Diaper-free Baby

Learning how to potty-train an infant

Teresa Pitman

In Laos, where Christa Niravong was born, babies rarely wear diapers. “It’s just considered normal to take your baby to pee,” she says. When her daughter Atarah was three weeks old, Niravong’s older sister helped her get started in going diaper-free, also called “elimination communication.”
Big sister had used this approach with her own child, and Niravong says it was easy to get going.

But it doesn’t seem so easy to most Canadian parents. In fact, some think it’s a pretty strange — maybe even a little gross — idea: We’re used to having our babies in diapers. “I read about elimination communication online when I was pregnant. I thought it was a crazy idea,” recalls Rachael Ward. But a little more reading and thought convinced her to give it a try. “I figured we had nothing to lose and could go back to normal diapering at any time,” she explains. Two children later, she’s an enthusiastic fan.

Here’s the concept behind elimination communication: Babies will give signals when they need to pee or poop, just as they give signals when they are hungry. They might fuss, squirm in a particular way, hold their breath — every baby is different. If you respond by taking them to a place where they can “go” (a potty, a toilet, a bowl, outside, even a folded diaper) and holding them in a semi-sitting or seated position, they are encouraged to continue giving those signals and making them clearer as they get older.

The name “diaper-free” is not entirely accurate, as most parents do use diapers between potty trips “just in case” or when there is nowhere to easily take the baby.

Fuente: Today's Parent