Diaper-free Time: Are We Teaching Our Babies to Pee on the Floor?
This post was originally posted on August 12, 2015, and has been fully updated on January 19, 2021 to include an audio (Podcast) version, a video (YouTube) version, and to include some basic updates. Enjoy! xx Andrea
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If you want to watch me record today’s podcast episode, you can do that on my youtube version right here:
A new trend has emerged in the field of Elimination Communication:
Babies are learning to pee on the floor, whenever, wherever.
I've been doing a lot of work with my readers on my private support Forum and have been trying to figure out, for a long while now, why this has been happening.
Why Do Lots of ECed Babies Pee All Over the Floor?
The answer is simply that we teach them that.
Just like we teach them to go in diapers. Or to call us Mama or Papa. Or how to sing a certain song (by modeling it over and over again).
More specifically, once a parent chooses to begin ECing their baby or young toddler, they generally tend to go from one extreme to another...from exclusive dependence upon and use of diapers to --> completely naked all the time. (Not that all parents do this...but some do.)
This allows the baby to pee anywhere, anytime, and doesn't actually teach anything new.
It's kind of like allowing a child to urinate in a diaper for 4 years straight. Allowing her to pee on the floor for 4 years straight is no different, is it?
Some parents love the title of "ECer" and would rather clean up a puddle of pee than change a diaper. I totally get that. But, in the end, it's just as extreme as diapering full-time. (My apologies to those who might disagree.)
NOTE: Even babies in tribal villages are "shooed" out of the hut if they pee on the floor after it is certain that they both know where pee goes and are able to get it there.
So How Do You Prevent Your Baby from Peeing Everywhere, Anytime?
The solution would obviously be to go from exclusive dependence upon diapers to --> using the diaper or another back-up (undies, trainers, or commando-just-in-pants) as a tool. Strategically. Responsibly.
We wear clothing in the Western world.
Having them in clothes or some sort of back-up (while doing EC) teaches them how to work with such things, which they'll have to do for the rest of their lives.
Sure, a college kid will get it, but a 2 year old will get mixed messages if he's just allowed to pee anywhere, anytime, while naked. We wear clothes.
There is, indeed, a way to do EC AND to do regular diaper-free time responsibly...we just need to re-examine what being "diaper-free" means to us.
And, to reverse the peeing on the floor habit? Well, you just turn that ship around. "We don't do that anymore. We wear clothes, and we pee in the potty."
Said out loud or not, it's really that simple.
Remembering What "Diaper-free Baby" Really Means
I think that we really need to define what "diaper-free" means once more:
free from exclusive dependence upon diapers
Note that it doesn't say anywhere that this means "naked all the time."
There is a distinct difference between "diaper-free time" and "naked time."
In fact, using underwear or trainers or just pants qualifies as "diaper-free time." Yay! That's what we want, right?
Yes, it's cute to see that bare bum all the time, but when you're cleaning up yet another puddle of pee off the tile floor, doesn't it somehow feel wrong?
NOTE: If it doesn't, and you don't have this particular problem...awesome. Keep her naked! It's really only an issue if there's pee everywhere AND it bothers you personally.
An excerpt from my book
So, I wanted to go ahead and share an excerpt of my (freshly updated for 2021!) book, Go Diaper Free, that addresses this issue and discusses some of the new perspectives I've taken about "diaper-free time" and how to do it more responsibly.
Version 6.0 of the book has 20 revised pages addressing this idea, questioning our present beliefs about it, and offering solutions of how to "un-train" your baby from peeing on the floor.
By popular demand...here is the excerpt:
Doing Regular Diaper-free Time, Responsibly
I added this section because recent trends show that overdoing naked diaper-free time can actually hinder the EC process, teaching a child to pee on the floor. Read on.
The bottom line
IF your baby signals best while naked, including taking herself to the potty on her own, and you have no peeing-on-the-floor problem, then do naked time as much as you want!
If your baby doesn’t signal while naked, and there is pee everywhere, then you’re better off limiting naked time.
The importance of diaper-free time
Diapers are commonly used as a back-up during the pre-walking months of EC, but it’s also good to incorporate regular diaper-free time into your baby’s routine at this time. We’ll cover why below. A half-hour per day is common, and before bathtime or after a miss or catch is popular. The most important thing here is to do any naked diaper-free time *responsibly*. Here’s how.
