Tribal Baby
Nappy Free Baby

The THRILL of the FIRST CATCH! 
Starting Elimination Communication

Those first catches are so exciting! Notice how people start in many different ways at a variety of ages. 

Notice how everyone starts slowly - observing and then experimenting with how to fit some elimination communication into their daily lives. Feel their excitement!!

I'd love your story! You can share your 'first catch' story here by emailing Charndra: tribal.babyATyahoo.com.au (copy and change 'AT' to @) 

Going part time nappy free with tiny Maven - one and a half days old!

Maven was about a day and a half old. I woke up in the hospital and it was a quiet morning. He was sleeping beside me in our bed, a beautiful peaceful face. I knew first thing in the morning was a PRIME TIME for a wee, so heart racing, I waited for him to rouse, no
doubt thinking random baby-brain thoughts I can't recall! In another first which I wouldn't actually recognise for some time, just me waking triggers him to rouse - is it a change in my breathing, him sensing the mental activity, some pheromonal trigger?? whichever it was, he began wriggling and opened his dark eyes to see me.

I unwrapped him and removed his nappy - a paper nappy which seemed to be dry. I got up, and making sure the curtains were drawn and no- one was coming(!!), I held him gingerly over the sink in the 'squat' position, ever so carefully supporting him against my body; he seemed so ungainly. I whispered 'sss sss' near his ear and waited, wondering...

HE WEED! It went all over the sink, even on the nappy sitting on the edge. I WAS THRILLED. I was smiling like a loon, I'd 'caught' my first wee! I couldn't wait for my hubby to arrive to tell him about it. I rinsed the sink and binned the nappy - it was now wet... 

Meanwhile, Maven was relaxed as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and we went back to our bed, put an a dry nappy and had a breastfeed.

Charndra in Australia

Brandy starts at 4 weeks with the cue sound, potty arrives at 9 weeks and they are ON!

I found out about EC over the internet from a fellow baby wearing friend. I started to research it, I believe she gave me the link to your site. My baby was about 4 weeks old then. I read all the pages on your site about EC and my husband and I started making PSST noises whenever I caught our girl going potty on the changing table. I will admit shortly after that I tried her on the toilet twice and she didn't go. 

So then about 3 weeks passed of making the sound. This week my little Bjorn Potty came in the mail and I unpacked it and put it by her changing table. Well, what do you know but the first first time I tried using it she went! I think she likes to face me when I cue her, which doesn't really work on the toilet and the sink, the little potty makes it a lot cleaner an experience. 

So I place the potty on the changing table and hold her above it and smile and say PSST and now have gotten her to go on average 3 times per day from when we got the potty! I watch for her to get fussy or when her "talking" gets a little louder or the particular noises she makes change. So we caught her first wee at 9 weeks. I had gotten her to wee on the changing table without a diaper prior to the potty arriving but I can't remember how soon after introducing the cue word.

It works like magic, I think it's so wonderful how they just have a natural inclination to wee without the diaper on and with the cue word. Sure makes me feel like I have a brilliant baby! I'm definitely a party time EC'er. She's in disposables all day and I haven't even tried the 'naked baby time' yet. 

I'm so happy I can save some diapers which I like to think helps the environment even if just a tiny bit! It really is shocking how little effort it takes, and now when changing her I don't get peed on! (or her outfits or socks) 

Even better now when I we are playing and she starts to fuss, I know WHY she's fussing! It takes the "mystery" out of a "fussy" baby! I wish EC was more common place! Thanks for your site, it opened an entire new world for us!
- Brandy from Georgia, USA

Laurie's Story of beginning infant potty training..

When our third son was 3 months old, we were desperate to find a way to eliminate diapers sooner than we had with our first two. A family from India happened to visit us at that time and I asked the lady if she could teach me the toilet training method used with infants in India. (I had heard about it but was skeptical.) She held my son in-arms with confidence, made a "sssss" sound and he immediately peed for her. I was spellbound watching her communicate with my tiny 3-month-old son, who somehow instinctively knew what she wanted him to do. A while later, she had me hold him and make the same "sssss" sound. I was apprehensive, didn't think anything would happen and then -- magically -- he peed for me! I could hardly believe it, but there was no denying it. Seeing is believing. Soon my husband joined in; he too was thrilled that our infant son was so responsive. 
Laurie Boucke www.TimL.com/ipt

Nelly, Nelly, Nine Days Old

I had heard about EC before I was pregnant and did a lot of reading about it. I didn't tell anyone except my husband because I was afraid everyone else would think me crazy.

