Mar 16, 2023

What is Elimination Communication?

Did you know that you can start potty-training your baby as young as birth? This is what parents have been doing for thousands of years! Sometimes called baby potty-training, Elimination Communication (EC) is the process of learning and responding to your infant’s cues that he or she needs to pee or poop.

How to hold a newborn over a potty

Newborns have instincts to not soil themselves, which is why new parents often find that their little one waits until the diaper has been removed to go pee or poop. If you hold a diaperless newborn over a potty in a squat and say "pss pss", the baby will instinctively pee or poop. How cool is that?

You can also hold a newborn over the toilet for easy cleanup!

When a baby is diapered 24/7, the baby learns that the diaper is the appropriate place to use the bathroom. This habit must later be un-learned during potty-training, a process which is often delayed until age 3 or 4 in Western society.

EC parents, on the other hand, take advantage of the baby’s instincts and offer the potty at key moments such as diaper changes, after feeding, and upon waking. In time, the parents learn their child’s timing and cues and the child learns that the potty is the appropriate place to eliminate. EC children are typically diaper-free at a much younger age than children who are diapered full-time.

Although it may seem like a lot of work, EC can be practiced successfully on a part-time basis. Many parents focus mainly on catching poop and “easy” pees, like when the baby wakes up from a nap. The rest of the time, the parents use an EC-friendly diaper backup, like Flappy-Nappies^® and Chappy-Nappies, to keep any missed pee or poop nicely contained. This stress-free strategy has many benefits over full-time diapering, such as fewer diaper blowouts, less diaper rash, and simpler cloth diaper laundry.

Getting Started is Easy!

Intrigued by EC but not sure where to start? We make it easy for you. Click here to start your EC journey TODAY!

Elimination Communication Resources

New to EC? Get off to a great start with these amazing resources:

Flappy-Nappies^®

Gear up for EC with Flappy-Nappies^®patent-pending drop-flap diapers and Chappy-Nappy pants! And then get some help with EC on our Facebook group and blog. Don't forget to give us a follow on Instagram and Facebook so that you stay up-to-date on the latest product launches and EC tips!

Elimination Communication Babies
- Written by Rebecca Larsen of New Zealand, the Elimination Communication Babies book takes you through the ages and stages of EC from birth through toilet independence. Also check out her blog and join a supportive community of EC parents on her Facebook group.
The Potty School

The Potty School has an incredible amount of information on Elimination Communication, toddler potty-training, and potty-training children with special needs. Get instant help in their Elimination Communication Facebook group, which has one of the largest memberships on the platform. Need expert help with potty training? Sign up for their Diapers to Flush potty training course for exclusive access to expert-created content.

EC Peesy
- Let Heidi Avelino walk you through the ins and outs of EC, cloth diapering, and wool care with the wealth of knowledge available on her website. To stay up to date on recommendations for great products that facilitate EC, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Diaper Free Baby
- Christine Gross-Loh’s The Diaper Free Baby walks you through the ages and stages of EC while giving the reader permission to do as much or as little EC as needed. This book is full of helpful testimonials from real parents!
Oh Crap! Potty Training
- Is your baby approaching the golden age of 20-30 months for potty training? Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki is considered by many EC parents to be the gold standard for wrapping up EC or completing traditional potty training. If you’re just hearing about EC but your little one is over a year old, Oh Crap! might be the best place to begin.
Go Diaper Free
- Andrea Olson has many resources available to EC parents including a book, podcast, blog, and courses on EC. Her Instagram is definitely worth following!