It’s been a few weeks since I stopped using diapers on Noah (4.5 months old).  Since we started he has not had one messy diaper.  All his poops have been in the toilet.  About a week ago I began pottying him at night too.  Since then he has been dry every night.  I’m loving it!

Things I’ve learned from my own experience and by reading Diaper Free by Ingrid Bauer:

• The proper term for this is “Elimination Communication”, or “EC”.  You’re communicating back and forth with your baby, and babies are quite cooperative.
• When things get busy or I have guests, I’m probably going to have some misses If I’m not watching his cues.  That’s okay.
• He always pees right after his naps, and first thing in the morning, so those are easy to catch.
• The trick is (with a little boy), hold him over the sink or the toilet and tilt forward, to help with the aim and not get the pee all over the sink!  I still keep a dry washcloth close to clean up any drips though.  That pee tends to go nuts (hehe) when it first comes out.
• In the evenings babies often hold their pee for longer, throwing you off a bit.  This is true with my baby!  You have to be extra vigilant.
• Most of the time he signals me that he has to go (by whining or getting still suddenly), but there are a few times when he surprises me, just to keep me on my toes.
• It’s FUN!  Much more fun than changing diapers!

I’ve read that “potty pauses” are not uncommon, especially as the baby hits certain stages of development, like teething or crawling.  I’ll have to blog about that one when it happens.

You may be asked, “What do you do at night?” Well, my little munchkin made it clear that he did NOT want to be taken to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  So instead, I hold a cup over his little peeper while I’m nursing, and make the hissing sound.  He usually pees once a night, waking me up with a few grunts.  I guess it’s pretty common that babies don’t pee during their sleep when they are little.

What about going out? I usually cloth diaper him in public, for privacy’s sake, and in case I’m busy and don’t have a place to help him pee quickly.  But if he has to go, I squat, holding him and front of me, and we water the sidewalk or the grass.  :)  When it gets cold I’m going to use a little potty, lined with a plastic bag, and he can pee in the car.  Another idea I’m toying with is to carry a little tupperware container in my purse.

I actually think that someone can do this without reading a book. It’s just common sense!  After all, over 50% of the world does it, and women in other countries are horrified to find out that we use diapers.  ”That’s so unsanitary!”  They say.  But here are a couple of good resources.

• The Diaper Free Baby website
• The Mothering Forum

Through “Elimination Communication” I feel more connected with my baby.  He’s not passive, but actively communicating with me, even though he can’t talk!  And he responds to my communication too!  Just don’t ever say “Pss” around my baby unless you’re prepared for a little spray to ensue.  ;)   I’ve also noticed that it’s easier to be in tune with him if he’s in the sling or on my hip. And of course, that’s the best place for a baby to be!

I first heard about babies who don’t use diapers from my friend Esther who said her sisters were doing it with their babies.  ”How silly!”  I thought.  ”Don’t they know it’s way more work to get peed on all the time?”

My baby Noah is almost 3 months old.  A couple of months ago, due to the summer heat, he started developing heat rash under his cloth diapers.  First I switched to paper, then back again, using different oinments, trying to solve the problem.  Finally I settled on using cloth diapers with no diaper cover.  That way I could always keep him dry by being aware ever time he peed.

One day it dawned on me, “Every time he wakes up, he immediately pees, so why don’t I just save a diaper and try holding him over the toilet?” After his next nap I removed his diaper and held him over the potty in a held-squatting possition.  To my suprise and delight, pee began to spray everywhere.

I was excited.  “This is fun!” I thought.  Next, I tried taking him potty after nursing.  It worked!!!  For the first 2 days I caught 3 pees.  The fourth and fifth day I caught 4.  After that I began catching 9 or 10, plus some poops.

I read somewhere about how some mothers make a hissing sound to cue their baby in that it’s time to pee.  After doing this for about two days I noticed that Noah was definitely responding to the cue, relaxing his pelvic muscles and peeing when I made the sound.

Since I started I’ve gotten better at watching and listening to my baby as he communicates with me that he needs to use the potty.  He’ll start to squirm and fuss.  The minute he relieves himself he’s happy again.  I’m enjoying this so much!

I still have him in cloth diapers and I don’t fret if he fills one. But I think I’m ruined for business as usual.   It’s just too much fun to have a baby who pees in the toilet! After all, many women around the world in other cultures do this as a normal way of life, so why shouldn’t I do it?

I’m currently reading “Diaper Free” by Ingrid Bauer.  I’ll have to make another post in a few days to share what I learn.

We women have the amazing opportunity to nurture a little one from conception, then then birth him or her into the world.  For me personally, this process has included suffering.  However, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  I tremendously value how I was able to touch the unseen spiritual realm, and the maturity and growth that I gained through it.

Three weeks ago I gave birth to my second baby, Noah John Hesed.  It was an intense 12 hours of difficult work since he was posterior (just like my first child).  I found myself fighting discouragement during the process.  “Why is this happening again?” I would moan inwardly.  “I worked so hard to avoid a posterior labor!”

Instead of twiddling my thumbs and doing nothing while waiting for this baby to come, I thought I would do something productive, such as……think about my dream home!!!  Right now we live in an apartment.  It’s a good season of our lives where my husband is studying hard to obtain his CISCO certifications while working a full-time job.  But deep inside I can’t wait until we get our own place.  I would love to spend more time outside, live more simply and more sustainably.  A farmhouse would be a perfect place to raise kids and teach them about the important things in life.

Here are a few of my desires for our future home:

• A large kitchen with plenty of counter and storage space
• A large pantry
• A laundry room
• A basement where Hubby can set up all his servers and phones for his office
• A large dining room for having guests
• Lots of rooms for future children and guests
• Some forest area outside to put swings for kids
• Good open outside space for a garden and room for goats, rabbits, and chickens
• I would LOVE a little creek in the back for kids to splash in and go fishing and skating in the wintertime
• An artesian well would be amazing to have!

What does YOUR dream home look like?

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately.  It’s a great way to learn about subjects that interest you when you can find quality bloggers!

I have my list of favorites, and one I really like is Passionate Homemaking.  I like this girl’s heart and appreciate all the helpful information on her site.  Right now she’s running a giveway (something which I’m finding is quite common on these blogs.)  Check it out, and check out her awesome website too!

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/03/celestial-seasonings-wellness-kit-giveaway.html/comment-page-1#comment-22241

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A couple of other blogs I enjoy are:

http://www.keeperofthehome.org

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, and

http://kellythekitchenkop.com/