More on EC

Our EC endeavors have been going really, really well. We are able to pick up on alot of Anjali's cues and since she was born, we've had only about 5 soiled diapers in total. It is so much easier to clean a plastic potty then a poopy diaper and baby. We are catching a lot of pees to prevent wet diapers, but this is always more challenging. However, we are catching on to her cues more often. We've been asked about EC alot and the following from the continuum-family website is a really helpful explanation.

 Getting Started with EC

There are two main things you need to get started with EC. The first is a shift in mindset -- EC is really a whole different paradigm than most of us are accustomed to. Here are the key points:

1. EC is not training, it's communication -- it is a gentle process of responding to the baby's cues and needs in the moment. It is never coercive or punitive.
2. Babies are born potty trained -- they instinctively want to avoid eliminating on themselves but need someone to assist them in the early months. The practice of diaper training has taught us to ignore our baby's signals, which in turn teaches our babies to tune out their own needs and stop signalling. Then, they lose the control and awareness they were born with only to have to re-learn it later on.
3. EC is not some "out-there" alternative parenting approach -- it is what millions of parents around the world do every day and did long before diapers were manufactured and marketed.
4. EC is true "child-led" potty training if we just tune in and listen to them from the start.