How do I balance bare-bum time and diaper-free time
You will hear:
- Why bare-bum time and diaper-free time each serve a different purpose
- When to switch from observation to using backups
- My simple approach for balancing learning with real life
Links and other resources mentioned today:
When doing elimination communication with your baby, how much bare bum, naked time do you allow, and how much “diaper-free” time (with some type of a back-up) do you do...and does any of this even matter?
Yes, it does.
Today I answer this question from multiple mamas in our audience who wonder how to balance these two very important parts of infant potty training: bare-bum and diaper-free time!
(And, psst...I’ll continue this conversation by addressing how to get your baby to stop peeing on the floor in next week’s post!)
Q: How do I strike a balance between bare bum time and diaper free time (and why does it matter)? ~ Heather B., Ontario, Canada
A: What a succinct and important question, Heather! I’m so thrilled that you asked.
You see, most parents who’ve done Elimination Communication based on past publications, advice, and winging it off of information from the internet have ended up with a problem:
“YES! I do have a question about diaper free time. I guess it helps them learn faster to feel the effect of it when they go. But does it not kind of train them that it is okay to go on the floor when you miss getting them to the potty in time? I’ve been doing more diaper free time with my baby lately, but this question is always in the back of my mind. Love, Jessi”
First off, I address it in my book that it only teaches them “cause and effect” for the first few minutes or hours…depending upon how long your baby/toddler has been diapered. After that, it teaches them to pee on the floor (which is exactly what Jessi intuited in her question).
Many of the EC resources out there suggest that diaper-free time equals naked time…and encourages you to do it all the time. I thought similarly until I saw all the complaints and calls for help in my private EC support forum…there is a BIG problem doing this.
It does matter and you can strike a balance between the two.
So how do you strike a balance (and why does it matter)?
Super-duper-basically? You only use naked time to gather information (like natural timing or signals), and then you use a back-up or clothing…always…until you might need more information. That’s called “diaper-free time” - or time without an actual diaper, but not naked.
Hope that makes sense!
To further expound about why it matters (and how to balance it), I want you to know that I actually recently updated and recorded a podcast version of a blog post on this and, instead of further answering your question here and repeating this advice, I’m going to post the detailed answer next week and air it on the podcast as well….
In next week’s post, you’ll find out how to further balance naked time and diaper-free (free from dependence upon diapers, ie: in underwear or clothing) time…and you’ll read a whole bunch of easy-to-understand info on why it matters:
Again, there is no other EC resource that actually discerns between naked and diaper-free time. I’ve examined the difference (through the folks on my private forum, and my research), made it easy to prevent negative habits resulting from this lack of discernment, and I’ve made it easy to correct any damage already done.
See you next week with more info on how to prevent baby from peeing on the floor, thru too much naked time!, and thanks for your question, Heather. It’s a super-important one!
Watch the Video Version
If you want to watch the recording of today’s podcast episode, you can do that on my youtube version right here:
Thank you, I have only just realized the difference between bare bottom time and diaper free time! 🤯
I started EC with my first baby at 14 months and started from birth with baby number two (who is now six months). With the second baby I’ve pretty much have had him bare bottom whenever I’m doing “diaper free” time. He is at 6 months and doing more and more inching around, more frequent rolls and I’ve been contemplating what my next step should be to keep the puddle pads under him. I’ve had your book for years and briefly reviewed it when baby two was in the newborn stage but I really didn’t get the idea of diaper free not meaning naked bottom until now. I think I was worried I wouldn’t notice quickly if there was a miss, but i have been doing a lot of cleanup. I haven’t spent much time planning out EC strategy in the midst of sleep deprivation and looking after two kids but I’m so glad I listened to this podcast! Thank you! I think this will be a game changer for progressing with EC with baby two.
Great to hear you got some insight and clarity out of the post that it is a game changer for you! ❤️
I rarely have done naked observation time because my baby does not really signal, so it has not seemed helpful. I have been in a slump with EC since 9 months (16 months now…) after months of great success. I can’t figure out how to get out of this slump – he refuses potty often and it is hard to tell when he will accept it and when he won’t. He poos standing and with no warning – red face, he’s pooped. I just started trying some bare bum time to try to change things up. The one thing it’s done is raised his awareness of when he’s going. So now he tells me when he has wet his diaper. I haven’t tried diaper free with clothes as I don’t own enough bottoms to make it through a day (you don’t need pants in Phoenix if you are in cloth diapers most of the year). I am debating trainers, but not sure if he’s ready. Basically, I am stumped. I try different receptacles. Any help would be great!
I see the dilema! Basically, after 12 months when kids are becoming more and more resistant, it is a sign that they are needing more independence on the potty, and I would recommend wrapping-up EC at that time. However, now that he is over 16 months, the best way to get out of the slump and “wrap-up” will likely be a potty training experience! This will help him learn all the ins and outs of using the potty more independently, and it sounds like this is exactly what he is looking for
👍