Deciding whether to continue offering diaper-free time
Once naked or modified diaper-free observation time has served its purpose – to inform you of your baby’s signals and natural timing, and to inform your baby of what her own elimination feels like, which is what the whole “Part 1, Step 1” was all about – you can decide whether you want to keep doing regular diaper-free time or not, naked or not.
To be clear, “diaper-free time” can be done naked-bottomed or it can simply be time spent without diapers, including regular clothing, undies, cloth trainers. So let’s first decide whether we want to do diaper-free time naked or not.
When naked time becomes counter-productive
When naked, no one needs to signal, now do they?! Naked diaper-free time can become counter-productive if:
- you already know baby’s signals
- you already know baby’s current natural timing
- your baby is already aware of what’s going on down there
- and your baby is peeing freely on whatever surface she’s on, while naked.
If you’ve got all this going for ya, naked observation time may have already served its purpose and begins to be counterproductive. Overdo naked time beyond this, and you could essentially teach him to pee on the floor (depending on how you handle things). When you think about it, letting baby pee wherever, whenever, when naked is not much different than letting baby pee wherever, whenever, in a diaper all the time. Too much naked time without communication or action or boundaries will result in teaching “pee wherever.”
If this is you, it could be time to add in some ‘resistance’ (think: opposite poles of a magnet): clothing. Since soiling his clothing will eventually not feel socially/physically/emotionally cool, wearing clothing can become your new “diaper-free time.” Remember, “diaper-free” means free from exclusive dependence upon diapers. It doesn’t mean having a naked baby or toddler running around peeing all over your floor 24/7.
Once naked observation time becomes unnecessary (and you’ve become more knowledgeable), you’ll want to know how to continue regular diaper-free and/or naked time responsibly. First let’s state the obvious.
How to continue diaper-free time, with Clothing
Pick a time of day and a desired location to do some time with underwear or just pants (commando) as your “back-up.” Cotton training pants (like Tiny Trainers) are also a fine option if your baby doesn’t treat them like a diaper. Increase this non-diaper time over the weeks, and before you know it you will be done with dipes. Now, let’s continue speaking about whether and how to keep doing naked diaper-free time.
Why we should not overdo naked time
First, too much naked time could cause your baby to stop signaling as strongly, or at all, which makes sense. Why signal if I’m already naked?
Next, your baby might learn that peeing on the floor, or on the cloth pad he’s laying on, is okay. Which it’s not, really, right? Right.
Last, we wear clothing in our society, so your baby must also learn how to wear clothing and keep it dry.
Reasons to do more naked time
If you are starting EC with a more mobile baby (5 months+, and especially 12 months+), you may decide to spend some additional time naked to reinforce cause & effect (they experience that pee comes out when they release their bladder). If you just like having a naked baby bum around, no matter the baby’s age, you might want to do more nakey time too.
If you have a baby who doesn’t pee on the floor when naked, go for it, ya’ll! If baby signals better when naked, awesome. Do it. If your older baby takes herself to the potty independently at home only (or mostly) when naked, do it! Also, if you struggle with diaper rash, naked time is one of the only things that helps. So you’d want to do it then, too.
In any case, just see #3, below, to learn how to modify it with an older baby, so you don’t teach her to pee on the floor (again, a common problem faced by some ECers).
How to modify diaper-free time when baby becomes mobile
Okay, so you’ve gathered your info (signals/timing/awareness), cleared up the diaper rash, want to continue having a nudist child, whatever (no judgment!). Your child is becoming more mobile by the day, and her brain is building permanent pathways on how to do stuff.
Letʼs modify naked time to place some building blocks for eventual potty independence into your EC practice....
I'll just leave you hanging there. :)
If you'd like to read the rest of this section in my book, AND the new Troubleshooting Section called: "How Do I Untrain My Baby from Peeing on the Floor?"
...then get my book right away. It's all in there. Version 6.0, baby. I can also help you personally in our group when you buy the book.
Would love to read your thoughts about this ground-breaking news in the EC world: that diaper-free doesn't necessarily mean naked!! Thoughts? Please add 'em to the comments below....
And please share this with others via the fancy new Like buttons. Thanks a million! And here's to less pee everywhere. xx Andrea
Disclosure Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from purchases made through the links on this page.
Thanks! I read your thoughts on this in an email a month (or so?!) back, but this just reinforces it for me. Very helpful. If I’ve already bought your book, do I need to buy Version 2.0 to get the whole scoop?
