My sister is successfully using elimination communication on her 5 month son. I mentioned this to my husband tonight as a possible method to use with our daughter. He was pretty clear that he wasn't interested in even finding out. I tried to tell him why I thought it was a good idea and when I asked him why he was set against it he said "I just am"
I haaate answers like this. So I pushed him a bit and he finally said "It's not the way things are done" and I said yeah for a long time people didn't have toilets in their house because it wasn't done that way but now we have indoor plumbing. This type of rhetoric did NOT work.
I think he has a problem with appearing like a hippie or too "green". I'm just interested in saving some $. Saving a couple of hundred pampers in landfills is a major plus.
Should I try to convince him or just let it go? I don't even want to attempt the Diaper Free method without his support.
Re: Diaper Free
I have considered cloth diapers especially because my sister is using them and has tons of supplies that's she's more than willing to share but again my husband is using the same logic...I think he feels uncomfortable being what he considers "unconventional"
I think I'm going to take all the advice here and read some books to be more informed so that I can convince him I really want to do it! Especially since I'm a SAHM and have the time.
I don't know your plans for after baby arrives, but I honestly didn't really worry too much about what DH thought of cloth diapers etc. I stay at home with DD. When I was home with her we did what I wanted to do for diapers. It was usually cloth unless I was sick or overstressed. No skin off DH's nose. He wasn't even around to be bothered by it.
I was also in charge of potty training. Not because he wasn't willing to help, but because it was easier for one person to do it and be consistent. We did a 3 day potty training after CDing for 2 years and it worked great. We used disposables sometimes and whenever DH was caring for her and didn't feel like using cloth. Although he really did warm up to cloth pretty quickly.
I have a friend who works on EC during the day at home with her LO and doesn't really stress about it when he comes home. Now that he's seen how she hasn't had to change a poopy diaper for months he's pretty darn impressed. However, he has no idea what LO's cues are really so he doesn't have the privilege of skipping poopy diapers. LOL
If you'll be a SAHM you have a LOT of freedom to try things out during the day. Unless DH forbids you to even try your own hand at it for some ridiculous reason, I wouldn't stress it. Just go with what feels right.
We EC and use cloth.
DH was actually the one who really wanted to EC and we both wanted to use cloth. He took the lead with EC - we started at about 6 weeks and just offered her the potty at every wake up, after nursing, and whenever we did a diaper change. She took to it really well, but is not "potty trained" yet.
That being said, when we are at home she doesn't wear a diaper and I can count the times she has pooped in a diaper in the last year on my hands. pretty darn cool.
She is getting close to being done with diapers, but we are mostly initiating all the pee's on the potty. As long as we remember to put her on the potty every hour or so she is great.
We were pretty casual about it though, and never forced her to go on the potty if she doesn't want to. She does go through potty strikes.
So I guess what I'm saying is - EC doesn't always mean you won't ever use diapers. I guess it could, but I couldn't see how that would work in our household and she has always had a stay at home parent.
Cloth is really the way to go. This is the route we're taking. Since you mentioned you are a stay at home mom, I'm not sure why he has a lot of say. Even being your hubby, he should realize that you are with the kids the most & it really should be your choice what you choose to change (or not change, for that matter) their butts with.
Elonah [3], Bentley [1]