Baby-led pottying

I just made that up... off to Google the phrase to see if it's in wide use... OK there are nine hits, but only six unique sites. I think it's a better name than "elimination communication" (naff rhyming) or "infant potty training" (implies that it's the same as toilet training but earlier). Anyway.

I'll call it EC.

Beware, do not read this post if you are bothered by or not interested in wee and poo.

I have kind of been doing EC with the girls since they were a few weeks old, but only in a really lax way. Full-on ECers hold their two-hour old babies over a sink for their first wee, and are so deeply attuned to their baby's needs that their lucky babies never need to sit in a shitty nappy while oblivious mama finishes her latte. We are not like that.

Every morning the girls have nappy-free time while they have their first bottle of the day. They both usually get their morning poo done during this time. I clean it up on the spot, so they do not have to get messy. Sometimes it is a disaster, but usually it is really simple and fine.

During nappy-free time, when someone does a wee or poo, I make a noise and a sign: SSSSS and the Auslan sign for "wee-wee", or a kind of groany grunt and a sign I made up for poo. The girls seem to take no notice of me.

A few times, Ivy has woken from a nap with her nappy still dry. That happened this morning, so I got out the plastic potty, sat her on it, and gave her her bottle. I sat behind her and supported her and the bottle, and I made the wee cue (sound and sign). She obediently weed in the potty! Hazel was having her bottle while lying on the floor, as usual.

I was so excited that after the bottles and nappies were all done, I took a photo of the Victory Potty with its Victory Contents. Trudi can admire the photo when she comes home. I was thinking about saving it so that she could admire the real thing, but I recognised that this is not okay.

I would really like to get a better potty. The one we have seems very hard and uncomfortable. If we get one that the girls seem to like, we could get a second one. Perhaps we can have potty concerts in which they both have potty time during that first bottle of the day.

The point of EC is the communication, not so much the actual pottying. Any poos or wees in pots are bonuses. The main thing is to stay as in touch as possible with where your baby is up to and what they need.

Here is what the girls are up to: