Our "EC" Journey

He Remember's!

2010-03-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Since moving to our new home seven or so months ago, we have pretty much quit EC. Noble decided not to go every time I took him to the potty, so I in turn began putting diapers on him.

We a few days ago we were in the bathroom cleaning and he stood in front of the toilet, pointed and made the 'tssss' sound I used to always make. I asked him if he needed to go potty and yes shook his head yes. So I took off his diaper, sat him on it, and watched him as he was bearing down to go. Nothing came out, but it proved to me that he still knows what he's doing! I was so very proud of him and excited! I think now that when he's ready, or if I begin to communicate with him more in this area, he will potty train pretty quickly. We'll see?

A Small Bump

2009-09-19T19:01:00.001-07:00

I am thankful I read the book on EC as I was prepared for this bump in the road. Noble has begun walking and I am not catching his cues as much as I used to, nor is he going as much as he used to when I do take him.

I'm not worried since I have read other families journey down this road, and I understand that while Noble is learning / accomplishing a new task such as walking, he will usually stop EC for a bit. But from what I understand, I can expect him to pick up where we left off once he gets more confident in this new task of walking.

I thought this would happen when he began crawling, but it did not. So one time this year is not too bad I'm thinking.

That's about all I got for now. Noble will be turning 1 in just a week and a half! Time just goes by way too fast.

Amazed

2009-07-05T08:24:00.001-07:00

I am still amazed how well this is working for us! Noble is now nine months, so we've been at it for five months now. He has been very active and crawling for about three months, walking around while holding on to furniture for a month or so now as well. Even so, it has not deterred our training.

In regards to BM's...in the past since he has not always been the most regular (going once a week or less), I would wait until he began to pass gas or actually start grunting before putting him on the potty. At that point he would go and be done with it.

The past few weeks though I've begun to sit him on the potty (between my legs so he is nice and snug) first thing in the morning after waking up, and first thing after his afternoon nap. Almost every day now he has a BM at this time, at least once during one of those sessions, sometimes twice a day.

I am so amazed because he shows no signs before hand that he needs to do this, yet as soon as I put him on the potty sitting down, he tries anyways...and is usually successful at that! Maybe he was not doing this in the past because we were always standing at the potty?

Now I'm looking forward to him being able to walk. I wonder if he will walk to the potty when he has to go?

The Lid

2009-05-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have always been very blessed to be married to a man who always puts the seat down of the potty. Except for those few unfortunate times in the middle of the night when I would find it up while I was pregnant and went to the bathroom in the dark...yuck!

Anyways, we have now "graduated" from using the sink or sitting down on the potty to standing over the opened lid and him doing his thing!

The thing is, I have begun the horrible habit of leaving the seat up! I am now a little more understanding as to why men do it...for some reason, it truly is easier leaving it up :) Lazy, I know.

But I am excited at this new development. Noble seems to enjoy it as well as every time he is finished, he looks up at me with a look of pride. It is so so cute! Plus, I do not have to clean out the sink anymore, nor kill my back bending over holding him while sitting on the pot.

He also seems to enjoy the water sound that it makes while he's going. I'm thinking this will be more user friendly while we are out in public, peeing in the sink while out I think might gross people out.

Some Pics

2009-04-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here is Noble in the position we have mostly used since he was three months old, over the sink. Much more comfortable for my back! In this picture I just walked to the sink and if you look closely you will see a 'stream', proof he is doing his business.

This is what he does when he does not need to go potty, trying to jump out of my arms! The second he does this we walk away.

I had to add a couple sweet pics of him and his big brother!

Some Other Changes

2009-04-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

A few other things that are new with him is that he will now pee for Ireland when she takes him...so that is nice for me whenever I am busy and cannot take him myself. He has yet to go for Mark (though he has gone ON Mark before!).

Also if I take him and put him in front of the sink and he does not go, yet I know he probably needs to; if I put him on the potty his will usually go then. That has been pretty interesting to see!

On the Move

2009-04-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Noble has just started crawling the past few weeks and so far it has not interfered with EC. He currently goes about every 15 minutes or so (which I just set a timer to remember to take him).

We also just began some vegetables which has changed the consistency of his poo; which in turn has made me even more thankful I am not changing those diapers! We make it to the potty every time for poo as I have figured out by his body language when he is needing to go. He usually begins to pass gas, then stretches out his legs very tight. We then run and sit on the potty and he goes for me.

Nighttime training is kind of happening in the sense that I do not let him lay in his wet diaper for a long time. We go to bed with a pre-fold on only (no cover), and he stays dry till between 4:30a.m. to sometimes 6:30. Once I feel it is wet I take it off and just lay a diaper over him in case he goes again. Lately he has not needed that second diaper and just waits to go until we get up around 7...to which he does that in the potty.

