Elimination communication pot used with our newborn.
I decided to see if we could use elimination communication with our newborn. We started June 11th and it’s been going pretty well so I thought that I’d give a little update.
When we began the baby was 2 months old. He’s 3 months old right now. The first time I’m tired it, I woke him up in the morning and put him on the pot (we use a Phillipe Stark). I made the “psssssst” sound to let him know that I wanted him to urinate. He sat there for about 3 minutes and wouldn’t you know …. he urinated! I guess it’s not rocket science …. if a baby wants to go … they are going to go regardless of if they are in a diaper or on the pot …. I was thrilled either way.
That was a little more than one month ago and by George … I really think that he gets it. In the last three weeks I’ve only changed one poopy diaper. In the morning, I put him on the pot first thing. If he has to defecate, he goes then. Throughout the day I may or not put him on the pot depending on what we have going on.
Did you know that you’re supposed to flush poop and NOT throw it away in the diaper?
Using elimination communication is nice because it gives us another way to attach to each other and there’s less mess. Just as with diapers, you have to dump the feces in the toilet. Just as with diapers, you have to pay attention to how often you change the baby. Just as with diapers, it’s pretty expensive … no … wait … this is nice because it also helps cut diaper costs. If I can get him to use the pot at the least 3 times a day that saves me at least 90 diapers per month. That’s almost a full box … about a $27 savings every month.
We start baby sign language when he turns 4 months old. My guess is that our elimination communication will increase as we get better at catching his cues and will really take off when he is able to tell us (using sign language) that he needs to use the toilet.
What has your experience with elimination communication been?
Parents of Color Seek Newborn to Adopt 