12 month update

• Age of your EC-child one year old on the first of March 2006
• We started at... birth
• Generally speaking we are doing... great!

In-arms – 100%

At night – 100%

Carseat – 100%

Out & about – 85-100% (depending on whether in-arms or independent on floor)

On the floor – 85% (0-4 puddles per day)

• How do you know your baby has to go?

In-arms – chi-pee warmth on hip, squirming madly to get onto floor, grizzling, becoming hot & sweaty even! Swinging legs in Ergo, or sling, straining with limbs/body in sling.

At night – ragged breathing, wiggling, knees brought up & twitching feet/legs.

Out & about – as in-arms, on floor – mostly timing, facial expressions, hand movement observation.

Carseat – he cries out when in the car seat, will signal by sign occasionally (hard to see of course!)

On the floor – he’ll approach & grizzle at me or call out about twice each day. He’ll swing his arm near or grab at his twig & giggle berries, or even sign occasionally now (SO exciting), usually he’ll sit up really straight, too.

• Is there a difference for poos & pees? 

Poops are very regularly early morning again. I worked with him to achieve this again by lots of probiotics & early morning extra long nursing (ie as he was sleeping) so he was ready to go on waking! He’ll be flipping a lot in the bed when ‘brewing a poop’, have some toots. Often he’ll be a bit ‘resisty’ to get going, & I gently ‘bicycle’ his legs –only a tiny bit – & this helps him over the hump, & he’s good to go. He leans back heavily as I crunch my belly muscles to encourage him, & echo the sounds he makes, kissing his head, telling him he’s doing a great job. Also, massaging his belly clockwise gently these early mornings, & also the lower-back spine massage someone suggested (? thanks!) is helpful, too.

• Which positions/receptacles do you use? 

In-arms over sink in bathroom, kitchen for variety, bathtub, lately into toilet as I sit on the edge of the tub, feeling good about him enjoying that.

• Do you use diapers or training pants? 

Mainly nakeybutt (I find it WAY easier!), I have him in knickers (cotton undies) sometimes, too.

• How are you doing away from home? 

He wears knickers if going in the Ergo or sling, sometimes nakeybutt (depending on where I’ll be able to pee him), Onewets if he is going to have independent time. I’ve noticed he often doesn’t want to go in restrooms that are small (big parent rooms are OK). Taking him outside to a flowerbed helps him relax and pee, then he’s cool and bouncy again.

• What are you doing at night? 

Naked baby between us, no bed protection anymore (since 8 months) Occasional accident if he skips his 9pm tinkle. A few accidents when moving states. I used a mat for about a week in case.

• Who takes baby to the potty? 

Me, daddy.

• Accidents - how many do you have & what times are especially accident-prone?

0-4 most days atm? We are in a 1-bedroom hotel room this month, so he is always very nearby (as opposed to just nearby!) All accidents occur on the floor – often they are SSP’s – ‘Surprise Standing Pees’. Some are in the morning, some late evening – I’m calling these non-sign/signal misses ‘tumble pees’ as they are pure accident – a tumble in the process for Maven, related to tiredness, busy-ness or excitement. (or me not being aware)

• Other new insights:

His vocal signalling is progressing – perhaps once or twice per day I respond to this. He is becoming clearer in saying whether he needs to go or not – asking with sign language & words helps – he’ll look excited or have unconcern as a reaction if he needs to go. Still, I veto this on occasions I *know* he needs to pee, & employ my various ‘tools’ to help him relax & go.

He’s now calling out in bed sometimes when he needs to pee, and rolling onto his belly and sticking his bum in the air! He’ll also try to get off the bed if he needs to go (at awake times – not at night) Still having the ‘role reversal phenomenon’ where he’ll be wriggly if I need to go to the toilet – even after he has just gone.

• What do you like most about ecing at the moment?

Nights – the naked baby in a dry bed, that we wake in the morning & I grab the bowl & he pees, back on the boob, then I grab the bowl & he does his daily poopsie woopsie & I flush it down the toilet – gone. The natural instinctive communication is just fabulous. I am so glad I kept at it all those early months when I missed pee after pee, but just believed in him & the process.

Travelling light – going out for a walk with baby in knickers on my back, knowing there will be no problems with this. We’ll just have a pit stop here and there at a bush or tree, and no-one will even ‘see’, even if I am in a mall surrounded by the walking masses!

• Do you ever wish you'd have never heard about it?

No. I wish EVERYONE had heard of it so at least they have a choice over culturally ingrained ignorance and culturally reinforced ‘readiness’ crap. I think of those babies trying to communicate & being ignored in the nicest way – by a caring parent who knows not what they are trying to say – it is just not fair that people aren’t given information. ‘Babies cry for no reason’ is also a terrible statement. It becomes an excuse to ignore babies cries. It has very rarely occurred to me – if ever – sometimes I just can’t work it out, but find a way to help anyway! (play, pee or feed) I feel anger towards nappy commercialism & the effect that it has on babies & the earth, & people’s budgets – nappies are not cheap in any way. I know some say EC ‘keeps women down’ – I think it is the opposite – we concentrate on the baby in its early months, then our lives are made easier by not having the drudgery of nappies – even with a number of puddles in a day. It is so much easier to give baby a pee break.