There's plenty of things I don't like about diapers - they're expensive, they often leak, and they cause bum rash because babies sit in their poo for too long - but I can't imagine taking care of babies without diapers (my parents told me that they raised me without disposable diapers not because they didn't want to - but because they didn't have disposable diapers back then when I was growing up. So they used cloth diapers, which leaked but it wasn't as bad as wearing no diaper at all they said).
Anyways, apparently there is a movement of sort of promoting a "natural approach" (i.e. diaper-less) to this whole baby poo business:
Elimination Communication, Infant Potty Training, Natural Infant Hygiene, Potty Whispering...whatever you choose to call it, it all refers to the modern adaption of an ancient method of childcare. Traditionally this method was seen and practiced by the whole community, learned naturally over a lifetime. This aspect has largely been lost, yet you can rediscover it on the Practicing EC pages. Think of these as the wisdom of your grandmother, the support of your aunt, the encouragement of your best friend. Celebrate undertaking a journey where caregivers and babies learn and discover together.
Shenanigans or not, to learn more about "potty whispering" (I just love that term!), check out DiaperFreeBaby - via The Zeray Gazette
There's no physical reason most babies couldn't be swimming, communicating their needs, etc. in the first year or two, except that life is consuming for parents. Playpens and nannies and, to a lesser extent diapers, are basically measures that bridge the gap between what parents could theoretically do and what they can manage now.
I have a couple friends who brought their baby up mostly without diapers, but they had to be present and engaged pretty much all the time. And it wasn't always pretty.
If you are interested, curious, give EC a shot - you might just prevent just one diaper a day from going into landfill, or through your washing machine.
In the 'west' we use baby potties, not trash cans, use diaper back-up between potty visits, or special small training pants or 'EC Pants'.
Misses don't mean messes, you can EC part time, just like our grannies used to do, without it even having a name back then.
Ec is really the leading edge in environmentally friendly diapering practices - it is about REDUCING your reliance and use of diapers.
Being 'diaper free' happens in time, isn't the goal, the communication with your baby is. In a short while you can confidently have your baby diaper free in certain situations - in a baby sling, when in-arms at home, that sort of thing.
A few 'potty breaks' in the day, you've 'saved' a diaper or two - good for the environment too.
It's not a better way - but it is a better way for those who do it, enjoy it, love the connection it brings between them and their babies!
Charndra
P.S Pop over to my site on part time EC for a fun guided introduction to this ancient practice.
2. Children do not have proper control of their rectal openings until they are about two years old.
3. In China, they use human excrement as manure. So a child in a farming community can simply take a dump anywhere in the fields while his parents are working.
4. Excrement is a biohazard. You can't legally have your child defecate into a garbage can. You also can't just leave it on the ground.
5. Here in California, we have a water shortage. It is currently environmentally better to put disposable diapers in a landfill than it is to wash diapers or flush the toilet extra times from every time you set the baby on it.
6. Babies poop more often than adults. A new baby can go through one to two dozen diapers a day. If you feed a baby six times a day, the baby will have at least six poopy diapers a day.
7. Even when I was home full-time, keeping up with my son's feedings, baths, play, etc., not counting diapers, used up a large chunk of my day. Having to keep an eye on him all the time to notice his "signs" would have made it impossible for me to do anything else.
8. People who come up with these ideas have way too much time on their hands.
Not too sure about the talk of number ones and twos into trash cans - from what I've seen it's always been done into a potty and then flushed down the toilet.
Babies make certain faces or stiffen when they need to go. We got a little training potty and held her over and 95% of the time (when we caught it) she went. We had periodic poopy diapers, but they were few and far between.
It isn't about the baby controlling their bowels. it is about the subtle signals they give when they are ABOUT to void their bowels. Though later on she was able to hold it until we got her to the potty.
We weren't religious about it. Probably could've done it more, but it was much nicer for her and for us than using diapers exclusively. We also put her in diapers between poops/pees. We didn't just let her run around naked all day, though part of that is living in New England. :)
This isn't a perfect solution. Accidents happen. And all it really requires is paying attention to your baby. No magic. No miracles. Just look for that squished up face and get them to the potty. :)
And I must say that formal potty training went really smoothly when we got to that point.
The folks on here who are calm and have done it certainly sound more relaxed!
My friend does EC and her kids are in childcare. Her daughter was pretty much potty independent at 18 months.
She did it part-time, no worries at all!
babies are smarter than we give them credit for, and parents are more adaptable too.
"2. Children do not have proper control of their rectal openings until they are about two years old."
Absolute rubbish!
its not that difficult and the results are fabulous!
absolutely no diaper rash! no diapers to wash, and no mental trauma of having to go through the pain of diaper rash!
uh who ever said that baies dont have sphincter control needs to do some research, or raise a diaper free child because they definitely do. they are born with it, but they lose control when they dont need to use it. also it is very confusing for a child that is potty training because for their entire life prior to this, they are told that they can just go where ever, whenever they want.
yes there may be accidents, but not nearly as many as you think.
i am very proud to say that i have helped raised a diaper free kid because i learned so much,and it has helped me be a big part of his life
It's not rocket science, people have been doing it like that, well, forever. Do you really think back before people had diapers they'd just let their babies go where ever? I saved myself a lot of money and stress with this method, and I'll certainly do it again with my future child(ren).
I double diapered--with cloth, fastened the diapers with pins, and put rubber pants on over top. Simple. I know for a fact that I'm not the only mother who had such great success with cloth diapers.
What we need in our society today, is to go back to all things old-fashioned! Diapers being one of them.
When it comes to your baby's toilet functions, your choices are: 1) Diaper and let the baby sit in his own waste until you feel like changing the diaper or the smell gets too gross for you to stand.
2) Diaper, and change right after the baby poops or pees.
3) EC, and put the baby on the toilet when he needs to go.
If you just let the baby sit in it, that's gross and lazy parenting. Seems like choices #2 & 3 are an equal amount of work - if the baby pees 15 times a day, that's either 15 diaper changes or 15 potty breaks. And I can tell you, it's way easier to just wipe with a piece of toilet paper.
Next time your baby has a "blowout" and poop shoots up his/her back and out the diaper, and you're getting it all over your hands, just think: if you had let the baby poop in the potty, you would be doing something else less disgusting right now.