10 (Unconventional) Tips for Potty Training...

Be sure and check out our GIVEAWAY while you're here.

When Little Owl was first born I had dreams of changing very few diapers thanks to elimination communication (or EC). Well, two years into this journey called motherhood I was starting to have visions of changing a five year olds diaper! It just didn't seem like it was working for us. 

We would make progress and then regress. Make progress, and then regress.... It didn't help that I got into a car accident right around the time when Athena was just starting to be mobile, and I couldn't lift her for months. It didn't help that we had "potty rebellions", and that we lived in carpeted housing at times. So I just decided maybe EC wasn't for us, and just basically gave up any hope of potty training before five! 

Then, a few weeks ago, when we moved into our new space on the Eco-village, something clicked. And, now, potty "training" is done. We've had two accidents in three weeks. So, I guess, by all standards, we're done. And before two. (That's not bad, right?) It's really hard to believe. And I'm not even sure how it happened, but I'm definitely not complaining!

People have asked me if I think doing EC has been worth it. And even before I knew I would have a fully potty learned two year old, even when things weren't going so well, I would have said a resounding YES. I am so grateful I was introduced to this idea before Little Owl was born. I highly recommend it! Even catching a few poops in the potty instead of having to deal with blow-outs makes it 1000 times worth the effort, IMO!  ;)

But, now onto the real reason I am writing this post. It's more than just to update you on my experience with EC, but to tell you my "tips" for potty training. It seems like bloggers these days are full of advice, so I thought I might as well jump on the band-wagon! Here are my 

10 (Unconventional) Tips for Potty Learning

1. Chocolate. 

Really this should be part of any how-to for any stage of parenting. Always chocolate. You DON'T need to invest in a lifetime supply of Hershey's, you could even make your own. But, I highly recommend always having some on hand. You never know when it might be needed.

2. Wine. 

What goes better with chocolate than wine? Yes. This should always be around too. It can be especially helpful after a long to of unsuccessful potty learning. But it also doubles in the case of a successful day of potty learning... as a reward for momma!

3. Naps.  

Always a good idea. Take naps whenever you can. It's a good strategy for all aspects of life... so why not apply it to potty learning. You deserve some shut eye, momma!

4. Meditation.

 This is kind of like napping, except sitting up. 

5. Long Walks. 

On the beach, in the city, in the woods, with baby, without baby, with a stroller, with a carrier... however you do it! The fresh air is always helpful. 

6. Deep Breaths. 

You have to be careful with this one during potty learning. It's all in the WHERE you do it. Just don't do it right over a diaper blow-out or a potty "miss" and you'll be golden. 

7. Yoga. 

I don't have much experience with this myself. But people always add it into advice lists so I thought I should include it, too.

8. Massage.

 Yes. Just, yes. Get a massage. Your potty learning a baby! You deserve it!

9. Pedicure. 

Unfortunately, I am too ticklish for a pedicure, but that shouldn't stop you!

10. Hot tea. 

Hot beverages cure a million ailments. Potty learning included. This is my personal non-caffeinated favorite! But, really, you can't go wrong. Pour yourself a cup of tea and know that, someday, your baby will be potty learned. So that's comforting, right?

That's my list, Mommas. Pretty unconventional, right? ;) It's a good list, though I think. I'm going to keep it around for other parts of parenting too... like temper tantrums, sibling fights, teenager debates, etc. 

But in all seriousness, I don't feel like I have a lot of advice to give. But I do have a LOT of sympathy! If you want to learn more about elimination communication I can't recommend highly enough Ingrid Bauer's Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene. Even though, I didn't follow exactly what she advised, I learned a LOT from it. And I know you will too. 

I also wish all parents would read Mei-Ling Hopgood's How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting (from Argentina to Tanzania and everywhere in between). She talks about EC in the book, but it is also just a good look at parenting in other cultures, to help us put our own in perspective. 

As far as "potty learning" tools go, I highly recommend you check out www.NaturallyDiaperFree.com to see what this momma has to offer in the way of EC materials. Here is a little bit about the site from the page itself: Here you will find products for Elimination Communication (EC). EC is a gentle, natural way of meeting your baby's elimination needs. I create many of the products for sale on this site. The products that I create are made from 100% organic cotton or upcycled fabric, both from local sources. Our goal at Naturally Diaper Free is to provide you with the tools you will need to practice EC in the modern world.

For our family we used two different potties. When Athena was really little, we used the BABYBJORN Smart Potty which was great because it was very small. 

As Athena got older we wanted something a little more sturdy and found this Munchkin Arm & Hammer potty seat at a second-hand store. I highly recommend looking for these sorts of items second hand! It's amazing what you can find at thrift stores. 

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EC Update: Fifteen Months

It has been quite a long while since I have written about practicing EC.

Wait, seriously. I just went and checked the archives. Holy mother of batman... has it really been TEN MONTHS (?!) since I last wrote about it?!

Get it here.

Crazy.

In case you don't already know what EC is you can learn more about it in this post on it. Or, if you are REALLy die-hard and want to know about it so you can practice it with your own baby, I recommend you check out this book.

EC Update: 15 MONTHS

Well, things did go really well for us for quite some time. It got to a point some days where we would have more "catches" than "misses". This was awesome for my self-esteem, confidence in the method, as well as on my laundry machine and my hates-to-do-laundry self.

However, back around six months ago things started going backwards. So what happened?

Mobility.

Like everyone said it would, it made it a LOT more difficult to read her signs. She became too busy to pay attention in the same way to her body's cues. (Duh, there were things to explore, bits of old food to eat off of the floor, tables to climb up on... no one has time for trivial things like going to the bathroom... sheesh mom!)