I don't know how things will change in that area once I begin putting him in his own bed in a few weeks. I may begin to try to get him out of bed around 5 to use the restroom...but we'll see?

I have some cute pics of him that I want to post, but unfortunately his privates are showing. So I need to either edit them or get some taken where they are not.

Part Timing It

2009-03-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

The weekend that Caleb broke his femur (last weekend), we were in the hospital for about 26 hours. So to make things easier, I put Noble in True's size 5 diapers and was surprised at how they fit his little 5 month old body so well!

Anyways, he wore diapers the whole time we were there. Though every time I changed him I took him to the toilet and he peed for me each time! I was very pleased!

I also forgot how stinky urine is in a disposable diaper...yuck! That part was not pleasant at all.

So now that I have my four year old in a body cast and have to physically move him everywhere we go...I have decided to do EC part time.

I have him pee when he wakes up from all naps, or anytime I am near the bathroom. After he has peed I usually do not put a diaper on him for awhile. But if I do not have a chance to take him within 20 minutes, I'll go ahead and put a pre-fold on him.

I'm not using any diaper cover so that I can tell immediately when he has done his business and can then take it off. Then I usually keep the diaper off for a little while, or put a new one on.

I'm trying to keep him out of them as much as possible, but not beating myself up if he's wearing one. It is working out pretty well thus far and I am getting peed on much less now that my attention is so focused on my older son!

Noble seems to be happy about the situation either way!

Wet Wake Up Call

2009-02-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Since I was not feeling that great when we went to bed last night, I decided to put a diaper on Noble so in case I didn't wake up to put it on him at 3 or 4 this morning.

Well I woke up at 3ish and he was wet, so I put a dry dipe on him.

Then I think I woke up around 6 and it was still dry.

But then I woke up around 7:30 to being peed on...a lot! I was confused as I knew he had a diaper on and couldn't figure out why I was getting drenched.

Apparently in my sleep I took off his diaper and did not put one back on...nor kept anything over or under him. So we both got soaked!

Of course this had to happen the night after I washed all the sheets. :)

Signals

2009-02-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

When we first started this, I mainly used the clock as to when to take Noble to the potty. He started out mainly needing to go upon waking in the morning and naps immediately, then 10 minute increments until he ate, or went back to sleep.

Then the past week or more the increments when from 10 to 20 minutes in between.

This past week though we have made a turning point in that I am noticing the signals he gives me to pee! He usually starts "talking" right before he begins to pee, or if he's tired he may fuss a little. While sleeping at night he'll just start to squirm around, which I had figured that one out in the beginning.

The neat part is that when I take him to the sink to potty, he usually goes immediately. Yet if he does not need to go, I can tell that he is bearing down and trying to go. He will either pass gas or I can see by his belly he is trying to push something out.

So something is definitely clicking in his little brain to know what our sink is for (or potty when I feel like squatting down to put him on it).

We are getting most all of his pee's in the sink every day, except when I am not paying attention to his signals. During those times when I'm busy, like if I'm cooking is when I rely on the clock more. This is the part I like the most about this whole thing...that I HAVE to pay closer attention to my sweet baby to "hear" when he needs to go!

He only goes #2 every few days, we are getting all of those in the potty as well. I can tell the day that he has to go as he is pretty fussy (he's normally very calm and happy) and when bed time arrives I am right as that is when he goes. So that has been fun...not missing those diapers for sure!

It's easy to put him in a diaper and "forget" about him until its convenient for me to change him. But this way I am more in tune with him and all his needs. Just as I am in tune with when he is hungry or tired.

A quick funny...yesterday we went to the mall to meet other "diaper free" mommy's and babies that I met on a yahoo group. When I arrived there were a few different groups playing so I approached the first one to ask if they were the "diaper free" group. You should have seen the looks on their faces...I felt so dumb when walking away. The next group I decided not to use that phrase and just said the yahoo group...which they were not either. Only one person showed up as we were leaving, so that was a bit disappointing. I wanted to feel justified by a big group of moms who were not weirdo's so that those other moms I had asked wouldn't think I was one! :)

He has yet to pee for daddy, but has gone for Ireland a few times. Though he did pee ON daddy once, but not when Mark held him to pee purposefully. We'll see when that happens...I'm sure Mark will be excited when he does!

Funny

2009-02-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I knew that Noble needed to pee as it was time but I didn't feel like taking him to the bathroom. So instead I had him between my legs while I was sitting on the couch with a cloth diaper on the floor in front of us. I was talking to my husband then paused for a moment to tell Noble "go pee". He then started a long flow onto the diaper!

My husband was completely grossed out saying we are not living in a grass hut and have a bathroom for that. The look on Marks face was kind of funny, but it all went on the diaper which I removed when he was done. I told him its not much different than him peeing in a diaper on him in the living room. It was just that the diaper was on the floor instead of on him, which I think is much better!