Hey Heather…glad this is helpful in reinforcing things for ya. You can visit http://ecsimplified.com/update2.0 to get your free update to Version 2.0. Definitely check it out! There’s a page at the beginning that shows exactly what’s new in the updated version. Big hugs! Andrea
Many thanks for discussing this – it is precisely what I needed! Because my son is 20 months old I was sort of doing a combination of EC and the potty-training method used by Jamie Glowacki, and for both we’ve been doing the diaper-free time… and the only signal my son seems to give that he needs to pee is the “pee-pee-wee-wee” and the increased tendency to play in corners/out of the way places. And so I’ve cleaned up a lot of pee and poop off the carpets and only had 2 catches, one of which meant I just literally caught the stream in the insert to his toilet. I think we’re taking a break for now while I try to figure out how best to get the whole idea of pottying in the toilet/potty chair through to him.
The strange part is I have a daycare that is SERIOUSLY into potty training, and they give him regular potty opportunities, but he’s still been hit-or-miss (mostly miss) with that method as well… he just is NOT making the connection….
Hey Lacey! Thanks so much for sharing. My honest opinion about working with a 20 month old is to completely stop doing EC (I know, sacrilege), and to commit to ONLY doing Jamie’s 3-days and then a brief 4 day follow up. In her 3 days she only has ONE naked day. It’s very step-by-step and I think that at your son’s age it’s much more appropriate. Commit to that fully and I think you’ll just be done. And WOW – your daycare’s into it!!!!! That is priceless. :) Good luck! xo Andrea
Thank you Andrea, Libby has been dry most nights…If I am quick to put her on the potty in the morning she will go but lately I been so tired (pregnant again) and she has not been given the opportunity quick enough.
You’re welcome. Yes, it’s so hard to be pregnant and have that completely sleepy feeling with a child to take care of…..feeling for you! Do what you can…and that’s good enough. :) Andrea
Could not have said it better, wonderful job Andrea! I fell into that trap with my first child who is now 2 1/2. I made sure this time I wouldn’t let it happen, and now my daughter who is now 10 months only ever had naked time to teach cuing in the hospital after she was born. I have not had to do naked time since the 2 days I was in the hospital :-)
Oh, Annaliese, thank you so much for sharing your story!! It totally confirms what we’re discovering in the ECS Forum…I’m happy to hear that your 2nd child is doing EC without over-doing naked time. Hope to hear how it all ends up, and how the two differed. Keep me in the loop? xx Andrea
I have a very mobile 10 month old boy. I would love to start ECing principles, but I’m scared to begin because I’m afraid when I do naked time that the pee is gonna go everywhere!! He likes to stand , crawl, etc. and .. well.. since he’s a boy, pee could literally hit the ceiling.. haha! Any tips???
Hey Bonnie! Thanks for writing in….and guess what? I literally JUST yesterday wrote one of my November Q+A blog posts on this topic and it’ll be posting at 6am EST tomorrow, Saturday November 3, 2012! Look for it here at that time (when it turns “live”) – NOV3: Clean-up: How do I clean up the poo and pee while observing a diaper-free mobile baby?: http://ecsimplified.com/clean-up-how-do-i-clean-up-the-poo-and-pee-while-observing-a-diaper-free-mobile-baby – and I think you’ll get a load of great info on how to do naked time without too much mess (with preparation, planning, and some active stuff *during* the observation time period). I LOVE synchronicities like this! :) xx Andrea
andrea, i appreciate your bringing this up. i think it has been difficult for me to figure out what was appropriate with naked time, since my son for a while did seem to pee more frequently on the floor. now he’s 20 months and he does do better with a cloth diaper back up and i ask him if he needs to pee every couple of hours. whereas if i leave him naked, and i forget to ask him to pee, 50% of the time he will go himself and 50% of the time he’ll pee on the floor.
however, those difficult months of beginning mobility, crawling and beginning walking, i did find that having him naked for most of the day (and yes, cleaning up a fair amount of pee) probably did keep him aware of his peeing and did aid EC.
but back to current: i am a bit conflicted about naked time vs not. because although he pees more frequently on the floor while naked, he also is much more inclined to go pee by himself in the bathroom. and if he is wearing cloth and i forget to ask, he’ll pee in his clothing or diaper.
basically, i do a combination of both, since there are pros and cons to both, depending on where we are at.