From birth, I watched and listened to Nelly, trying to figure out her signals and cues. My husband and I had decided to "take it easy" and get in the swing of having a baby before we tried EC. One night, my husband took off Nelly's diaper, and she peed. "Nelly just peed," my husband said. "Then say 'sss sss' I told him." He did. Another time, I was nursing, and I thought she needed to go, so I simply held her in the classic position (didn't take the diaper off) and made the cueing noise. She went.

When Nelly was nine days old, I thought I would try holding her over a bowl. It was right after she woke up. I took off her diaper, held her over the bowl and made the cue noise. A little fountain of pee trickled into the bowl! I was so excited! "You peed! You peed!" I said to her. She looked at me like, "Of course I peed, don't you?"

What was especially exciting is that the next day, we both had a chiropractor's appointment. We were in the waiting room and Nelly started squirming. "Might she need to go?" I wondered. I took her to the bathroom. Nelly eliminated right there on the "big potty." Since I was trying to hurry and get her to the potty, I'd forgotten to shut the door to the bathroom, so the entire waiting room heard me say, "Good girl! You went potty!! Good girl!!!" As I emerged from the bathroom, I got some funny looks, since I was holding a 10 day old, not a 3 year old like might be expected. I also had some questions with genuine interest in EC.

Well, now everyone knows we practice EC. My friends still think I'm crazy, but I know it works for us, and hopefully they will come around someday, too! 
Janey Jefferson

Shell's story starting elimination communication with Tommy

I had planned to EC from birth…had an awesome homebirth, then the midwife put Tommy in a nappy and I didn’t object- I as just too tired, and he screamed a lot.

Then, I really couldn’t get my head around "no nappies" at all…so I made the cueing noise each time I saw him go, and that was it.

At 15 days, I thought I would "try it out" (on a bit of a whim really, not actually expecting anything)…I held him over the sink against me, said the noise, and he peed instantly…I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t have anyone to tell (since hubby was very anti-EC, *then*), except my two older children, and we all smiled and laughed at our "clever little baby". 
Shell and Tommy

Katherine - the smartest baby in the world!  

I had read a little about EC before Katherine was born, but didn't think it was for me. For some reason, while researching other things one evening while my ten-week and five-day old baby girl slept, I decided to look up that crazy early toilet training thing. I read, and recognized some of the types of fussiness I hadn't been able to pinpoint so far, identified with people talking about their baby popping on and off the breast when they wet, and so on. I followed the links from one site to another....tribalbaby.org really resonated with me...its writer seemed an intelligent, sensible type who claimed that her connection with her son was much improved by practicing this, and who offered a lot of nice clear insights into patterns and communications. I figured I'd try it first thing in the morning and see what happened.

Kat woke me up around dawn as usual. I scurried into the bathroom and removed her wet diaper, holding her in my best approximation of classic position over the toilet. I filled her in on what we were going to try, made the "ssss" sound, and....would you believe that?? Pee, the very first time we tried! She was only half awake still, but I had adrenaline coursing through my body that almost matched the state I was in when I looked down between my legs to see a solemn little face looking up at me. I had the smartest baby in the world, to understand this when all I'd done was suggest that she might prefer to put her pee somewhere other than the diaper!

Ruan's first wee!

I vaguely remembered reading about "prime times" for wees as well, I can't remember whether it was after a feed or a nap that I caught the first one.  It involved crouching over the roman bath with Ruan cradled on my arms in a seemingly precarious fashion.  I was aiming her at the potty (at 3-4 weeks old she still felt way too tiny to be sitting up on her own, plus her head was oversize) and when she unloaded, some of it went into the potty, the rest ended up in the bath or on the wall.

 I think I looked a combination of thoroughly amused and quite smug. 
Ruan's proud Mum

Well Done Dad!

