the potty you will encourage them to go. We would just sit with Henry and sing songs, make animal noises, etc. If your baby starts to pee, make the "sssssss" noise. If your baby starts to poop, make a light grunting noise. Once pottying becomes more routine, you can simply make the "ssss" noise, or lightly grunt and this will encourage your baby to relieve themselves.



What questions do you have about EC?


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Misconceptions about EC

I have been thinking about starting this blog for a little while. I have been unsure of where to begin exactly, but this morning my friend Allison informed me that a TV show was making fun of EC last night, and that I should write about it when I start my new blog, and so I begin. There seems to be two things that are commonly misunderstood about EC, and I am here to share the truth with you.

1. It is Potty Training.
Wrong. EC is actually an "un-training" of sorts. It is not a natural sensation to wet oneself, so when we place babies in diapers; we are actually "training" them to learn this. Think of when your baby is a newborn; you go to take off their diaper and suddenly they begin to pee. This is not a coincidence, but rather your baby doing what comes natural to them. By keeping babies in diapers we are training them to pee in their diapers. After a few years of this, you then have to re-train your child to use a potty. EC just allows your baby to do what comes natural to them all along, and eliminates any "training."

2. You have to practice EC all day, every day.
We dabbled with holding him over the potty a few times, but we did not truly start with our son until he was about 10 weeks. At six months, we started actually pottying outside of our home. I think the best way to begin is to start gradually. Just using the potty after a nap one day, and then adding other potty times slowly. Also, there are many modified versions of EC. EC can be done full time, part time, by working parents, and stay at home parents. EC can be practiced once a day, or all day. It is really about what works best for families.