Until I joined a parenting forum, elimination communication was not something I had ever heard of. Whilst it is not something I think I could do, it does fascinate me, as I had wondered how women in the distant past coped with a baby's elimination needs.
Elimination communication is the choice not to use nappies, either all the time or part of the time. Parents observe their baby for the signs that they want to empty their bowels or their bladder. Babies learn to go on command. To me, in some ways, it sounds natural; no other animal wears nappies or urinates and defecates whenever and wherever they wish. On the other hand, a lot of other mammals are unable to pass urine or have their bowels open independently and rely on their mother to stimulate them. It also reminds me of toilet training my dogs - watching for the cues they make when they want to go out and do their business, or alternatively, me sending them out before bed or whenever I want them to go and telling them to 'go wee wees.'
I'm torn by what I want to do when I become a parent. On the one hand, I think it would be lovely not to have to use nappies. On the other, I would worry about picking up the cues, or what would happen if the baby was looked after by someone else.
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