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Counting catches and misses: What I really think about keeping score

Translations of this post: Italian

Counting catches and misses

Should you keep track of every single catch and miss throughout your day? We're going to talk about that with today's topic: catches and misses.

I recently saw an image on Instagram of a parent who was meticulously keeping track of catches and misses on their phone. Afterwards, I had some strong feelings about that approach! 

Because of my experience ECing five babies (and helping 100,000s of other parents do the same), I think “now” would be a good time to talk about whether this approach is helpful or harmful.

You will learn:

  • When to use an observation log
  • The difference between observing and counting
  • How to avoid unnecessary pressure
  • How to get back to what EC is all about
  • Where to put your focus!

Links and other resources mentioned today:

Download the Transcript

If you can't listen to this episode right now (um, sleeping baby!?)...download and read the transcript here:

Transcript download: The purpose of a diaper

Watch the Video Version

If you want to watch me record today’s podcast episode, you can do that on my youtube version right here:

From one of our readers:

"Count the catches, not the misses"

- Michelle D., from Australia

Michelle says she is no expert, but her older two often come and join her youngest when he's on the potty. See cute picture below:

babies in potties

Thanks for Listening!

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  • Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
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  • Share your thoughts by leaving a note in the comments section below!

Have you ever counted your catch rate? What do you think? Please leave a comment below with your experience!

I look forward to chatting with you in the comments.

xx Andrea

Andrea Olson

About Andrea Olson

I'm Andrea and I spend most of my time with my 6 children (all under 12 yo) and the rest of my time teaching other new parents how to do Elimination Communication with their 0-18 month babies. I love what I do and try to make a difference in one baby or parent's life every single day. (And I love, love, love, mango gelato.)

4 Comments

  1. Avatar Liza on July 2, 2019 at 10:45 am

    Oh boy did I count my misses back when I was doing EC with my first! It made me so stressed out and high-strung, my husband thought I was having a serious problem! Now with my second, I remind myself what EC stands for: Elimination COMMUNICATION. So sometimes there can be MIS-communication and that’s fine – just learn from it!

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on July 14, 2019 at 8:44 pm

      Hi Liza! It will totally make you crazy! I’m glad you have found a more relaxed perspective this go around. xx Andrea

  2. Avatar Amber on July 2, 2019 at 3:33 pm

    Oh boy is this me! My career was in data analytics, so I geek out over data. I have stats on milestones, sleep, food intake and timing, and potty behaviors for both of my kids from 0-12+ months. It is so easy for me to obsess over documenting it, but I am thankful for it. It is great to be able to compare my younger daughter to my son at a comparable age to remind myself what’s normal (within a range, obviously, because no two kids are alike). I have started to realize, though, that once you get past the newborn/starting solids stage the stats aren’t as useful. This podcast was a good reminder to chill and just connect with my kids. I’m going to take that challenge starting tomorrow to let myself be more PRESENT. Great advice, Andrea!

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on July 14, 2019 at 8:45 pm

      Hi Amber! If numbers help you without it adding stress, go for it! Like you said, just work on being more present. xx Andrea

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