Elimination Communication is Great. Even when it doesn't work.

Sometimes people ask me how Elimination Communication is going. I blush, mumble, and try to steer the conversation in a different direction.

To recap, read here.

Even though Elimination Communication isn't really "working" for us at the moment (Noah poops and pees in his diaper or uhhh... on the floor-- after our move into our new apartment Noah stopped using the toilet), I still count it a success. I'll revisit my thoughts when Noah is out of diapers and I have the benefit of hindsight. And I'll gladly do EM again if we're blessed with another baby. Without the winter and a full time job, I think there's a strong possibility it could work [even] better.

One success up to now is that Noah is pretty aware of his bodily functions. This may have been so even if he hadn't had some EM, but he seems really aware. He doesn't seem to care if his diaper is dirty, but he does immediately start pointing and squeaking if he starts peeing on the floor. As one would hope, I suppose. And he helps with cleanup (though it's not a punishment, it's just that he loves using the vinegar spray and the rag).

And accidents on the floor, he has plenty of. This will horrify some of you, but I'm actually really glad about how comfortable we are with it. We use a lot of baking soda and vinegar, and usually messes are just on the wood floor. When he wakes up in the morning, he often is in underwear (or naked) for a couple of hours before we switch back to diapers. Sometimes, I even take him out with just underwear (and regular clothes, and I bring a change of clothes and a diaper). Part of the reason I like to do this is because I want Noah to avoid diaper rash, and I want to be able to start telling him that he should go to the toilet (I usually just point and say toilet, then take him to the toilet).

I'm not sure how this will ultimately turn out, but I like that with EM, diapers are not the absolute normal state of being for babies, even if EM is practiced only occasionally. So it's been good, even if hasn't produced "results" per se. And it's not as messy as one might suppose.