ECing!

Today has been our first day of ECing. As of 5 pm, we have had 6 catches and 4 misses. In non-EC language, that means Tye has peed in her little potty 6 times today and in her diaper only 4 times so far (and one of those misses I saw coming, but let's just say, only one girl can potty at a time...). I didn't keep her on the potty chair all day, either- we only had 2 uneventful trips to the potty. To make ECing more convenient, Tye is wearing one of her SwaddleBees diapers with easy on-and-off snaps, full-length leg warmers, and an oversized fleece jacket over a t-shirt. This leaves her diaper uncovered, easily accessed for removing or checking. It's not waterproof, but it's super absorbent. Tye doesn't urinate much at one time, so any misses are easy for me to discover early and change right away, without risking a puddle or wet lap. While we get ECing figured out, this may be Tye's new uniform!

ECing is supposed to be about the process and reading your child's needs, not the outcome. However, I am extremely pleased with the outcome so far! At $.33 per disposable diaper (a number that will only increase as Tye grows into larger diapers), we've already saved $1.98 today over using disposables. Saving a couple dollars a day will certainly add up quickly. Compared to cloth diapers, I'll be doing much less laundry each week. And in terms of environmental impact, we're only using a small amount of toilet paper to wipe and a little water to rinse the potty chair- a huge savings over the garbage created by disposables or the soap and hot water used to wash cloth diapers.

Perhaps the best part of ECing, though, is already evident to me. I'm reading Tye's body language and her attempts to communicate with me and responding to those in a way that will keep her more comfortable. As she learns that I will respond to her signals, she'll make her needs known in more obvious ways, deepening the natural communicative process. The increased, intimate two-way communication builds a deeper bond between us.

More good news- I heard today that we are two-thirds of the way through meteorological winter. Spring is coming!