It's not "potty training"

So, I started out with one idea of how I would parent an infant and ended up feeling very different once Ruby had arrived. My plans went out the window and I followed my gut and before I knew it, we were bed sharing (from her first night in the hospital) and I was holding her for naps and wearing her in a carrier or wrap daily. In my heart these choices felt right, but sometimes my head would start to wonder if I was "spoiling" her.

I did a lot of reading and researching and discovered in something called the fourth trimester (this makes an unbelievable amount of sense and you should read about it if you haven't already) and in a parenting style called attachment parenting. This style fit with so much of what I was feeling and it all just made sense to me. So, like I do with anything that intrigues me, I dove in to reading. One of the books I chose was 'Beyond the Sling' by Mayim Bialik. When I first started reading I thought the book was interesting, but way too "crunchy" for me! Elimination Communication??!? Come on, hippie...seriously?

The chapter on elimination communication (or natural infant hygiene) was a doozy! Essentially, she (and a huge number of people) argue that infants are born with the desire to eliminate waste somewhere other than in a diaper, that they are then forced to sit in. We, as parents, inadvertently train them to use a diaper and train them again later to do what they were already born knowing how to do...use the toilet! I needed to do more research and put this to the test!!

It took no time at all to make my first "catch" with Ruby, who was then 3 months old. I could not believe how quickly she figured out that I would help her to go to the toilet (babies are so so smart!!). So we practiced here and there over those first few weeks and made lots of catches and she started to smile when I would sit her on the toilet..it was pretty incredible that we were communicating even though she was still so little!

Teething and a cold put a hold on our practice for a bit and then we were getting out and about more, making "ec" a bit more tricky. We have basically reverted to practicing here and there (before getting in the pool or the bath or if I am changing her and notice that she isn't wet), but each time she smiles at me. I do hope to get back to it because we both enjoy the communication aspect of it all. The fact that we made a fantastic catch today when we were thisclose to dirtying our only swim diaper while at a friend's pool for the afternoon is an added bonus! :)