Mari and I practice elimination communication (EC), which might be briefly described as infant potty training, though really it's not as much about "training" as it is about my trying to be aware of when she needs to pee or poo and giving her the opportunity to do so in the potty instead of expecting her to sit in a dirty diaper for ages. (A better explanation can be found at www.diaperfreebaby.org)Mari is only actually diaper-free for certain periods during the day, when we're home, I'm not going to be very distracted (such as when I'm making dinner) and she's not breastfeeding or sleeping. We don't EC at night; never have. However, I still consider that we EC pretty much full-time.
Lately, though, I've been wondering if EC-ing should take a back seat (no pun intended) when I'm trying to get Mari down to sleep or for her naps. One of the fairly reliable times when she's likely to pee or poo is right after a feed (occasionally during, which is why I always diaper her before I nurse her). At the moment, pottying is incorporated into our naptime and bedtime routines for right after she nurses from the first boob.
However, sometimes pottying can take significant time, especially when I'm sure she has to go but she's taking her sweet time about it. By the time she's clean and has her clothes back on, the potty trip can take up to 10 or even 15 minutes, eating into her sleeping time. Also, if I take her to the potty when she's drowsy, it tends to wake her up.
On the other hand, if I try to put her to sleep without having gone to the potty, she often wakes up quickly because she has to pee or poo -- she never seems to go without waking up at least a little. So I'm constantly torn between taking her to the potty and emphasizing sleep. Any input would be appreciated.
Today: Things went a little better in terms of keeping more or less to the schedule and getting a decent amount of total naptime, though I ended up having to hold her for a significant part of her last nap, because she kept waking up still tired. Today is logging day, so I'll post results tomorrow.
I read some of the website, so I think I have a better understanding of what you're doing. However, potty training really makes me very anxious, and I feel like I know little to nothing about it (even though I'm theoretically in the middle of it with the older kid)! That being said, I have heard that it's smart to delay potty training when there's a big transition or other big change in the child's life -- new sibling, new school, etc. He needs to adjust to one before he can work on the other (this is also the case when there's a big developmental spurt in one area, like language, but the other areas, like gross motor, are slower -- kids often 'concentrate' on one new set of skills at a time, and the others don't get as much attention for a while). This makes me think that perhaps Mari's concentration is divided: she's trying to work out her body's responses to sleep cues and potty cues, and it makes her restless.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe helping her concentrate on sleep right now would be best, because that seems to be the skill that's causing you the most stress. From what I read on the website, I understand EC is supposed to be a fun bonding activity, so perhaps for now that could be something she associates more with her awake/play time with you. Totally an amateur opinion. :) Hope the sleep is getting better for you!