I have a habit of mowing the lawn and listening to numerous podcasts, like TWIT, NPR Technology, Earth and Sky, and ABC news Nightline. Tonight as we were finishing up the yard, Nightline had a story on infant "elimination communication", or as I put it "going diaperless." It about made me double over laughing to where I couldn't push the mower until I realized they weren't kidding! Here are excerpts from the story off the ABC news website (complete story):
It's the latest thing in child-rearing — dressing your baby diaper-free.
Instead of putting diapers on their children, some parents use natural cues and signals to determine when their little ones need to "go," and react accordingly.
"We do potty parties. You know, 'Mommy go potty,' 'Campbell go potty' — and he usually goes. I go, and he goes," said Nancy Meyer.
Meyer is one of about a dozen women in New Paltz, N.Y., who participate in an infant potty training support group run by Lolli Edinger.
"Keeping a child out of their waste in a diaper keeps them clean, keeps them hygienic, keeps them comfortable," Edinger said.
Erica Chase-Salerno hosts the monthly meeting in her home, and she says that "It's about honoring her body. That's one of the main reasons we do it. When you catch your first pee, you're hooked. I caught my first pee — I thought it was a fluke and I kept thinking it was flukes, but when you keep having a coincidence, you're on track — once you get the first one, you can't look back."
'Attachment Parenting'
The moms say going diaper-free helps them relate to their children. To get their children to go, the moms use hand signals and the "ssss" sound, and one mom even had a song to get her son to go.
"I realized it's not so much about diapers, it's really about attachment parenting. Just listening to the baby's cues and responding to her cues. I communicate with her better now," said Carla McGarry, the mother of 1-year-old Kristina.
These parents do use diapers sometimes, such as overnight or when they go out, but when they are at home with the child, the babies are bare and the moms try to predict when they need to use the bathroom. If they're right, they call it a catch, and if they fail to predict one, it's a miss.
"I know that she is going to need to pee now," said Chase-Salerno. "She gets in a zone and I feel this is one of them. What I do is I bring in toys with her because sometimes she'll sit a little bit longer and release and relax and pee while she's playing."
OK. Before I begin, let me first say: "To Each Their Own."
But for my part I don't see me going around all day watching for that little grimace or squirm on "My Own". Nor do I see myself constantly asking Megan or Madelyn "Go Potty?" just to make sure I don't have to get the carpet cleaner out from under the sink.
Being a guy, I also find it very awkward in considering a "potty party" with either of my girls. It's hard enough to dodge certain questions, as is. For example, Megan has a habit of waiting for me right outside the door after I have ran to hide--- err, I mean, had to go use the restroom. The small bathroom off our bedroom has a pocketdoor (lockable) with about a 1-1/2 inch gap at the bottom. One time as I came out after one too many cups of coffee at work, I was met by Megan with a look of puzzlement. She asked, "Daddy, why do your feet point the wrong way when you potty?"
Maybe also, guys just handle messes in a different way: we are not as proactive. Let's be honest for most guys, the "cue" that their child needed to go, would be a puddle in the floor, or an odor wafting from down the hall. Well, that's not quite correct, we as men would be proactive, just in a much different way. Instead of making "ssss" sounds (which by the way most guys make, but not with their mouths) or singing little potty songs, men would simply go to the ag store, buy a bale, and layout hay in Junior's room. That's the men's version of going diaperless, and we have been doing this for many years with the animals we have been responsible for. Not saying anyone's child is an animal mind you, and then again you can now purchase diapers for animals, so maybe I'm just behind the time.
So as we --actually I should say Brandy--prepares to potty train Madelyn (who's name in Hebrew must mean "stubborn as a rock"), I don't see us rushing out to the neighbor's barn, nor myself with pitchfork in hand at my front door. And Brandy will not expect me to "sssss" or sing songs, although I could, like:
- "Smoke on the Water"
- "To Him who Sits on the Throne"
- "There's a Fountain Free"
Maybe I'll just stick to cheering, "Yeah! you potty-ied!"
