Revisiting EC

First let me start by saying sorry for not posting in so long! My father in law came to stay with us for a week so I spent a while cleaning and preparing and then a week playing hostess and then preparing for Mr to go back out to sea! But I will try to get back on track with writing at least weekly! I have a lot of blogs I want to get down... like making a wrap and making some momma cloth items and baby sign language... but when I have more time!

So remember back when I was talking about "Elimination What Now?" (if you need a refresher on EC click here)... well a couple days ago I decided we typically catch her poo (she is so obvious when she has to poop!) so why not try to catch her when she has to pee! So for a few days I let baby go cover free (I have a few fitted diapers and prefolds and pins) and I really watched and because she wasn't wearing a waterproof cover I could see the moment she peed, with out getting pee all over the sofa! I could see in her face the moment she did pee and at the time I couldn't see before she had to pee... though looking back I see now that she was trying to tell me but I just misread her signals. After a couple of days of watching her but still having her pee in diapers I finally decided to get serious about it. I started with putting her on the potty (I just hold her over our toilet since we dont have an actual potty for her) after naps but I noticed she didn't always have to go right after her naps. Then it just clicked sort of... I noticed she was just getting fidgety and not fussy but she just seemed unsettled. I knew that she wasn't hungry and when I checked her diaper she would be dry so I started trying her on the potty then. And et voila! She peed! This whole time she really had been telling me when she had to go but I thought that she was just teething or fussy. Seriously since we started this my baby has been an even better (and she seriously is the best baby ever!) baby! She seems so happy. At first I thought maybe she doesnt really think this is as great as I do but then one morning I asked her "potty" and did the sign for potty (make a fist and sorta twist it back and forth) and she smiled and when I put her on the toilet she smiled SO BIG right before she peed and then she laughed. Every time she goes on the potty we say "YAY! peepee on the potty!!" and then we dance and play in the mirror. The first couple days I was actually bringing her to the toilet more than she had to go but each time I put her on the toilet and she didn't have to go she would let me know! She pushes with her legs to try to get off the potty and she actually does that now after she pees on the potty. We are still working on the sign for "All Done" but its hard to do the sign while holding her over the potty!

I really wasn't going to get too serious with this but I thought it would be cool to do when we have time but it seems that I have created a monster! The other day while at lunch with my mother in law she started showing her pee pee signs and I tried to just ignore it and let her go in a diaper... she is a baby after all but then I felt bad. I brought her to the restroom to check her diaper and it was dry so I held her over the potty and she went! She was then an angel for the rest of lunch! She then peed on the potty while we were shopping in Kohls! She did pee in a diaper on the way to my sisters house... but she did try to tell me she had to go while I was driving there! She was asleep when I got to my sisters and when she woke up she went pee on the potty to my sisters surprise! It seems I was not serious with EC but my daughter is! She likes to go on the potty! I can see the happiness and relief on her face when she goes on the potty. Last night I thought I'd take her to the potty instead of just offering the breast when she woke in the middle of the night. She peed on the potty at 9pm and at 3am she started to stir so I checked her diaper and since it was dry I tried her on the potty and she peed! I was scared she wouldn't go back to sleep but she nursed and went right back to sleep! At 7am when she woke up nice and dry. I put her on the potty and she smiled up at me, peed and then laughed!

I wont say that EC is for everyone but it is for us! I don't think we will be a truly "diaper free" family for a while.... after all Baby is only 4 months old! But I think as long as she is telling us that she has to go, we will listen! I can't say that I don't love EC... as I look in my diaper pail I count 3 diapers, 4 shirts and 3 receiving blankets and I haven't done diaper laundry since Saturday and today is Tuesday! But I understand other parents concern... maybe they don't have the time to literally sit there and watch their baby for hours on end. Maybe you have a toddler running around also... whatever your reason for not wanting to EC that's cool with me! Though I will say, you don't have to do it all the time! I just started by getting her when she had to poop... and who wouldn't like a few less poopy diapers hanging around! It is a lot of work and it takes some time but I think this is something that pretty much everyone can achieve. I mean if we ask our 3 year olds to do this why cant we ask our 4 month olds? They are just as able to communicate their needs... we just don't speak their language yet! And that leads me to my next blog... BABY SIGN LANGUAGE! Just do it... what is the worst that can happen? You and your baby will be happier because you can finally understand each other? But that's another day... right now little miss is telling me she has to pee!

Have a great day and happy cloth diapering, nursing, baby wearing or ECing!