Hey Jessie! At 20 months I’d go ahead and ditch the diapers altogether and use just clothing, no more naked time either. If you need help wrapping up EC go ahead and get my friend Jamie’s book at http://jamieglowacki.com where she has written a chapter on how to potty train (non-coercively) if you’ve done some EC in the past. Good luck! xx Andrea
Hi Andrea, reading this seriously couldn’t have come at a better time for me! I have had my 13 month old girl with a naked bottom at home for a few months because we were missing soooo much. I thought it was an EC pause due to learning how to walk but I can’t identify her cues any more, she just pees on the floor. And even if I offer the potty she won’t use it, she’ll just pee on the floor minutes later. Then if I put a diaper cover on her (I use a grovia hybrid shell to contain pee but for her to feel wet) – she will pee in it almost immediately after me putting it on her. She will also pee in her car seat and stroller, even if I offer before bucking her in. I am in such a rut and don’t know what I am doing wrong! Should I just put clothes on her and see if that helps?
With me I hated being bottom naked esp peeing naked! While I got a crush esp peeing inside my cloth diapers that if I got too pee and was naked, I held my pee and pinned on my cloth diapers and peed inside my cloth diapers and if my pee was cold inside my cloth diapers, I got a crush to cry and spread my legs! I even got a crush with my cold wet cloth diapers that I only want the front legs of my cloth diapers opened to be drained! I am of severe/profound mental retardation! The same for her! She must hate being bottom naked esp peeing naked! She must get a crush esp peeing inside her new cloth diapers that she got too pee and she was naked, she holds her pee and pins on her new cloth diapers and pees inside her new cloth diapers and if her pee is cold inside her new cloth diapers, she must get a crush to cry and spreads her legs! She must get a crush with her new cold wet cloth diapers that she only wants the back legs of her new cloth diapers opened to be drained!
Hi, Andrea!
Thanks for this! About a week ago we switched to training pants for many reasons – 1. My girl doesn’t want to put diapers on 2. I needed help identifying her pee signals 3. We were only have 1-2 pee misses in diapers a day! Since starting EC when she was about 10 months old (almost 15 months now) she communicates the need to poop always with no misses and pees when offered during her natural timing (upon waking) and will communicate the need to pee when wearing or holding her. But when in a diaper playing there is no signaling. If she pees more than once while I’m busy doing things she’ll go into the bathroom and pat the toilet lid, asking to be changed! So, I thought to myself “maybe switching to training underwear will help bridge these ‘gaps’ left between 1-2 diapers a day and potty independence?” The first time she peed she stopped, looked down and said “uh oh” as her training underwear and legs became wet! I said “you’re going pee, to the potty” and she happily went in to change into dry ones and sit on the toilet, never going more. Long story short, I realized after a few days and lots of misses there was too much naked time, she was peeing everywhere, and was bored. Hah! I’ve learned a lot from your podcast this week, just purchased your book, and have started implementing some things from the podcast. We’re using a diaper backup again to give us both a break, but she’s been signaling and back to 1.5-3 hours between pees!
I look forward to reading your book and being a part of the private forum!
Thank you!
Cassandra – I’m just now seeing this – thank you for writing your comment! I’m so happy to have been helpful to you both earlier this year. :) Andrea
Hi, I came to this post because I am on lesson 3 of your ‘mid streamers’ and it definitely applies to me!.
I have a 1 year old son. We have been doing part time EC from birth. He wore nappies but we would hold him over the potty first thing in the morning and after naps / food and we would catch 99% of the poos. This worked great for us but then at around 9 or 10 months he started planking his body and resisting being held over the potty. After a week or two thinking this might just pass we started him sitting himself on a potty and reading books to him. He got some pees in the potty and the occasional poo but he would often get off the potty and poo or pee next to it! I have been giving him lots of naked time when at home to try and tune into his signals but although he knows how to sign with his hands this isn’t always reliable. Sometimes he just signs if I say the words poo or potty and he doesn’t often give many body signals before peeing. He can sign poo and potty and will point to his poo and sign poo and sometimes will come over to me and point to the potty. I will sit him on the potty but he will then get off and stand up next to it and poo! He claps his hands when he gets a pee or poo in the potty so he knows it is a good thing – or at least pleases his parents :-) If he pees on the floor I will pick him up and put him straight on the potty – the same if he poos on the floor. Do you think I am giving him mixed messages?
