Taylor-LeighIn this post I am sharing with you:
- my experience using the elimination communication method with my baby 0 to 4 months old (the “golden window”)
- exactly how my family does it, step by step.
If you aren’t sure why I started elimination communication, or why you might want to, read about it here. Otherwise keep reading for exactly how I did it with my newborn.
I officially started E.C. when my baby was 2 months old, and I wish I would have started even sooner.
While you really do not need any products, I have found that they enhance and smooth out the process of elimination communication. My excuse for why I didn’t start from birth is that I didn’t have a “top hat potty”; I hadn’t even ordered it until after my baby was born, and it took a few weeks to be delivered. I had the 0-6 months bundle from Tiny Undies on my baby registry, but I had not been gifted it (probably because people were not familiar with it). However, it was very important to me, so I should have ordered it sooner.
If you decide to order any products from Tiny Undies, use code lopez5 for $5 off!
My First Few Attempts
I had tried starting with my newborn around 1.5 months old. I held her a few times over the toilet and over the sink a few minutes after a feeding or after waking. She hated it. I’m guessing because she was cold and because it was difficult to hold her up comfortably. I kind of sat her cradled in my hands. This is when I really wish I had the tiny potty.
My Apprehension
I was nervous to try and didn’t start E.C. with my newborn officially until she was 2 months old for a few reasons:
- My partner was not fully on board and I felt alone in my desires, furthering my procrastination with at least trying it.
- I could not find a comfortable way to hold my baby.
- I was LAZY and didn’t want to get out of bed or undress my cozy babe. (THIS could have been solved my simply holding her over a bowl or container FROM THE BED! After all, in the “early days” of E.C. before diapers, parents literally used pots).
Getting the Motivation
Honestly the motivation to just start came from something Andrea of Go Diaper Free says. The “golden window” of elimination communication is 0-4 months. This does not mean that older babies can’t still do it, but that the first few months are the best time to start because newborns are learning and grasping SO much.
My newborn was right in the middle of the golden window and I felt time slipping away. I had to take the advice of what everyone says: just start.
Catching The First Poo
Talk about a thrill, and I am 100% serious. It was so exciting to catch the first poo and when it happened, everything clicked into place and made sense!
My newborn was 2 months old and I had finally received the top hat potty in the mail. I took the great effort to get over my laziness and put her on the top hat around 11am because this was around a time she went every day. It was SO much easier to hold her on this. I could hold her close to my body, she had the cloth seat protector against her skin, and she wasn’t fussing at all.
After a few seconds, she went! It was like she knew immediately. A minute or so later, she peed on it too! While this immediate success was enough momentum to get me to keep going, it isn’t always like this.
Simple Step By Step Breakdown:
- I lay my baby down on a diaper changing pad
- I remove her lower clothes and diaper
- I put the potty in my lap and hold baby close to my chest (as in the photo above)
- I say things like “Baby is on the potty!” and say “psss psss” or “oomph” to cue potty sounds.
- I wait a few minutes for her to either go or not go
- I place her back on the changing pad, wipe her up, and put a diaper and her clothes back on
- If it is only pee, I wipe her with a soft cloth as not to waste a disposable wipe.
Keep Going With Gentle Consistency
While really dedicated parents can absolutely try to catch poos and pees multiple times a day, that was not practical for me. So instead of telling myself I had to catch each one, I instead took a more gradual approach. After all, newborns pee SO much.
My approach was more intuitive.
Give my baby a “pottytunity” (potty opportunity) once a day, even if I didn’t catch anything.
After a while, I got the hang of doing it once a day, so I moved on to twice a day.
Currently, at 4 months old…
By now, my husband and I collectively give our baby an opportunity around 3 times a day, and usually more if we are able to. We know certain times of day our baby goes, and that she commonly goes around 10 minutes after a feed. When she starts crawling, we will upgrade to a slightly larger potty on the floor that she can sit on herself!
The most exciting part is that now my baby understands what it means to be sitting on the potty! Sometimes when I sit her in my lap in the same position as the potty, she goes in her diaper.
Sometimes in public, when we have a private restroom, I am able to hold her over a sink or toilet, and she will go! This is a HUGE improvement from when we started just 3 months ago.
Not only does she know that it’s time to go, but she asks for the potty in her baby cue way (fussing). While I don’t always know what she is asking for (I go down the list: hungry, tired, burp), I am learning to recognize and give her the opportunity. I imagine as the weather warms up, we more opportunities will be given because there will be less clothing to mess with!
Another bonus: my partner is on board and loves giving her the opportunity too! We both are excited for early days of potty training and less diapers to change.
Good luck and happy pottying!
Taylor-Leigh loves to write about her unconventional experiences through life as a creative person caregiver, mom, vegan, and more. Thanks for being here!