Anyone practising EC?

[ilovemyoboe]

Am attempting to start Elimination Communication with my 14month old (OK, a little late, but only just found out about it).

Would really like to chat and/or meet up with anyone locally who is practicing it too, especially if you are more experienced and can give me tips on reading my baby's cues!

i wish I was local so just bumping for you! We live in London but I found out about EC when dd was 2 months old and her signals soon became clear just by me observing and developing an instinct for her timings too. Sorry not to have experience with starting later but wish you as much success and interest as we had! Our dd now 3 1/2

Thanks for replying looseleaf. Doesn't seem like there are any ECers in the Cambridge area and as I really thought there would be.

Tried some nappy free time in the garden, straight after giving DS his afternoon milk. Am sure he was holding his wee in as he didn't wee for 50mins! Eventually had to give up waiting and put a nappy on him as it was nap time. Saw him kind of rocking whilst sitting, and also grabbing himself. I'd figured that the last one was a sign that he needed to go as he does that on the potty when sitting there and not going. Guess he's very conditioned to using a nappy, so will continue with the nappy free time. At least it's warm so we can do that outside. Feel more relaxed about that for now.

And now I know he can hold his wee in for quite a long time!! Was very impressed at his control, but also a bit sad that he is so conditioned to wee in a nappy. That would explain why we haven't been having much luck with the potty, and the two wees we did have on the potty were after some time sitting there. I guess he couldn't hold it any longer in that position.

Hello!
I'm in SE London, so not local I'm afraid, but I also started really late - DD was about 18 months old.

I just gave her loads of nappy-free time. She was conditioned to be completely unaware of her elimination, and I'm afraid it took ages for her to become aware and then begin to control it if she needed to go. I don't think she was completely dry before her nappy-wearing friends, but she did use the toilet regularly and as a matter of course before any of them - it's just that she was still having misses too But that's kind of the point - any time out of nappies is really good for them.

I used to worry that DD's lack of awareness / tendency to forget about her functions was a situation I had caused, but I was then much reassured by a friend of mine who began from birth with her son, but he couldn't really be bothered for a lot of the time too!!

I found the diaper-free baby extremely useful and reassuring - it compares notes amongst parents who have begun from birth, with bigger babies and with toddlers, and also full and part-time ECing. There really is no 'right way' of doing it. All nappy-free time is good for little bottoms!!

The best of luck - I hope you can find someone to meet up with x

Hello thell,

Thanks for your detailed reply; really appreciate it. I do feel a bit bad that he's so 'conditioned' to only use a nappy now but I guess as 'The Diaper-Free Baby' says, any EC is better than no EC. At least if he has some awareness before his peers and I can get him happy with the potty and then toilet before we hit the tantrum and power-struggle stage then it will be worth it!

Am enjoying 'The Diaper-Free Baby'. It's nice to just have a read of that when I feel discouraged.

Haven't done much potty time in the last week as I think doing nappy-free time is more important. If my little man isn't ready to release his wee without a nappy on yet, then there seems little point in him sitting on the potty for ages, except for now and then to keep him used to and accepting it.

Did you use a potty, or did you go straight to a toilet insert?