Hi Lillias – just seeing your post now! Not that it’s relevant any longer (is it?) :) but you are not giving him mixed messages. Our kids test us up and down. You seem pretty clear to me! xx Andrea
Around 8-9 months my son started showing us that he wanted to pee and pop independently. We were allowing him to go on the floor, although it was getting a little crazy cleaning up after him like an untrained puppy. I started bringing him to the bathroom when I knew he had to go and hanging out in there so he could do his business, independently. ( meaning he resisted being held, to squat.). We had a little potty, but he just wanted to play with it and it did not seem time to train him for the potty. He was also in a phase of not giving us as many cues. After reading lesson 3 I can reflect back to this time… and apply the knowledge now at 11 months he seems ready for potty training. It’s good for me to keep in mind that allowing him to go on the floor is just another habit we’ll have to in-train. Thank you!
You are so welcome, Wendy!!! Thanks for sharing your story with us. xx Andrea
Thanks for the post! My son has been using the potty since 6 months. He’s now 13 months and has learned that if he pees on the floor he can play with it… now he refuses to sit on the potty or only does a half pee then runs off to do it somewhere else. Has anyone faced this before and what did you do?
Hi Jamie! Sorry, just now seeing your comment. No one told me they were all here! ;o) Yes, that sounds like a typical potty pause (whether full-on or partial, or just resistance/testing you). My book talks quite a bit about potty pauses – https://godiaperfree.com/thebook – and I have a minicourse coming up on that, too, in case this is still happening (but I hope it’s not!). He is now about 15 months so I’d wager he’s evening out and cooperating again. :) xx Andrea
Hi Andrea, I’m also on lesson 3 of your ‘mid streamers’ and also almost fell into this trap. The reason being laziness. I didn’t feel like constantly changing my babies underwear or cloth nappies since I missed all the signs. Thankfully, I had read about naked time and weeing on the floor in advance and didn’t have to deal with this.
With my 2nd baby I now enjoy disposable nappies with a yellow line that will change its color once the baby wees or poos in the diaper. This way I can observe for longer periods. :)
Wonderful, Lisa! I’ve also felt lazy at times while ECing my 4 little ones. So long as there aren’t permanent habits forming, we can enjoy whatever tools make it work best. Good for you for finding a solution that works for you both!! xx Andrea
We moved to the country side with our 1 year old just 2 momths ago and were excited to start diaper free time, cause its summer and he could be naked all the time, as we learned that going commando is the best way to teach a toddler how to go potty. How wrong we were! And now I see it clearly. And I was wondering why hes actually fighting to even sit on the potty for a second. I thought its a phase. Uups! When fed up and the weather not so warm I got right back to diapers ALL DAY! Thanks for the heads up.
You are very welcome, Triin! Glad to be of service. ;) Hang in there! Oh, and I do have a minicourse on potty pauses coming up on Friday. Stay tuned on my email list if you’re on there. Should help your situation! xx Andrea
Hi Andrea,
I’ve been doing EC with my daughter from 7 weeks on. Never really git het signals, but every diaper change, on the usual timing, we had a pee. From 7 months on, we found her poo-signal and catched 80% of those (even grandma noticed and succeed). But with 13 months she refused her potty, planking and shaking heads, crying. There was a lot going on: emigration, moving house twice, holiday without daddy and with disposable diapers in stead of cloth, and she started to walk, got tooth. More recently (she is now 15 months old) she started kindergarten and in a week I will start to work. But, I really want her to pick it up again, she has a lot of diaper rash and hates to be changed.
So we attended a diaper free meeting and were advised to change her potty, make her more independent (I was still holding her above the little hood shaped one). Yesterday I did a full naked day, to see if she signaled and to see what her ritm is. She is still not very fond of her new potty, it is a bit to big and she needs help mounting it. But she did walk up to it sometimes.
What I found out was: she is peeing with 1h intervals, knows the potty is to pee (makes the pee-sound while sitting on it), likes to read a book on the potty and goes to the potty right before or after a pee on the floor.
What I learned from your blog today, is that this was enough naked time, I was just wondering: did I now already learned her to pee on the floor (we had just one catch yesterday) and did she learn to soil herself in the diaper during our pottypause? Can we go back to ec? Even if she still refuses to the offered pottytunities? Or do I now have to wait until at least 18 months and then find a way to pottytrain her?
