Let's Build Your Elimination Communication Baby Registry!

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Good news!  You don't need a ton of "stuff" to do Elimination Communication.  But, your potty, diaper, and clothing choices can make a difference in how easy it is to navigate EC on a day-to-day basis.  If you're a new or expectant parent and want to build your diaper registry with EC in mind, read on for my top suggested potties, diapers, clothing, and other gear.

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Best Potties & Toilet Seat Reducers

All potties and toilet seat reducers recommended in this section can be found in my list HERE, except the Bimbibums lap potty HERE and the IKEA potty HERE.

Option 1: The toilet

The benefit of the toilet is that you can just flush and be done--no cleaning necessary! If your child cannot sit unassisted yet, you can sit backwards on the toilet with your child or sit on a chair or exercise ball beside the toilet (click here to learn more).

Once your baby can sit unassisted, you'll need to invest in a toilet seat reducer. My top favorite seats are the following:

The Baby Throne is the only toilet seat reducer that positions baby in the ideal squat for eliminating. It also doubles as a potty!

The Baby Bjorn Smart Seat Reducer is a sturdy and compact option that is easy to clean, has a good splash guard, and fits almost all toilets.

Don't want to have to constantly remove the seat reducer? Get one that's permanently attached to your toilet instead!

Option 2: Lap potties

Lap potties are designed for babies that cannot sit unassisted yet. You set the lap potty between your thighs with the opening facing up and then hold baby over it to go potty. These are useful for the newborn period so that you can potty the baby from the comfort of your couch or bed, but they are not essential for EC. In a pinch, you can use a bowl or Tupperware instead!

My top favorite lap potties include:

The Top Hat potty is widely available in the USA, but parents complain that the opening is small and there is no splash guard.

The Potty Plane boasts an excellent splash guard and wide, stable wings for your lap. Based in Australia, they do ship to the US.

Don't want to buy anything special? A floor potty with a removable insert, like Baby Bjorn, doubles as a lap potty!

Option 3: Floor Potties

The benefit of floor potties is that they help baby get into a deeper squat, are portable, and a baby can learn to climb on and off independently much easier and safer than the big toilet. I personally recommend investing in both a sturdy floor potty (for portability and independence) and a toilet seat reducer (because we do eventually want the child using the real toilet!).

Most potties are designed for toddlers aged 3-4 (that’s the average potty-training age, after all), and will be much too large for your baby. The following three potties are the exception--they are short enough for a baby or young toddler and all three are consistently available:

The Tiny Potty is the companion potty for the Top Hat Potty. It is the shortest of these three potties.

The IKEA potty boasts one of the best splash guards for boys and is designed to pour out easily for quick cleaning.

Baby Bjorn (my personal favorite) is short and sturdy and the removable insert doubles as a lap potty!

Option 4: Travel Potties

Most parents keep a potty in the car for outings. You can also find foldable potties and toilet seats that can be carried in a backpack or the basket of your stroller for on-the-go pottying:

Foldable Toilet Seat Reducers fold down small enough to fit into your bag and can help make public toilets less scary.

The Potette Plus Fold-Up Potty has a reusable, collapsible silicone insert.

The Collapsible Travel Throne collapses completely flat and comes with bags for lining.

Other Options

Some parents find sitting backwards on the toilet to be uncomfortable. Prior to starting solid foods, you can use the sink instead! Exclulsively milk-fed baby poop is water soluble (liquid) and can be safely rinsed down the sink. Your baby can also entertain herself by watching herself in the mirror.

Moms of toddler boys may consider teaching their son to stand and pee using a baby urinal! These are great options if your son consistently pees over the splash guard while sitting but is not tall enough to stand at the toilet yet.

Best Diaper Backups for EC

Most EC parents don't try to catch every pee and poop in the potty at first and use a diaper as a "backup" until at least 12-18 months. Yet western diapers were not designed with EC in mind: Disposable diapers are especially problematic due to their ultra-absorbent stay-dry qualities. Disposable diaper companies also aggressively encourage parents to wait as long as possible to potty train.

On the other hand, cloth diapers feel wetter to the baby. When baby is uncomfortable, she maintains awareness of her bodily functions and her instinct to keep clean. And because cloth diapers need to be laundered, parents also have more motivation to quit using them.

Unfortunately, most cloth diapers aren’t great for EC, either. Many types of cloth diapers have multiple layers (diaper plus diaper cover) that need to be folded, pinned, or snapped in place. On top of that, baby will probably wear a onesie and pants. That’s a LOT of layers to have to remove and replace every time your baby needs to go potty!

Things get even worse when your baby learns to roll over and becomes a ninja-rolling escape artist. Every diaper change quickly becomes a massive battle to get your child to lie still. Imagine baby trying to roll, crawl, or run away while you’re struggling with those snaps, pants, and onesie! Not fun. 

I started EC while using regular cloth diapers on my first baby, and quickly learned that all of my diapers were a huge pain for EC. That was what inspired me to design the very first Flappy-Nappies®, which are drop-flap diapers with a two-part design. The separate waist belt goes on your baby first, then you snap the diaper to the belt.

The belted design allows the Flappy-Nappies® to pop open easily from the front or back like a flap to go potty. This also helps with diaper change battles because they can be changed while your baby stands, crawls, or one-handed with your baby in your arms. No changing pad needed!

