Elimination Communication Series: Part 1 - What is it?

Some of you may be hearing more and more about this "new" concept which we call Elimination Communication.  In this 3 part blog series, I will share with you What it means, How to do it and A success story from a family.  Happy reading.



picture source:
www.examiner.com/single-moms-in-salt-lake-city

What is EC’ing?

Elimination Communication is commonly referred to as Infant Pottying or EC’ing for short. It is an approach to communicating with your child about using the potty. It has been practiced around the world for centuries and is still the norm for many cultures today. It is based on the value that children are born knowing when they need to use the potty. By offering potty times from any age the child will in fact provide some type of signal before they void. In order for a parent to become aware of this signal, they need to spend time with their child to see what that signal could be. For example, watching your child play on a wet change pad and watching to see if there is a pattern of behaviour they exhibit right before they pee or poop. These are often approaches used by parents with young children to watch for signs. When the child does void, the parent makes a soft “pssss” sounds for pee or may even grunt if the child has a bowel movement. These are sounds that are used to communicate with the child along with a statement such as “you’re peeing!”

There are many variations of how EC’ing is practiced in North America. Each family is different and may practice EC’ing part time or full time. There is no wrong way to do it, and every family will find what works best for them. Additionally, there are many benefits to practicing EC’ing with your child. These include but are not limited to the following:

• Reduces frustration between child and parent;

• Supports a positive relationship between child and parent and reduces the likelihood of potty training struggles later on;

• Leads adults to change their perspectives on babies and culture since EC’ing focuses on “letting go” rather than “holding it”, which not only applies to bodily functions but to life in general;

• It can save parents money since they are not spending as much money on diapers;

• Babies and parents may feel happier as children are respected and parents feel good about meeting their child’s needs in a respectful manner.

This is the basics of what is EC'ing.  If you are interested, stay tuned for part 2 where I will go through how to do it?

Cheers!