Elimination Communication: An Introduction

During my pregnancy a friend gifted me with a subscription to Mothering Magazine - a magazine dedicated to "natural family lifestyles." It is filled with a wealth of wonderful information and ideas about pregnancy, birth, and parenting children of all ages. It was there, in Mothering Magazine, that I first learned about Elimination Communication (EC). I was fascinated. Here was an article stating that over half the world's population to not diaper their babies! That from day one, mothers learn the cues of their infant son or daughter. Just like a newborn cries when she is hungry, a newborn will also alert a parent to when she needs to pee or poop! I was disbelieved. As a nurse, I had learned that babies were unaware of their elimination needs. Yet the article gave story after story of mothers using EC with their infant children. It stated that it is only after diapering a baby (specifically, diapering with disposable products that absorb urine so that the baby feels dry despite sitting in a wet diaper), that a baby loses this ability to recognize when she needs to pee or poop (roughly around 6 months of age). They must then relearn this ability while toilet training.

Everything I've read on EC states that most children raised using this method are exclusively using the toilet for peeing and pooping by 14-16 months. Before this time a baby is aware of his need to eliminate, but lacks the ability to "hold it" for any length of time. It is like they are aware of the sensation that they have to go, they give the cue (fussing or squirming seems to be the most common cue), and then it is up to the parent to quickly get them on the potty. Otherwise, they will eliminate wherever they are at. However, by age 14-16 months (according to the research I've done), children appear to have more control over their bladder and bowels. They can, at this point, clearly communicate a need to go potty, as well as hold it for a period of time.

I liked the idea of EC because: 1) it reduces the amount of laundry each week since we exclusively use cloth diapers on Little Bear, 2) when most parents are beginning the process of potty training, we will be completely finished with it, 3) it fosters a deeper level of communication between Little Bear and myself, and 4) once I realized that Little Bear was trying to tell me she was uncomfortable and wanted to pee ... how could a stand ignoring her needs!

Little Bear and I have been using EC since she was 6 weeks old. I will write a separate post on our personal methods and experiences. Below is a list of several websites I used when researching Elimination Communication:

Excerpt from "Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering" by Sarah J Buckley, MD

Youtube video

Babies Today

Discovery Health