How we succeed the elimination communication?

Hello,

I did share here my information and researches results about elimination communication and diaper free baby concepts. And today I want to talk about my experience of elimination communication with my daughter.

I met with the diaper free notion in my 6th or 7th month in my pregnancy. Actually, I was unaware of this knowledge and I just try to find something useful instead of a disposable diaper. As you know disposable diapers contain lots of different chemicals. I researched for a long time and I try to understand the other blogger’s experiences. Unfortunately, I couldn’t apply full time to my baby. Bur ıt worked. A part-time elimination communication helped my daughter to understand.

When we started the elimination communication? Is 6^th month late for start?

I said “we”, because this is a type of communication and progress with your child reciprocal. There is not a certain start date for EC (Elimination Communication) before 18 months. I explain why it is an important 18th month of my writing. But the sooner the better. We started the EC in the 6th -7th month after starting the complementary foods. The purpose of EC is taking your child to the toilet when they need. I thought that I can start and apply more easily after the complementary feeding support.

Why?

The first and the most important thing in EC is the readiness of mom. In the first months, I tried a few times to catch her poop and pee and I succeed. But I lived some problems after the caesarian operation and I decided to delay. I continued to use disposable diapers in this duration. I opened the diaper as soon as possible after she woke up, and support her to make her pee-poop to her diaper while it was opened. And I tried to learn and know deeply about my daughter, and her pee and poops became more regular day by day. And after started to complementary feeding, catching her toilet was really easy.

How I did EC?

Firstly, I bought my child’s potty chair very very simple. Because I think it is fit with EC purpose. I tried to explain to my girl, the toilet is a normal thing. There is not special music or special activity in the toilet room a making pee or poop is so normal. We did not separate the toilet from our normal life like eating, bathing or sleeping. So that’s why I bought the IKEA’s classic green potty chair. Of course, the support from the back and the holding area in front of it were important. And the small placement area was important for us and our small flat. We put the potty chair next to our toilet in the bathroom and stayed until my daughters’ 10th month. She used it for approximately 4 months.

First potty chair experience

I opened her diaper and sit on potty chair when ı saw the signals of poop., she did not gave any reaction. Everthing was normal. But the reaction of her was incredible while make her poop into potty chair. She could not understand, why her poop left her. She could not feel it and shocked. Actually, I was shocked because, she is just 6 months old, and understand it apperantly. I understood at that time, if a 6-month-child give this reaction, it was normal living crisis in toilet training with 2-year-old children. Anyway, I remember clearly, she sat two times for her poop at her first day with potty chair. Actually, the duration was similar after this for poop need. I just clean her bottom maximum 5 times, until left the diaper completely. And all of them before 1-year-old. I mean that, I never clean herself for poop at the second year. I think regular life is so important for babies and effects all their rhtym. Regular life means, regular sleep, feeding and toilet. And you can understand your child’s regular toilet clocks.

Switch to toilet use

We bought a toilet adapter which for toddlers when she was 10 month. And we did not close the door while we were in toilet as parents. Some of people, think that is not suitable for child’s moral development. But me and my husband think that moral development doen not improve just things like this. And the other positive side of open door support and show our daughter that we live the same things as her as two people who she trust and know the most in her life. İt is really supportive activity for period.

About the period

I opened her diaper and sit on a potty chair when ı saw the signals of poop, she did not give any reaction. Everything was normal. But the reaction of her was incredible while making her poop into the potty chair. She could not understand, why her poop left her. She could not feel it and shocked. Actually, I was shocked because, she is just 6 months old, and understand it apparently. I understood at that time, if a 6-month-child give this reaction, it was normal living crisis in toilet training with 2-year-old children. Anyway, I remember clearly, she sat two times for her poop at her first day with a potty chair. Actually, the duration was similar after this for poop needs. I just clean her bottom maximum 5 times, until she left the diaper completely. And all of them before 1-year-old. I mean that I never clean herself for poop in the second year. I think regular life is so important for babies and effects all their rhythm. Regular life means, regular sleep, feeding, and toilet. And you can understand your child’s regular toilet clocks.

In this continuum, we lived two very difficult time. I the first one was when she 12-13 months-old. She try to hide behind the curtain and make her poop in there. I searched about that, and it was really pass easily. At that time, we took her to the potty with games and big big smiles. It was really short like three or four weeks, we did not live big problems.

The other one was in the 22nd month. Actually, that was not related directly about her toilet habit, but it effected her mediately. My daughter still does not like water on her face. And she afraid of it. My parents in law tried make a small bath after her poop in their own house. She started to run from her toilet signals, especially in their home. After a while, she shows the ame clues at our own home. All of them because of water afraid. She had some problems like constipation and gas. This crisis continues for 4 weeks and was really compelling.

Leaving the diaper

Of course, she pee while on her potty chair for poop. After 1-year-old, I tried to support her by getting off her diaper for all day long or taking her to toilet according to universal patterns and timings. In this time she started to say or show her pee bur it was so irregular. After her 24 month I stopped the breasfeeding and decided to wait for a few months for toilet training. According to me, these two ones are really important milestones for a baby, I didn’t wanted to change both of them at the same time. And the reason for delay the toilet training is, I didn’t have big problems for toilet. One night, she wake up and started to cry, we couldn’t understand why. My mother recommended to take her toilet and yes. She pee to the toilet and fall asleep in my arms. In a week after that night, she got the toilet training. At this point, I used the toilet training essentials. Actually, before the toilet training, you should make your child familiar with the toilet usage.

We have lived some small accidents either day or night or sometimes, mostly her critical durations for her improvement. For example, we had a non-problem 2-3 months and then we lived small daywettings or nightwettings. But we never turned to the starting line.

My daugther never live really serious constipation, gas problems . But I think the most important result is a good and problem free toilet training process. I know my daugther peers and they still have problems as a chronic problem. Of course, it doesn’t mean you will have problems in toilet training, if you don’t make EC. But EC help them to understand easily the toilet habits with any confusion.

Actually, as I said, I did not made full time EC, but it really helped to me. Some families using re-washable diapers (help and support to EC continuum really) and they can left the diaper completely more earlier. I am willing from you.

Have a good weekend.