Either way, Mark said maybe he'll start peeing in the living room and see how I like it. Funny funny...I don't think so! :) At least he was pretty impressed at him listening to me and doing what I said. Babies are truly very smart and can understand more than we think!

Longer Pee Times

2009-02-08T13:49:00.001-08:00

I re-timed Noble yesterday to see how long it took between pees as this past week it seemed longer than the usual 10 minutes. I was right as now he waits around 20 minutes and sometimes 30 between each pee time.

Neat to see he's gaining more control over his sphincter muscles or at least getting a stronger bladder?

Either way, he is still doing great!

And have I mentioned my two year old True is pretty much trained now as well! I guess seeing her baby brother go she thought she should to. Of course, there are still accidents with her...but for the most part she is in panties at all times. Loving using less diapers!

Dry

2009-02-03T08:01:00.001-08:00

Last night Noble stayed completely dry from 9pm - 6:30am this morning...I was so amazed! I hope we can continue this time spread...

Fireproof

2009-02-01T17:32:00.001-08:00

Last night we watched Fireproof, so we turned the lights off around 11:30. Noble started to stir around that time as he does when he needs to pee, so I took a chance to make him mad and took him to the sink.

He cried as he does not like to get up while half asleep, but he still did do a lot of pee!

I ended up putting a cloth diaper on him without a cover so I could tell when he wet himself. He stayed dry until 5:30! At that point I took off the diaper and put on another, which he kept dry until around 7:30.

I was excited because when he went at 5:30, I knew that was what he was needing to do, the same as at 7:30.

Usually he goes about 5 hours when we first go to sleep to stay dry, then the later we get in the morning, the more he wets (every hour or so). I'm thinking its either because he is in a deeper sleep the first part of night time...or because he is nursing more as we get in the morning. Or both?

Either way, I felt like it was a success.

We are catching most all of his pees throughout the day...though I am noticing that he seems to be holding it for longer periods of time. Rather than every 10 - 15 minutes, its more around every 20 minutes now. So that is interesting.

I changed a poopy diaper for the first time since we started 3 weeks ago yesterday as Mark and I went on a date and he pooed while we were at the restaurant. I changed him as soon as we got in the van and saw that he wasn't too wet. I still haven't had the nerve to take him "out" without a diaper. Though we do go on walks without a diaper and he does fine then.

So that's where we are at now!

By the way, Fireproof was awesome! :)

Wool

2009-01-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

I bought a half yard of 100% wool this weekend to protect my sheets with at night. Only a half as it was $17.99 a yard! Now I understand why wool covers can be so expensive!

It is working very well though and much more comfortable than sleeping on top of a towel. I just have the wool with two pre-folds on top of it. When they get damp at night I put a new one in its place. The wool protects my sheets wonderfully so I no longer have to wash them daily!

I'm thinking that when Noble gets a bit older, I will try actually getting him up at night and letting him empty his bladder. For now, just letting him pee on the pre-fold in bed and removing it when he's done.

One exciting thing that I hadn't thought of until recently was how I am aware of when he needs to pee or poo. Of course most mothers know when their baby is tired or hungry or if they are constipated. But I personally had never known that my child needed to go potty and that was why they were fussing. What a neat concept of being even more in tune with my baby!

Yesterday he was really fussy and passing gas a lot, squirming around while nursing and just all around not happy. I deduced that he must need to go poo. It wasn't until we had our last night time potty break before we went to sleep that he finally let it all out.

How excited I was that I was right and did need to go poo! It really made me excited that I am reading him correctly and that he must have felt so much better after going. He's still not too regular when it comes to poo, maybe once every few days. But so far, he's only done it in the potty since we started (except that first day).

Good job Noble! :)

Nighttime

2009-01-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to figure out this nighttime thing with Noble. The first couple of nights when he got squirmy, I got up and took him to the sink to pee. He then peed and we went right back to sleep and stayed dry the rest of the night.

After the first couple of nights he decided he did not like getting up to go to the sink to pee and would protest very loudly. So we'd get back in bed and he ended up peeing there.

I've been told to use a little bucket or bowl by the bed, but he didn't like that either. The best advice I think I've been given thus far is to have him pee on a diaper, then remove it when he's done. Though I'm still trying to figure out if I should sit him up to do it, or just have him do it laying down.

I think based on what I've read its best for them to wake a little so that they are used to waking up, emptying their bladder, then going back to sleep. That way as they grow they are not wetting while they are actually asleep and will not have the bed wetting problem most children have for the first few years of their lives.

I do think it is interesting to see how so far he does not wet in his sleep. He may pee when he's half asleep, but he is still a little conscious.

Another interesting thing is that when I put a diaper on him he tends to pee much more throughout the night rather than if he sleeps naked. I keep a towel and a couple of dipes under us and they sometimes end up being a little damp in a certain spot by his bottom if I do not catch the pee with a diaper.

