EC moms, please come in....

Mamasaurus

I have read conflicting sources for when it's ok to start holding babies over the toilet/potty seat. It ranges from right away to when they get head control to when they can sit up on their own. We are planning to use baby signs also, and I know I can't expect to see any signs for at least 5 months, but I am planning to rely on natural body signs like a "poop grunt" for before that. When did you start EC?

inlovewithB

We started at 6 weeks. It was going great until about 11 weeks. We were catching all poops and most pees within a few days of starting. 

At 11 weeks she started teething, rolling over and had a vaccine so we are going through a regression (which is totally normal)

Have you read "Infant Potty Training" by Lori (can't remember last name)? It talks about starting from day one or says that it works best to start no later than 6 months. 

3003girl

We started around 4-6 weeks. There weren't any signs, we just started taking her when she woke up and every hour or so, plus right after she nursed. We held her at first - you hold their thighs while they face away from you with their back to your chest and hold them over the potty or whatever you are using. Lo was pretty mobile/ active so she was "sitting" on the baby Bjorn - the one with the higher back - with our help around 4 ish months. It worked great and I would probably start much earlier of I could do it again. We were waiting for signs and there really weren't any with our lo that we picked up on. There are so many less diapers with ecing! 

KatieB19

We started around 2 or 3 weeks, holding ds over the toilet.  I would think the sitting up on their own recommendation is for when they are sitting on a baby potty or toilet seat.  For you holding them, yes it gets easier as the baby gets more head control, but that doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't.

We did sounds (cues) and signs from the beginning, although ds didn't start signing back until around 13 months.  I never really caught onto any of ds's signals, I just went by the clock.  Early on, I would take him whenever I changed his diaper.  I actually caught a lot of pees and poops that way.  Now I'm more of a clock watcher/schedule follower (so before/after naps, and about every hour or so).  We had a huge potty pause around 10 months -- it lasted about 3 months or so.  Now we're back on track, he signs that he has to go about 50% of the time (although he'll usually go when I just take him), but we still haven't caught a poop since 10 months.  Boo.

I also highly recommend reading The Diaper Free Baby if you haven't already.  Good luck

Amitchell0626

We started right away. You can hold them over the toilet while supporting their head

pixieprincss

We started cueing at about 3 months. Mostly we cued him to go in his loosened diaper and then would change it right away. When he started sitting, we started holding him up on a potty seat. We caught loads of pees before 6 months but started catching poop only when it transitioned to solid non-breastmilk poo. We peaked at 9-10 months with many, many catches then DS stopped cuing pee (his cue was givinga scream). We continued to catch most poops. At 14 months, he now signs potty to us for pee, poo, and even gas. But, as a walker he is too busy playing to cue before he pees, so we have about half catches and half diapers, but since he still cues us and we can change him right away, that is still on the right track in my book. We catch about 80% of poops these days, down from almost every poop a few months ago.

SandiaPinaMama

We started at 7 weeks.  With a boy, it was hard to aim, so we started over the tub or outside.  He started actually sitting on the potty closer to maybe 5 months.  He was not able to sit unassisted, but he was steady enough in our grasp.  He started cuing us right away; there was a cute little face he'd make when he had go.  HTH!

x0stephanie

I started at 5 months, because it never crossed my mind before then and by that point we were able to go straight to a potty.

KatieB19

I wanted to add that, especially in the beginning with so many diaper changes, you can also just cue into the diaper.  We did that a lot.  

The main point of EC is that your child doesn't lose that innate ability to sense when they are going.  Your cueing is making a connection for them between the sound and the action, to help with communicating that you are both aware of the elimination, and then to communicate to your child when to go -- you'll be surprised at how infrequently you get peed on during diaper changes when your child is aware that you will be cueing them soon.  

So it doesn't really matter *where* you are doing it.  Just that you are

theboki

KatieB19:

I wanted to add that, especially in the beginning with so many diaper changes, you can also just cue into the diaper.  We did that a lot.  

Okay, dumb question coming.  How do you cue the baby?

KatieB19

theboki:

KatieB19:

I wanted to add that, especially in the beginning with so many diaper changes, you can also just cue into the diaper.  We did that a lot.  

Okay, dumb question coming.  How do you cue the baby?

When you first start out with EC, you wait until the baby has already started peeing, and you make a "sssss" sound.  (For poop, I would grunt. Yes, I felt silly at first, but now it doesn't phase me).

That's why it's easier (imo) to begin early because newborns pee allll the time.  After doing this for a while, they baby will associate the sound with them going.  I would open the diaper and make the "sssss" sound to cue DS to pee -- especially if the diaper was dry, because then there'd be better odds of catching a pee.

theboki

KatieB19:

theboki:

KatieB19:

I wanted to add that, especially in the beginning with so many diaper changes, you can also just cue into the diaper.  We did that a lot.  

Okay, dumb question coming.  How do you cue the baby?

When you first start out with EC, you wait until the baby has already started peeing, and you make a "sssss" sound.  (For poop, I would grunt. Yes, I felt silly at first, but now it doesn't phase me).

That's why it's easier (imo) to begin early because newborns pee allll the time.  After doing this for a while, they baby will associate the sound with them going.  I would open the diaper and make the "sssss" sound to cue DS to pee -- especially if the diaper was dry, because then there'd be better odds of catching a pee.

Thanks for the info.  I need to get one of these books.