Thanks!
I just ran into your EC method last week. I liked learning about how to verbally be more direct with my son about him needing to pee in the potty. I am pretty sure we taught him to pee on the floor because he has been at this for the last 1.5 months (he is 20 months old). I wrote a longer post but lost it oops. I can’t wait to learn how to handle helping him with his poop. He acts scared and doesn’t like how it feels, but we have been able to have him stand over the potty to poop a couple of times now.
Hi, Andrea! I am here courtesy of your “mid-streamers” email class. :). Doing my “homework” by commenting here. We’ve been doing EC for several months now with my almost 9-month old. I think we started around 4 or 5 months old. If he signals for pee, I have no idea what his signal is, and for poo, well, sometimes he signals, but other times not. We cloth diaper 90% of the time, and we don’t really do naked time, because I am not into cleaning up pee or poo from the floor. From reading this post, though, I’m getting the sense that I need to give him some more time in just his tiny undies and/or clothes–I tend to pretty much always keep him in a diaper as a back up, because frankly we are having so many misses lately, and I just can’t see the point in having him pee on the floor. I’m worried that I’ve basically already taught him to just go in his diaper. Have I used the diaper back up too much? Can I reverse this? We offer lots of potty-tunities throughout the day, mostly based on generic timing and intuition, because again, no signaling here. We were having a lot more catches when he was younger…of course now he’s teething and learning to crawl…maybe he’s just busy learning other things and can’t be bothered with going in the potty right now? Your thoughts are always appreciated! ??
Just starting to consider training pants instead of naked time. My 7 month old hates a diper change and doesn’t signal when he needs to go so using timing. Maybe a few wet pants might b what he needs. And it’s easier to toilet him with these.
Hi, I have two questions. The first one is is it normal for baby to cry after going? I have twins that are 7 weeks and are doing great on peeing in the bowl during the day. One of mine cries a lot after going sometimes. The second one is, how do I keep my other baby from peeing when I do the sss sound for the other over the bowl. When I’m in bed using the bowl the other one pees in the diaper at that sound.
First of all, I just want to say how much I love your work and the way you present it. I don’t have babies of my own yet, but I do work with infants and toddlers professionally at a center (and I’m hopefully thinking ahead).
My question to you is this: How do you do EC if you are only home with your baby for six weeks, and then you have to go back to work? Will baby learn that they don’t have to do it at school, and be entirely dependent on diapers when away from you? Is the previous few hours you get with baby in the evenings enough to work on EC?
Thank you so much.
Good question Sarah! Babies are very smart and they will adapt to the change. When parents are working, they do EC when they are with baby. If you can find a nanny or daycare willing to do EC it is great. If not, it is fine. Baby will learn which caregivers offer the potty. xx Andrea
What resonates with me is that diaper-free time does not need to be “naked time”, and that even having underwear on instead of a diaper counts as diaper-free time.
I am mid ECing and having episodes when intuitively I know she has to pee, but she will not go on the potty. Within 3-5 mins after offering the pottytunity she pees [on the floor, in the diaper, etc]. I find myself frustrated at this, but know I should be staying calm. There are days when she is on with her cues and I’m on with paying attention and responding…then there are the other days.
Such a informative article about teaching baby’s peeing. I am expecting for the first time. And i think it will be helpful for me when my baby came on earth. Thanks for the sharing this.
Thanks for this! I hadn’t thought to put my 11 month old commando before. That might be a good idea. Naked or in trainers, she just pees whenever and doesn’t signal. Maybe feeling the wetness on her legs will help her to ask for help!
Thanks for the link! I have DEFINITELY made this mistake with my little one before I found your site. We are on a 2 week reset, but my husband still gives a pottitunity before bed and she peed on the toilet, start to finish, for the very first time tonight! Sad I missed it, but feel like she us ready to turn a new leaf :) Hope to some day buy your materials when I can afford it!