I think I will buy a yard of wool to place under us with a couple of diapers over that so I do not have to keep washing my sheets when it goes through the towel!

I definitely prefer not having a diaper on him throughout the night as when he does wear one, he little penis looks so painful and red in the morning. So so sad!

So as it is right now...I'm either letting him sleep without a diaper and I keep one close to cover him up when its time for him to pee, trying to say the 'cue' word while he's going...but I've usually fallen back to sleep by the time he goes! Or I put a diaper on him without a cover and when I feel its wet in the night I change him immediately so he does not get used to that feel of wetness.

This is definitely a journey, learning as we go!

The Beginning

2009-01-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

So just that I can remember if I want to look back to when I started this with Noble, I began on January9, 2009.

The first two days I kept him out of a diaper and just watched when he went. I kept a cloth diaper underneath him and near so when he started to go, I could cover him up. I then wrote down what time he peed, slept and ate so I could see how it might relate to when he had to do his "business".

I learned in doing this that he usually goes a few minutes after waking up and eating. Then about 10 - 15 minutes again. I also learned that he does not go while sleeping or eating...which I was glad to know as I was not wanting to hold something to catch his pee while he was eating.

So now he is still out of a diaper and I still keep one near or underneath him, in case I get distracted and forget to take him to the potty. We get most of his pees in the potty (or sink) throughout the day which is really encouraging.

The first time he went poo I guess I wasn't paying attention as I was holding him and it just went everywhere. Thankfully I was in the kitchen with linoleum flooring so it was easy to clean up.

Since then he has only gone when I put him over the sink in the in arms position. I am wondering if that is because he knows that is where he should go, or if I'm just lucking out? Either way, I'm pleased!

Today I was holding him and should have known better because when I took him pee, he had a little squirt of poo with it, but didn't do anymore. I had set the timer for 10 minutes so I could remember to take him back and he was fussing a little bit while I was holding him. So when the timer went off, we went to the bathroom.

As soon as I put him over the sink I saw that I had a little bit of poo on my arm. Once I put him in the "potty" position it ALL came out. So I thought it was interesting that he seemed to be holding it as best as he could until we got to the sink? Or so I think.

So there we are currently on our ec adventure!

Warm Baby Legs

2009-01-20T14:52:00.002-08:00

Here's the picture I promised of Noble in his new leg warmers...to to cute!

Legwarmers

2009-01-20T14:52:00.001-08:00

I have been keeping Noble diaper-less this past week since starting EC and had been trying to think of a solution to keep his legs warm, since it is a pain to pull down his pants or unbutton his shirt to put him on the potty. I remembered seeing baby legwarmers on a diapering website and searched for them, only to see that they ran between $10 - $15 a pair!

After looking a bit more, I found a site that had instructions on how to make them. I am thrilled with how they turned out! I bought the ladies knee highs at Target for $3.50 a pair, then made them six pairs within 45 minutes.

They are too cute on his legs with his cute little bottom free. I'm thinking it has to be more comfortable than the bulk he is used to between his legs!

Great idea for gifts I'm thinking as well since they are really cute!

They started like this...

And ended like this...

I'm Convinced

2009-01-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

I started the infant potty training yesterday and today, just 3 minutes ago Noble just peed in the potty for the first time! I can't even get my 2 yr old to do that! I am so so excited! My friend Alina Joy lent me the book "Infant Potty Training" by Laurie Boucke and it has really encouraged me to do this for sure. I haven't finished it yet but can definitely say I'd recommend it to anyone who it might be thinking of this for yourself. Now that I am seeing reasons that I agree with and forming my own convictions about it, I think I'll be able to stick it through.

Before I thought that the time it took would be more than the time it takes to diaper. Though in the beginning I think it will as I am very closely watching him (without a diaper) to learn his signals and cues and his timing. But after a few days of this, I think it will take the same or less amount of time than diapering. Considering changing dipes every few hours and the time it takes washing, drying every two days. We'll see?

Since I am all about training our children as they grow (not that I am perfect at it), now I see that with diapering I am training my child to get used to sitting in wetness (yuck!) and use their diaper as their potty. Why not skip that part of training and choose something that they'll have to learn either way, now or later - using the potty!

This is actually pretty fun because I am enjoying being closer to little baby Noble as I learn his cues. And what a sense of accomplishment when I sat him on the potty after his nap, made the 'pssss' noise that I make when he normally pees (all over me), and then he starts going in the potty where it belongs. AMAZING!! :)

It is also interesting to see that he has relatively specific times when he goes, after nap, 10 - 15 min after eating, then an hour again after eating. I used to think he just went all day long with no rhyme or reason. So its nice to find out that he actually does not go while he is napping, nor while he eats.

Maybe this will encourage True to use the potty herself now that she sees her baby brother using it? That would be nice for sure!