Nappy-free babies?

Imagine never having to change a nappy. For parents who are keen on an alternative, Elimination Communication (EC) is offering just that. Instead of the routine of nappy changes and then potty training, EC parents learn the signs that baby needs to wee or poo, and then hold them over the toilet, or place them on a folded nappy. The goal is to have baby toilet trained by the end of the first year, if not earlier.

Learning signals, trusting instincts

As Sally-Jane Cameron wrote for Parent24,“Once you know their pattern you can pre-empt their need to go and hold them out in your arms over a toilet, basin, plastic bowl or outside. Thus helping them eliminate in a dignified way and not all over themselves in a nappy.

I tried it with my daughter when she was born, and was amazed to see how quickly she learnt my signal. You also learn your own baby's rhythm, and how long after waking or feeding they will need to go. You learn to trust your instincts. If there is a small voice in your head saying they might need to go, the chances are they do. Trust your instinct.”

She does emphasize that it’s not potty training, and that many EC parents still use backup nappies. It is noticeably different to the more common practice of waiting until baby is vocally communicative- often until the age of 3- to commence toilet training.

There’s such support for the trend that, in the US, the first Diaper-free Week was held recently, according to Huffington Post. In the context of attachment parenting, it is considered as relevant as breastfeeding, co-sleeping and babywearing.

Not everyone agrees…

As always, though, there are some health professionals who are vocal in their opinions that EC isn’t the best way to go, suggesting that the practice “results in damaging habits, namely "chronic holding ... the root cause of virtually all toileting problems, including daytime pee and poop accidents, bedwetting, urinary frequency and urinary tract infections." (Dr. Steve Hodges, paediatric urologist.)

Other pros and cons associated with being EC include that practicing it promotes an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, but at what critics say is at the expense of hygiene, with people possibly being exposed to human waste.

Would you try out elimination communication?