I recommend your site all the time, Andrea. I’m truly grateful you were born ;)
My one and only (I’ve been a single mom since pregnancy) and I have been practicing EC since I was able to hold her (it took a few weeks because I had an emergency ceserean and post-op complications). She has not pooped in a diaper since she was four months old and I am THRILLED about that. Peeing is another story. EC was easier before she was mobile ;) She was a ten month-old toddler and now she’s sixteen months-old. Besides in her diaper, she generally only pees if I hold her outside and she’s hovering over the grass. Thank goodness we have a yard! She resists (says a clear no and/or straightens her body) the other ‘toilets’.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you :)
It sounds like she is ready to wrap up EC. There are three ways to wrap up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6TzJYhLXE4
Hi Andrea,
thank you for your wonderful book and all your helpful e-mails, I learn something new every time! We’ve been EC-ing our 5-month old son for a couple of months now and I am amazed by how successful we’ve been – I’ve already inspired two friends who are now taking first steps toward EC as well. Naked time is actually something I’m still debating internally as he signals a lot less when naked and not at all when naked and on his belly (which at the moment is 80% of naked time). We are enrolled in a PEKiP class which we both enjoy very much – do you think it’s a problem if his totally naked time is limited to one hour a week, even if he pees on the floor/towel then? Also, if I see him pee on the floor, would you recommend signalling or just ignoring it completely? I will definitely try to get in some diaper-free time in clothes soon and see how we go then!
Thank you for everything :)
Hi Tamara! Keep in mind that diaper free time doesn’t have to be naked. Undies, training pants, and commando are all great options. He may signal better clothed than he does naked.
Hi Andrea, our son is almost 10 months old and we’ve been doing EC right from the start. We are also amazed by how good it works :-)
Currently we are diaper free while at home or other places indoors (because still cold) and he signals really well, using pants/leggings as backup!
He will go to daycare fron age one, I hope that he keeps signalling, even though we might put him in diapers while hes there :-(
I wasn’t aware that naked all the time might teach to pee everywhere, but will definitely keep it in mind when its getting warmer (cant wait for summer!!! :-))
Thank for your work, keep going!!
It sounds like you have a great EC practice going! When it is warm maybe just have him in shorts or legging shorts instead of naked bottom. That way there won’t be an issue. xx Andrea
Thanks for this info Andrea. It’s winter time here now and having our mobile baby naked on floor sounds not quite right. I’m only beginning the EC now and did let her go naked a couple of times and been watching her signals, But was naturally thinking of dressing her into some sort of warm pants (perhaps my older son’s baby pants, which I don’t really need and was going to give away. She has peed the floor in the meantime and nothing in potty yet.Do I understand it right? – if I let her wear pants for some time during the day, it will help her to have a new feel for wetness and uncomfortable, so we can try potty more successfully afterwards? Is this correct thinking?What do you do with poop then? let her poop the pants (if I miss the signal) and chuck them? Thank you so much, looking forward to yr reply.Thanks
For diaper free time Svetlana, you can use undies or training pants or just pants. Whatever works best. If you have a poop miss while she is commando, there will be some clean up. Luckily babies and pants are washable! If you haven’t caught anything in the potty yet, you might need to do some observation. Figure out her signals and natural timing. xx Andrea
We’ve been doing EC since my son was 5 months. He’s now 12 months and we’re ready to ditch diapers. I just ordered tiny trainers to help since baggy underwear chafe and naked time is short in my house. My mom and grandmother talk about how they just let babies run around naked outside for potty training. I don’t like cleaning up messes because my son will resist some of the time. He’s learning to walk and does not want to stop for a minute to sit on the potty. He seems to be aware of what his body is doing. So when he pees on the floor I calmly explain, “You’re peeing. Next time let’s go on the potty.” I’m trying to pick up on his body language before a miss happens. I really appreciate all your information.
It sounds like you are doing a great job, keep it up! You are right to keep him in undies. Letting him run around naked won’t really teach him the appropriate place to go potty. xx Andrea
Hi Andrea,
My son is now 15 months old. We did some variation of EC, and starting at 6 months we started to seat him on a potty, where I would bring him every 30m-hour, and we rarely had misses. We. gradually got rid of daytime diapers (only using them if going to doctor or other public places). then when he got fully mobile after 12 months and started sometimes to just run away from potty, arch his back if I try to seat him, protest and cry even as I just make steps towards bathroom. He signaled at first by touching his pants and could stop peeing until I took him to potty, But now he just learned to pee everywhere naked or not, through his pants or any other clothing. He also screams bloody murder if I pick him up while he pees, freezes and will not finish it in the potty or even bathroom, but rather later on somewhere else on the floor again.
