A mom from Australia is already toilet training her two-week-old baby. Cindy Lever shuns the use of diapers for her newborn. Instead, she's using a method called elimination communication (EC) to guide her daughter Chloe into peeing and pooping on the sink.
Lever said she already planned to teach her baby elimination communication even before she gave birth, according to her essay on Kidspot Australia. She also said that EC is widely practiced in many cultures as a natural infant hygiene routine. Westerners, however, do not embrace the concept so well because of heavy reliance on diapers in the baby's first year.
Elimination communication involves instincts, timing and common sense. A parent should be able to tell when her baby is communicating that she needs to eliminate.
A parent should watch out for the baby's signals when she's ready to pee or poop. The parent then props the baby on the sink or toilet to allow the baby to do her business. The family, therefore, never have any need for diapers once this is mastered.
Unfortunately, parents usually turn to nappies instead of understanding these cues and patiently mastering the timing in most cases. "This instinct is then lost altogether at about six months old if it has been ignored," Lever wrote.
"Often if I get it wrong and we have an accident it is because I haven't listened," Lever said in describing how her EC skills aren't always perfect. "I will then kick myself for ignoring her vocal and physical cues."
EC has other benefits apart from early toilet training and reduced dependency on diapers. It encourages deeper bonding between the parent and the baby. It also offers more comfort for an infant who won't develop rashes from soiled diapers, according to Mama Natural. Some parents who practice EC also believe their baby's disposition is better because of this method.
Parents, would you give elimination communication a try? Learn more about going diaper-free in the video below.
