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Elimination Communication
Can Infants Really Be Potty Trained?
By Katherine Bontrager
Elizabeth Parise of Concord, Mass., is mother to six, so to say she has her hands full is probably an understatement. But this mom also has found the time and commitment to essentially "potty train" the youngest three children from birth, in a method called Elimination Communication.
"When I first heard about Elimination Communication (EC), my first thought was that it would fit well with my parenting style," Parise says. "I already had three children and I was pregnant with my fourth and had always practiced natural or attachment parenting. I breastfed, co-slept, carried my babies in slings and other carriers, and I thought EC would fit right in. I especially thought it made sense because I breastfed 'on cue,' now I could potty 'on cue,' too. This meant that just like I fed my babies when they showed signs of hunger I also offered the potty when I noticed signs of needing to eliminate."
In EC a caregiver simply offers the infant a potty whenever the baby exhibits signs that he or she needs to go to the bathroom. Signs differ for each child but moms and dads closely observe their little ones until they can spot the telltale signals, such as squirming, fussing, passing gas, unexplained crying and a look of concentration.
"As the potty is offered, communication with the caregiver is reinforced and the baby may start to purposely signal the caregiver," Parise says. "As motor ability and independent behavior increases, the baby then takes over toileting."
Parise's youngest three started ECing at birth so they never knew anything else, she says. "Basically, at first I was more responsible for noticing any elimination signs and offering the potty," she says. "My babies gave clear signals instinctively from birth most of the time. Some of these signals included fussing, squirming, kicking off blankets (seemingly to avoid 'soiling their nest'), waking from a deep sleep, crying (especially a high-pitched cry just like the one for gas), flaring their nostrils, refusing to latch on to breastfeed or popping on and off the breast, and making a concentrated face with O-shaped lips."
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