The following articles and resources dive into the history and science of Elimination Communication, tackle some common myths and misconceptions about EC, and provide general guidance on how EC can fit into your life.  We also provide expert resources, scientific articles, and suggestions for further reading at the bottom of this page.

Articles and Guides

What is Elimination Communication?

Cloth Diapering Information

Benefits of wool diapers

Why EC is so important for cloth diapering parents

5 Reasons to choose cloth diapers over disposable diapers

Myths and Misconceptions

Let's bust 10 myths about EC

Disposable diaper companies are lying to you

Sources and Further Reading

The following is a list of resources on Elimination Communication. These include references cited in Diapers Stink!, recommended books, articles, classes, and other resources.

Books

1. Elimination Communication Babies by Rebecca Larsen
2. The Diaper-Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh
3. Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki
4. Diaper-Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer
5. Infant Potty Training by Laurie Boucke
6. Go Diaper Free by Andrea Olson

Articles and Studies

Bladder and bowel control in infants

1. Infant bladder voiding is not spontaneous and infants are aware of voiding: Bladder function in healthy neonates and its development during infancy, Sillén, 2001
2. Infants who are potty trained early have developed bladder control by 9 months: Development of bladder control in the first year of life in children who are potty trained early, Duong et al., 2009.
3. Infant bladder voiding decreases and bladder capacity increases as the baby ages: Voiding pattern in healthy children 0 to 3 years old: a longitudinal study, Jansson et al., 2000
4. Of babies who begin toilet learning within the first year: 90% display elimination signals, average age of daytime bladder control was 17.4 months, average bowel control was 15 months: Toilet training started during the first year of life: a report on elimination signals, stool toileting refusal and completion age, Rugolotto et al., 2008
5. Infants have sphincter control and can hold their urine during sleep: Some new insights into bladder function in infancy, Yeung et al., 1995
6. Infants can rouse from sleep to urinate: Relationship between brain activity and voiding patterns in healthy preterm neonates, Zhang et al., 2016
7. This study explores different factors accompanying bedwetting: Enuresis and the effective factors--a case-control study, Akis et al., 2002

History and cultural traditions

1. Vietnamese mothers' experiences with potty training procedure for children from birth to 2 years of age, Duong et al., 2013
2. Cultural relativity of toilet training readiness: a perspective from East Africa, deVries et al, 1977
3. Changes in the toilet training of children during the last 60 years: the cause of an increase in lower urinary tract dysfunction?, Bakker et al., 2000
4. This article cites an average age of 18 months prior to disposable diapers and discusses the "readiness" approach promoted by a pediatrician paid spokesman for Pampers. Two Experts do Battle over Potty-Training. Erica Goode, New York Times, 1999.
5. And this article gives insight into insidious marketing practices by Proctor & Gamble: A leader's guide to storytelling with data, Paul Smith, 2018
6. The Evolution of Potty Training, Zachary Crockett, Priceonomics, 2014.

Benefits of early toilet training

1. Toilet training should be initiated prior to 32 months to reduce risk of urge incontinence: Later toilet training is associated with urge incontinence in children, Barone et al., 2009
2. This article compares a group of Swedish children who were not toilet trained until after age 2 with a group of Vietnamese children who started toilet training by 6 months. The Vietnamese children achieved bladder control by 9 months, compared to 36 months for the Swedish children. Urinary bladder control during the first 3 years of life in healthy children in Vietnam--a comparison study with Swedish children, Duong et al., 2013
3. Early potty training is recommended for bladder function: Early potty training advantageous in bladder dysfunction. Decreases the risk of urinary infection, Hellström et al., 2001.
4. Postponing the onset of the training after 18 months increases the risk of bladder control problems. Results of a questionnaire evaluating the effects of different methods of toilet training on achieving bladder control, Bakker et al., 2002
5. Initiating toilet training after 24 months is associated with problems attaining and maintaining bladder control: A prospective study of age at initiation of toilet training and subsequent daytime bladder control in school-age children, Joinson et al., 2009
6. Early initiation of toilet training for urine was associated with early urinary continence and does not appear to be associated with bladder dysfunction, Yang et al., 2011
7. Bowel and bladder function in infant toilet training (BABITT) – protocol for a randomized, two-armed intervention study, Nilsson et al., 2022. This study is ongoing and has not reached any conclusions yet.
8. Average age of toilet-training is almost 3 years when using a "readiness" approach: Sequential acquisition of toilet-training skills: a descriptive study of gender and age differences in normal children, Schum et al., 2002.

Benefits of cloth diapers

1. Disposable diapers can cause bedwetting: Disposable diaper overuse is associated with primary enuresis in children, Li et al., 2020
2. This article showed significant environmental benefits for using cloth diapers. Life Cycle Analysis of Nappies/Absorbent Hygiene Products 2021/23 - EV0493 sd, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK), 2023 (this summary explains the significant environmental benefits of cloth diapers found in this study)
3. Why studies comparing cloth and disposable diapers in the 1990's were biased and flawed: Go Green with Cloth Diapers, Green America.
4. Cloth diapers do not increase the risk of diaper rash. Cloth versus disposable diapers: an exploratory study on family habits, Uber et al., 2024.
5. This 2017 survey shows that 21% of parents have used cloth diapers: Baby Care in the US in 2017, compared to 9% in 2010: Harris Interactive Survey

Classes

The Potty School

Oh Crap! Potty Training courses

Have a resource that's not included here? Please contact us here and we will add it!