Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Potty matches the dress




Many parents today are re-inventing parenting, exploring other ways to do things, and we are no exception. This go-around we are trying out Elimination Communication, in which you attempt to go diaper-free by paying attention to when your baby needs to go, and giving them an opportunity to go over the potty (or the grass...or your lap if you miss the cue). It's like potty training but for parents: it's YOU who gets trained to know when they need to go--they don't have to do anything. We were skeptical but interested.

Since trying it, we have been amazed at how often babies start squirming 30 seconds before they pee. I've been wondering how often our three other children were fussing inexplicably when they just needed to pee. It's pretty clear now that she doesn't like to wet her diaper (we use cloth, and though it cuts down on our laundry, we are far from diaper-free).

All those times I have wondered what was going on with a fussing baby, I've had the question: is there a reason, or is she just feeling fussy? Sometimes it's probably just fussy time, but the more I learn, the more fussing turns out to have a very good reason that I just couldn't understand.