Tuesday, December 6, 2011

ECing and Potty Learning

Tye using the toilet in August
A year ago, I really thought Tye would be out of diapers by the time she was two.  We were having great success with ECing, and Tye seemed to be enjoying the ECing process.  Little did I know, Tye was closer to full-time pottying success then than she would be at 2.  

We have had several weeks during the past year when Tye was in underwear all day, with a wet pair here or there, but eventually, Tye decided she would rather play than sit on the toilet.  And I'm afraid my mistake is that I let her follow those desires, not realizing it wouldn't be just a passing phase.  At two, Tye is in diapers, as most two year olds are.  

What ECing has given us, though, is a huge lead in potty learning.  Tye still poops exclusively on the toilet, no matter where we are when the urge hits her.  Not having to change a toddler's poopy diapers is something I greatly appreciate.  And when Tye regains interest in using the toilet, she still remembers how to go.  The only skills left to learn are identifying the urge to eliminate with enough time to make it to the toilet, and dressing and undressing herself for true bathroom independence.  

I have to admit, diapering Tye (again) and thinking about how close we were to graduating from ECing to wearing underwear can be discouraging, especially with the prospect of diapering two come January.  But then I remind myself: I haven't changed more than 3 poopy diapers since Tye was 3 months old; we have saved immeasurable resources from reducing our number of soiled diapers; and we learned to communicate with Tye and meet her basic needs at a very early age.  I'm absolutely planning to use Elimination Communication with Baby Girl #2.  Whether we have more success or less than we have had with Tye, the journey itself is worth every bit of effort.

4 comments:

  1. I am so happy to hear about your success with Tye still. You're doing a great job really. I often wondered how it was going with her and ECing.
    You actually introduced me into the ECing early on, but like Tye my son likes playtime and somewhat privacy. Count your efforts, if not just for your own children, as encouragement for others :) Thanks, Zainab

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  2. I enjoyed this update as well!! Whenever I get frustrated thinking he should be potty trained by now, etc, I too realize that I've saved SOOOO MANY DIAPERS and that he's better off than other kids his age!

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  3. Hey, did we already know #2 is a girl, or did you just slip that in there all casual-like?

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  4. Hi Everyone! Glad this was a post you all found interesting- I always wonder if anyone else cares at all about our bathroom ventures, but I think as parents, we all can bond over the topic :) Zainab, thanks for the encouragement. Basebell, isn't Blaine about 6 months younger than Tye? About a year and a half? I know other kids who transitioned from ECing to underwear around then- but clearly, I know some who didn't :) Jen, I think I shared it was a girl, but I obviously haven't been talking about her as much as I should be! I'm SO excited for Tye to have a sister. I love my brothers more than words, but I'm looking forward to seeing the sister dynamic grow over the years, especially with them so close in age. And, a girl now might give us more reason to have a 3rd later on :)

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-Em

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