The Diaper-Free Baby

My baby was eleven weeks old when I heard about EC. He had had eight weeks of severe diaper rash and was in so much pain. Everyone kept telling me to leave his diaper off to air him out. As soon as I learned about EC and started doing it, he had no more diaper rash at all. Those eight weeks before EC were the most miserable weeks of his life.

Many times, people comment that time spent pottying an infant could be better spent playing. Having conventionally trained my first three kids and having had a miserable time of it filled with anger and frustration on both sides, I can see how one might think that there must be a better way to spend time with one’s child. But it’s different this time, EC’ing our baby. One of the things that I love most about EC is that potty time is fun. I sing to Eden, her siblings sing to her, and we smile at each other.

We went on a weeklong trip when Dexter was five months and only took the toilet seat reducer with us. My husband and I would potty the baby when we were near a bathroom. To our amazement, we didn't’ even use the diapers we had brought along! By this point he would wait until we got to a public restroom or the hotel room and then poop as soon as we put him on the toilet. He even went on the airplane toilet. It saved a ton of time and money not to change diapers.

I know my son in ways I didn’t think were possible until he was much older. You know how people say that once their toddlers start talking they’re like a little person? I already have that, and have had it since I learned to tune in and to be present with my baby.

I try to approach EC lovingly and with a positive attitude. It’s so normal; to us, it’s just toilet learning. Just like we teach Willow to use a spoon, to wipe her nose, and to throw a ball, we also teach her about using the potty. And one of the greatest things I’ve learned is this: anyone can do it and it’s adaptable to any lifestyle. You can practice it casually, or you can apply it full-time. EC’s not goal-centric, it’s more about a learning process. Expect bumps along the road, as with every journey, but don’t forget to enjoy the scenery along the way.

I wanted to do this because we’d spent a lot of time traveling in Southeast Asia and India and I never saw kids in diapers. I always wondered what they do. Then I read an article about EC in the New York Times a month before my son was born. I realized it was much more about a philosophy than about a specific technique and this is what sold me – that you are training your child either way, either getting him used to diapers or not, it’s about a two-way communication, no pressure.