It's Potty Time!

Potty training or EC is going relatively well. I was getting a little worried at the 6 month mark because I'd heard so many people who practice EC had huge success and were done with diapers by 6 months. We, on the other hand, were still only catching some poops (most of the time) and little of the pee. But this last month has seen a leap forward in our success.

Regin pees and poops often in the potty. We don't catch as much of the poop as we used to, because he sits up and plays on his own now, and he often makes the same grunting sounds sitting as he does when he's about to poop. But we still do pretty well and he pees often on the potty now. He still pees just as often in his diaper, but we've made huge strides. His diapers are often dry through the night (though he pees through his naps -- weird), and I'm developing a better instinct and understanding of his habits and his need-to-go fussies.

I have to say, even if he doesn't end up totally out of diapers before any other American babies, this is still sooooooo worth it. I have to deal with VERY few poopy diapers, and I have much fewer diapers to wash in general. The biggest bummer is trying to do this when we're out of the house. It's very frustrating, hardly ever works, and takes me away from whatever I'm doing (or whomever I'm seeing) for too long. But maybe I'll have strides to report back there in a month or three. So, after trying it out for some time now, I do really have to recommend the book, "Diaper Free".

He's awfully happy on that potty, and he loves to slap his feet on the floor:


Plus, he's made a little vehicle out of his potty:


You can't see it because of the stupid YouTube logo in the bottom right corner, but in this next video, Regin is after the camera-bag strap on the floor and is scooting himself over to it. The camera stopped recording before he actually got the item, but this is just a little demo of how he can scoot himself over to an item he wants.


Below I have some news snippets about the practice of EC. Usually when you see bits about it on TV or hear it on the radio, there is a judgmental undertone, and they usually finish with some health professional/official saying that it's harmful to put a child through the trauma of potty training before 1-2 years of age. As you can see above, it's total misery for my boy to be on the potty!

They also often suggest that it's too much work for most people. That's really ridiculous. If you are an attentive caregiver, or are leaving your child with an attentive caregiver, it's not much more work than diapering. And no more work for sure than it is to potty train them later! Not to mention the reduced diapering work! And, no one has ever mention in these bits (that I've seen so far) that there is varying levels of commitment. Some people do it only in the mornings and evenings when they are home from work, but don't worry about it when they hand their kids over to someone else or are out in public. It takes them longer, but it's still effective.