Yesterday I started to ask him to “please pee in the potty” and pretend to be busy, he immediately stopped crying and lead me so I could seat him on it. Today I attempted to model walking backward and seating on it so he could repeat. But all day today he peed on the floor anyway. I feel stuck, what am I doing wrong? Thank you
Hi Jenn! With his age and behavior I would either do the hybrid plan that comes with the Go Diaper Free book or do a potty training experience. It may also help to do a reset before diving in to the hybrid plan/potty training. xx Andrea
Hi Andrea,
This question came so synchronised and so on time. I was just wondering about this topic today. Our boy is 11m and I’ve been a lazy EC doer, mainly because of our busy life… but in the morning he’s still going his needs in the bathroom sink, while I hold him. I started introducing potty every day since 10m, that I feel was a bit late… but he doesn’t like it much. We use a travelling potty W that’s in two parts and I place the silicon inner part of potty on my lap and sometimes he’s sitting there successfully…. but it’s rather rare cases. But, he’s good at doing his wee on the floor. When he has diaper free time, he’s even climbing down from the bed/sofa/etc, and does pee on the floor. Very rarely on the bed or sofa. And there are even cases where I hold him on the potty, we watch books etc… end he does no wee, and he goes off from the potty and does the pee on the floor, as soon as he sits down. I don’t want him to learn this habit though, but I don’t know how I could help him to start using the potty more comfortably
Hey there,
Sorry to hear about the resistance you are being met with. Have you tried doing observation time recently? Often times when we are met with resistance we are over offering or becoming potty centered.
Hi Andrea, thank you for your reply. I just got your EC wrap up mini course yesterday, would it have the information on the hybrid plan or the potty training you are mentioning? Do you think the course will work? Thanks again
I think the course will cover everything you need to know for wrapping up. It does go over how to do the hybrid plan. xx Andrea
My child is almost 2. I am having a difficult time. He is stealthy and doesn’t want to signal. I am Getting frustrated and looking for some more knowledge. I wish there was a coach so I could talk to about this.
Hey!! I don’t think I’ve necessarily fell into this, but I have noticed that babies/toddlers love to test boundaries. I’ve done EC with both my girls. When they get to this “experiment”, of peeing on the floor, I really start teaching them independence steps next. And reaffirm that they pee on the potty. They want to be in charge. So I hand them over the tools. This is how you push down your pants. Pull up your pants, wipe, flush, wash hands. They then want to learn and help do the next steps and by 18 months-2 years they can do everything themselves(mostly).
Also, I never ask my child if they need to go potty. I just tell them it’s time to go. Bring a toy, or book but we’re going. It’s been helpful if they get to decide what they want to bring to the potty if they don’t want to stop playing. But I figure if they can run to a corner, they can also run to the potty. If they can ask for a snack, they can ask for them potty. Keep things simple. 😀
Such a great post! Absolutely agree! 😍
Hi Andrea. This is perfect timing for what we are experiencing. My baby boy is 12months and we have been doing more of a “pottytunity” EC practice with sometimes understanding communication or cues. I pretty much know his potty rhythm. As a walking and independant baby, I am trying to get him to let me know more than me just taking him to the bathroom often.
The thing is he hates the tiny potty or the toilet and lately he is fighting letting us hold him to potty even if he has to go. We put trainers on him when we are home and he usually let’s us know loud and clear when he has already peed. But I have been letting him be naked more because I thought it would help him possibly communicate better. He is definitely peeing more often and not saying anything and we are finding puddles on the floor!
I’ve gone back to the trainers and am asking him for permission to let me help him potty when I think he needs to go. Today I asked him if I could help him poop and he ran to the bathroom! Poop seems to be going well with communication, but pee is still a struggle.
After reading this I might take a break of so much nakie time and try to help him communicate with me before he pees, not after! Any tips on doing this while also trying to make the tiny potty less scary and horrible? Should I just forget about the tiny potty? I was hoping to teach him to go on his own without my help, but if he starts to let me know more and lead me to the bathroom, I guess I’ll take that!
It sounds like he is doing great on a lot of things! You are also seeing what is helping him learn, so keep that up! 👍. Keep in mind this is also a common age for pauses because of the walking and other developmental leaps that take place.
I would say some kids just prefer using a reducer over using the tiny potty. If he is okay using the reducer then roll with that. One day he might like the tiny potty over the reducer. 💕