I think we possibly could have pushed through this hurdle if not for the fact that around this same time Brian and I got in a bad car accident. How did this affect EC? I couldn't lift her without being in pain. Holding her in the squatting position was no longer an option, and neither was holding her over the toilet.

So, we kind of took a break for awhile. I tried not to focus on it too much (which is part of why I didn't write about it...) because it was discouraging to me. I was disappointed because it HAD been working and I really believed if I hadn't stopped/been forced to stop putting the energy into it, it could have STILL been working.

As my strength has slowly been coming back and her movement has "plateaued" in that she is now fully walking on her own (more like running, really... ), we've been slowly getting back on the EC-train. She is doing fabulous at learning sign language now so we have been working with her on understanding what "potty" means so she can tell us if she needs to go.

And guess what?

Just like I knew it would... it's working! Again. Okay, so maybe most days she signs it... after she goes. Or maybe she tries to put her pee in the potty by placing her potty over a puddle she just made on the floor.... But she's trying. She's getting it. And you can see she is SO proud of herself when she goes on the potty. Most mornings if I put her on the potty and let her read books... she poos. That's first thing in the morning, though. The rest of the day is kind of a crap shoot... (Haha. I made a pun! Get it?)

That's what happens most days.

But, then there are really, really good days, too.

Like today, for example, all on her own she woke up and signed to me "potty" and I placed her on the toilet and she went... both peepee and poo.

So proud of her. So proud of me.

And who knows, maybe she will be potty-trained before two. She is, after, all, only just turning fifteen months.... so we are still ahead of the curve, I guess...

Have you heard of EC before? Are you practicing it with a kiddo? Let me know your thoughts/experiences with potty training?

EC Adventures: a 5 Month Update

(Five months, baby!)

Wow. I can't believe that it has already been five months since Little Owl was born. People always say it goes fast... and they aren't joking.

I promised myself back when I told you all about my decision to do EC/"Diaper-Free" that I would give a little update once a month. Well, it's that time. So, here it is.

When it Rains, It Pours

First off I have to say it was a lot easier to practice EC when it was warm out. Little Owl could just hang out with nothing on and just a receiving blanket under her. If she peed, all I had to do was change the receiving blanket. Now that the lovely cold and wet of the PNW has returned I really have to adjust. I used to be able to just stick her on the potty straight away. Well, when she is wearing a diaper, a diaper cover, a onesie, and a pair of pants it takes a little longer to get her "potty ready".

The rain makes everything more difficult when you are out and about with baby. Stroller-rides change, it's not as easy to change a diaper in the back of a car, transferring a sleeping child from car to bed is even more stressful. It's no different with EC. But, like this whole adventure, I have learned to adjust. She needs to stay warm. I want her to stay dry. It doesn't always work, but we keep trying. Thankfully, she is old enough now to where she holds her pee for longer and will recognize the verbal cue and go when she is given the opportunity.

The cold weather has also changed our nighttime routine. I discovered that not all pajamas are conducive to EC. I have adjusted several outfits to make them work. I particularly like this one. They are your typical pjs with the snap pants, but rather than snapping them to the pant leg I made it into a sort of dress. (Easier access to the diaper in case of the need to do a nighttime change...)

It hasn't ceased to be an adventure. But, I am committed to this for the long haul. Many days I am still in shock at how well it does work. I have learned her routine. She pees after naps. She kicks at night if she has to pee. She kicks in her carrier if she has to pee. It's interesting  Around three months her cues were all verbal. Now, there are no verbal cues (not that I can find, anyways!...) they have switched to physical.

Home is Where the Boredom Hits

One surprising observation I have made over the last month is that I actually have more success with EC when we are not at home. That's right, when we are out and about it's easier to catch pees/poops. Why? I think the answer is multi-fold. At home, she is often practicing rolling over or doing little airplane dance moves (aka all movements that put pressure on her bladder). When we are at home she will sometimes pee teeny amounts four times in an hour (yes, those are VERY hard, nigh, impossible, to catch... especially if you want to get anything done during the day besides holding your baby over a toilet. Hint: I am not THAT "crunchy"!). Out and about she usually goes once every one or two hours.

Why the difference? I think a large part of it is because she gets distracted by all that is around her and also because I am typically carrying her in the ERGObaby and can feel her kicks when she has to go. Last week we went out on the town (that expression has a different meaning when you have a baby...) for about five hours. Number of dirty diapers we returned with? ZERO. That's right. ZERO.

Granted, this doesn't happen every time we go out. But, typically now we will return with only one or two diapers for a whole day excursion. I find myself packing my diaper bag to the brim with STUFF and not needing even a tenth of it. Once I learn to trust myself that we really are getting it I will only take two or three extra diapers (not twenty).

I just finished reading the section, How the Chinese Potty Train Early from Mei-Ling Hopgood's wonderful book, How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm. I was very encouraged. It reminded me that there is a whole spectrum to early "potty training" with many different starting points, approaches, and end-dates. The basic, underlying theme is simply to keep your baby dry, not let them get used to being wet-- help them to know about their elimination needs, help them recognize your cues, etc. 

Traditionally, most Chinese children are potty trained by around eighteen months. And they don't typically start until around 6 months. (By those standards we are ahead!) Of course, some cultures are potty trained by one year. There are variations on this all over the globe. 

Who knows when our potty-trained "date" will be. I don't particularly care. While, EC is a means to an end, the end is not the only purpose. As Hopgood says, "It's about learning to read your child and teaching him to communicate needs. It's not a task or even a goal but simply something that is done with gentle patience and persistence." (100)

I would also add, on (most) days it's actually (believe it or not...)FUN! <3