Advice on EC Nappies and Clothes

[Rachel2311]

Hi everyone,

I am 7.5 months pregnant and so far I have bought nothing for the baby, so I'm in a bit of a rush at this point! My husband and I would like to try Elimination Communication-- we don't expect it to be perfect, but we want to give it a go.

I'm curious what kind of nappies people who practice EC use, and what kind of clothes? I realise that I may need different nappies for at home versus going out, or maybe something for the night if we don't EC at night. I also think we need clothes other than babygros, maybe again different kinds of things for in the house or going out.

I'm a bit lost and I would appreciate any tips from people who have tried this. What nappies are easy to get on and off? What clothes are easy to get off? How often did you use EC-friendly clothes, how often did you just put baby in regular nappies and clothes?

I know this is an imperfect process, and I know there will be misses and messes. I'm just trying to get an idea of what I should be looking to buy.

Thanks very much in advance!

I did/am doing a very relaxed form of part-time EC. We used cue sounds from birth with DS1. He was in disposables when going out or sleeping but nappy-free most of the time at home, which is often considered a complete no-no for hardcore ECers! He was always changed & given the opportunity to wee/poo when waking at night & when out we took him for a change/toilet opportunity at least once an hour or if appearing to show signs of wanting to go. He wore nightgown-type clothes for sleeping so easy access for changing. Also an easy-access wrap then sleeping bag so no need to undress his top half. We had a couple of sheepskin rugs, loads of old towels, a couple of water-proof backed blankets like picnic blankets & washable mats for him to sit/lay/play on.

When going nappy-free he sometimes wore leg warmers, eg Hugalugs. He sat on a potty as soon as he was able to sit unaided & when mobile the re-usable training pants we used were called Ecapants which were great as they keep up around the waist & you only undo a flap to allow the child to sit on the potty. We tended to have tops & bottoms rather than onesies type of clothing as easier to manage nappy-free time. I never had dedicated EC clothes other than the Ecapants.

He did almost all poos on the potty after starting solids when it was much easier for him to control bowel movements & was able to go out in just pants at about 20mths so I considered it well worth it & it didn't seem like much effort. We are doing similar with DS2, 8mths, not so much nappy free time but always offering toilet opportunities at least twice between naps & he seems to be similar to DS1 at the same age so far.

There are dedicated ED forums on the web where you can get loads more support & there are some meet-ups in the major towns I believe. Good luck with it!

Thank you!