Elimination Communication

I have been reading and looking into Elimination Communication. I'm seriously thinking about starting this with my 17 month old. According to Wikipedia, Elimination Communication is defined as:

Elimination communication (EC) is a toilet training practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant's need to eliminate waste. Caregivers try to recognize and respond to babies' bodily needs and enable them to urinate and defecate in an appropriate place (e.g. a toilet). Caregivers either use diapers as a back-up in case of misses, avoid the use of them altogether, or do a mixture of the two. EC emphasizes communication between the caregiver and child, helping them both become more attuned to the child's innate rhythms and control of urination and defecation. The practice can be done full time, part time, or just occasionally. The term "elimination communication" was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby care in less industrialized countries and hunter-gatherer cultures. Some practitioners of EC begin soon after birth, although it can be started with babies of any age.

It's really not a new thing. I was trained in EC when I was about 12 months old. That was before disposable diapers were widely used. Many people in the previous generations practiced EC as well. It takes a few months to a year for the whole training process.

My little boy's bum is a bit sensitive. If I don't change his diaper right away after he pooed, he will get a rash. So this really make sense for him too. The only thing is that now that he is an active toddler, running around everywhere, I don't know if I will be able to have him sit in the same spot (read: potty) for a few minutes. It will take more than patience for me to work with him on this, I will have to think out of the box to entertain him, to entice him to sit there a few times a day.

I'm thinking of starting on the Labour Day long weekend. It will give us time to carefully monitor my son's elimination cues, and learn what works and what doesn't with him.

Wish me luck!!

For more info on Elimination Communication, see www.diaperfreebaby.org.