My first catch is not so much mine as it is Hubby's. Baby was born in the hospital by C-section at 23.30. I was out more or less all night, occasionally waking to feed my baby, but not thinking about diaper changes and what not. Next morning hubby takes him to the changing table. He has never changed a diaper before. He take off the diaper (Cloth Diaper - the first diaper in DK is always cloth, no cover - don't know why) and the meconium starts running out of baby. Hubby stands there trying to wipe it off but more just keeps on coming. "Arch, oh!, Is it supposed to be this sticky? why's it black? You said it
wouldn't smell!" (that's hubby ). "Well take him to the sink and let him finish!" I said. Hubby took him to the sink, said "psssss, pssss, psss" and baby peed, hit the mirror and the pee hit hubby right in the face. Hubby had no clean clothes, and pee in his face meconium on his shoes...Well he was going home for clean clothes for me later that day anyway, so better sooner than later. We had a lot of moments like that the first couple of weeks, until we learned to control the arch and read the poops (whether or not to move him from an open diaper to a sink/toilet or to just hold him there).
Trisse

Jess the superstar - Nappy free the first day!!

I made the first catch after talking with Charndra on the phone. I was feeling al inspired and thought, why not give it a go! I put Jessie on the potty and whamp! She weed! I could hardly believe it! I was so thrilled, I phoned Charndra back and told her. I also called my husband at work and another friend. I later told my mum. They (apart from Charndra) all thought I was a bit nuts, I think. That day was the most wonderful start to EC because I caught every poo and wee that day. Our first day was nappy free!  That did it, I was hooked! The thing that really struck me was how much more happy and settled Jess was. I realised that all along she had been trying to tell me through crying that she needed to poo or wee. Thank goodness, or should I say, thank Charndra, this was figured out! She is so much happier now that she is an EC bubba, and hubby and I are also happy.

Mel in Canberra

Gemma the EC Genius

Gemma was about 2.5 months old.  I had read about EC while pregnant with Gem and was very keen.  DH was not so sure.  One day while Gem was having nappy-free time on the mat I decided to give EC a go.  So I looked for kicking legs and general discomfort.  When I saw the 'signs' I put Gem on the potty and said "do your wees" and she did.  It was GREAT!!  

We even have a photo of the first wee we caught (Euan was so proud, it was his job to pour it in the loo). 

We've been doing part time EC (day time only) with Gem ever since and we probably catch 70% of her wees.  She is now 4 months old. 

Mandy in Australia

Anise - starting elimination communication at 10 days old!

The first catch was a poo when Anise was 10 days old.  I'd been learning Anise's wee and poo signals but didn't actually try to catch anything whilst her placenta was still attached as it was a bit awkward... but that morning she was giving me poo signals and I held her over the bucket and she pooed!!!

Later I got some more "poo" signals but each time she just let out a gigantic burp and no poo. So I'm still trying to work it all out... but one success there is very satisfying!

It's so exciting that I'm catching on though - feels like such an achievement to get the right moment. I do remember the feeling of excitement that I was catching stuff around that time.

Lis in Australia

Fiona's First Time with EC.

Husband and I had discussed and did a little reading about EC long before our daughter arrived but were laughed at when we brought it up to our families. So, instead we opted for cloth diapers (where again everyone snickered at us.) I started reading a little about it again and found a little discussion group that encouraged me to start now, even though my daughter was already 5 months old. 

I was so excited to get started that I took off her diaper straight away and went into the bathroom. We were lucky from the start. She went potty right in the toilet! We were even lucky to score the rest of the day along with a poo=)) 

I felt so happy and in sync with my girl. She was quite happy with herself. Daddy has had a pottytunity and couldn't believe it. Theres no going back. 

Ayumi & Keith, San Antonio Mommy and Daddy to Darling Fi, 5 months

Carlyle starts practicing elimination communication with her 3 month old daughter

I don't remember my first catch very well except that my 3 month old 
daughter turned around as I was cueing her and looked at me with an 
expression that seemed to say "Finally you're catching on!" right before she peed. I do remember that after I had been trying EC for a day or so, my husband came home for lunch. He was holding our daughter and midway through the meal I thought for some reason that she had to go. So I suggested that he give it a try. Sure enough, she peed right away as soon as he cued her! 
The look on my husband's face was just classic--"How did you KNOW???" he 
said. Very very funny for me (if only we were that good every time!). He went from "sceptical but willing" to "completely sold" in the space of that one pee. Very cool.
Our daughter is 6 months old now, and we are really happy that we've been able to do things the EC way--we are all much happier! Our latest success was a cross country airplane trip with no misses. Very satisfying!
Carlyle
Nevada City, CA, USA