Types of Flappy-Nappies

The following are descriptions of the three types of available Flappy-Nappies®, but you might also like to see the Product Comparison Chart HERE, which includes video demonstrations of each type of diaper.

Pockets (one-part diapers)

Flappy-Nappies® pocket diapers (click here to shop) are the easiest diapers on the market to use and change.  Unlike other brands, our pockets are lined with a cotton training pad.  This means that they can be used by themselves as training pants (ideal for EC or potty-training).  If you need more absorbency, simply insert a soaker pad into the pocket.

Changing a Flappy-Nappies® pocket diaper is ridiculously easy.  Just pop the used diaper off the belt and replace it with a fresh one.  Your baby can stand or sit on all fours, or you can scoop your kid up with one hand and change the diaper with the other.  As long as the belt isn’t soiled with poop, you can re-use it all day.  Toss the used diaper straight in the hamper—just be sure to remove any extra pads before washing.

All-in-Twos (two-part diapers)

Flappy-Nappies® PUL all-in-twos (click here to shop) consist of a waterproof diaper cover and snap-in pads.  The cover can be re-worn between changes as long as it is not soiled with poop—simply swap out the wet pad for a fresh one.

Unlike other types of two-part diapers, Flappy-Nappies® all-in-twos require ZERO folding or pinning.  Since the pad snaps straight into the cover, the whole diaper can pop open quickly for standing diaper changes or potty trips. 

Wool

Flappy-Nappies® wool diaper covers (click here to shop) work just like the PUL all-in-two system.  They are belted and have separate snap-in pads.  The only main difference is that the cover itself is made of wool instead of PUL.

Wool is a natural and eco-friendly material.  It is soft and breathable, antimicrobial, ventilating in summer, and insulating in winter.  Although it does require special care, once you get the hang of it, washing your wool is a breeze.  Read more about washing instructions here and benefits of wool here.

Other Clothing Suggestions

EC is easiest with clothes that are easy to manipulate!  The following are some great suggestions.  You can shop Chappy-Nappies HERE and all other clothing suggested in this section HERE.

Chappy-Nappies

Chappy-Nappies are crotchless pants that can be paired with Flappy-Nappies® brand cloth diapers.  Snap the diaper to the waist of the pants instead of the belt, and enjoy easy drop-flap pottytunities and standing diaper changes year round!  You can also use them without the diaper for warm legs during diaper free time.

Shirts, Gowns, and Kimonos

Onesies and bodysuits that have lots of snaps, zippers, or footies tend to hinder potty time. Instead, choose gowns (great for newborns) and regular t-shirts, dresses, or kimonos without crotch snaps and pair them with Chappy-Nappies.

Do I need tiny underwear or training pants?

Underwear and training pants offer little to no protection against misses and are awkward to remove from babies that can't manipulate their own clothes yet. Until you feel ready to ditch diapers completely (usually at least 12-18 months) a diaper backup that opens easily like Flappy-Nappies® will be ideal.

By the time you're ready to ditch the diapers, normal 2T undies will likely fit, but you can find smaller sizes of underwear by heading to my suggested list HERE.

What about nighttime diapers?

It might surprise you to know that the best, most leak-proof diapering option available is NOT a disposable diaper. It’s wool!

Why wool outperforms other nighttime choices

All diapers have two basic parts: A waterproof outer layer to keep both liquid and solid waste contained and an inner absorbent layer to soak the liquids up. The outside of disposable diapers is made of a plastic topsheet and the absorbent part is made of superabsorbent polymer gel.

The absorbent layer of a cloth diaper is usually cotton, bamboo, hemp, or microfiber. Many modern cloth diapers have an outer layer of PUL, a synthetic waterproof fabric, but wool can also be used as the waterproof outer layer.

Unlike plastic or PUL, however, wool has both water-repellant and water-absorbing properties. Wool absorbs about 30% of its weight without feeling wet, giving you a protective boost beyond the cloth diaper underneath. Any “spillover” from your inner cloth layer will get absorbed by the wool. In other words, no leaks!

Caring for wool is easier than you may think

Wool has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it’s even easier than using regular cloth diapers. A unique property of wool is its resistance to odor and bacteria. The lanolin breaks urine down into mineral salts and water, which then evaporates quickly as the wool dries. This makes your wool very hygienic! In fact, it can be hung to dry in the morning without washing for up to four weeks unless it is soiled with poop. In that case, spot clean with a bit of wool wash and hang to dry.

Yes, you read that right. Wool only needs to be washed ONCE a MONTH!

You can click HERE for detailed washing instructions and HERE for more details on the amazing properties of wool.

If you’re doing EC at night, you might consider using the wool Flappy-Nappies® diaper cover with snap-in pads discussed above. If you’re not doing any nighttime pottying, wool shorties, such as the Disana Merino Wool Diaper Cover, paired with a fitted diaper such as Esembly brand may be a better choice (pictured below). When properly lanolized, this is the most leak-proof option I have ever tried (including disposables!). 

You can shop Flappy-Nappies® wool diapers HERE. All other wool covers & inners recommended above, plus recommended lanolin, wool wash, and other wool accessories are listed HERE.

Putting it all together

You don't need much stuff to do EC! But planning your clothing, diapering, and potty choices with EC in mind can set your EC journey up for success. You can use the following printable registry checklist to make sure you have everything you need for your baby!

Have suggestions for our checklist that we didn't think of? Let us know in the comments!