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How to tell others about EC (and not seem crazy): let’s avoid those awkward moments, shall we?

How to tell others about EC

You're a passionate EC parent. But still, you feel a little awkward talking about elimination communication in public or with new parents. Sound familiar? You aren't the only one!

We've all been there. We begin talking about EC, and in our heads it all sounds perfectly logical, as we know it is, but then we catch the look on the person's face across from us. Our fight-or-flight instincts kick in, and soon we're bumbling and apologizing, and then changing the subject to - literally - anything but this.

On today's episode of the Go Diaper Free Podcast, we will go over how to break the ice and inform others about elimination communication with confidence, and without sounding crazy.

You will hear:

  • How to talk to expectant parents about Elimination Communication
  • Approaches for talking to parents with children of various ages, and what NOT to say
  • How to strike up a conversation when someone sees you pottying your own child
  • Tips for responding to naysayers
  • Methods for discussing Elimination Communication with your pediatrician

Links and other resources mentioned today:

The Go Diaper Free Certified Coach Training Program - learn more about enrollment

"How to Make Money Telling Others about EC" - next week's master class

The Dangers of Early Potty Training: Do they Really Exist? - scientific blog post

Download the transcript

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

Transcript: How to tell others about EC (and not seem crazy)

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Have you talked to friends or family about elimination communication? Please leave a comment below with your experience!

I look forward to chatting with you below. :) xx Andrea

Disclosure Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from purchases made through the links on this page.

Andrea Olson

About Andrea Olson

I'm Andrea and I spend most of my time with my 6 children (all under 10 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.)

19 Comments

  1. Avatar Jackie on February 12, 2019 at 8:15 am

    Yes, he’s eight months old and often uses a toilet! When he’s upset or farting, I hold him on there and he often goes! It’s less mess especially when he’s constipated and blowing out of every diaper, but I admit, he’s not potty trained as much as I am the one being potty trained ?

  2. Avatar Kate on February 12, 2019 at 10:24 am

    Even though I’ve been talking about EC for about 7 years now, I agree that it can still be awkward!! But I’ve always had the mindset that you have. I’m not there to convince someone to practice EC, but rather to INFORM and INSPIRE CONFIDENCE, if there’s interest. On a related note, I am presenting to the local Head Start program in about an hour. They’re interested in incorporating potty training and possibly EC into their curriculum, alongside things like nutrition, health, motor skills, language and literacy. This podcast release is so timely. It just gave me that extra boost to “sell” EC to the Head Start program in an informative, relaxed way. Thanks, Andrea!!

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on February 12, 2019 at 11:30 am

      This is so awesome Kate!!!! Kudos on the presentation. I’m glad today’s post has given some added energy! xx Andrea

  3. Avatar Nicole Stiles on February 13, 2019 at 7:36 am

    I’ve talked about it with a few friends and family. Everyone thinks it’s great. They confuse it with potty training. I have to explain that it’s not. I don’t think they quite get it. My mom said it’s never too early to teach them to use the potty and my friend with a baby a few months older than mine was calling my little one so smart. I told her her baby could do it too and sent her a link to this site. She’s gonna try it out. I haven’t come across any naysayers so far.

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on March 7, 2019 at 11:27 pm

      That is great Nicole! Way to make EC mainstream. xx Andrea

  4. Avatar Lala on February 13, 2019 at 9:13 am

    I have had surprisingly positive reactions from friends and family who are just amazed, and bewildered by it. What saddens me tho is that I feel people think it’s not something accessible to them, rather I am this dedicated, special, mystical figure making my life harder then it needs to be. All the new mums I know I have recommended they listen to your podcast as a starting point if they are interested. None of them have ever got back to me to say they have actually listened or given it a go though, which is a shame as it makes life much easier! I never clean dirty nappies or bum! And obviously the environmental impacts are so important and is something parents should be concerned about and talking about in 2019!

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on March 7, 2019 at 11:28 pm

      All you can do is try Lala! xx Andrea

  5. Avatar Wayne on February 13, 2019 at 12:41 pm

    My wife’s mom thought we were crazy for doing EC with our 3 kids. Until we told her that we bought your book about it. “Oh, there are books about it. It must be a real thing then”

  6. Avatar Erica on February 14, 2019 at 10:50 am

    It seems like the link for the PDF of this episode is broken? It won’t take me to the transcript just the home page…

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on March 7, 2019 at 11:30 pm

      The link has been fixed. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. xx Andrea

  7. Avatar Alice on March 8, 2019 at 9:14 am

    I am grateful for your work, Andrea! My 9 month old is doing great, in our first month of EC. My mother-in-law did not react AT ALL when we told her. Later, I asked her about her home country. She told me that people finish using diapers on their babies at one year old, where she grew up, in The Philippines. She did the same with her children in the U.S.! You’ve talked a lot about other cultures and here’s another example!

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on March 17, 2019 at 9:49 pm

      That is wonderful Alice! EC really is the norm in so many places. xx Andrea

  8. Avatar Paulette on April 29, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    Some people might still think that I am “crazy” regardless of what I tell them about EC. A friend told me: it must be a new thing because I have never heard of it and I have 2 kids. Also, I was told in my “mommy and baby group” that the longer I wait the better! That it’s ok to wait as late as 4 years old! I love EC with my now 6 month old baby… Imagine my face when they told me that!

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on May 2, 2019 at 1:35 am

      Hi Paulette! Agreed, some people will always think it is crazy. I however think it’s crazy to have kids wait until they are 4 years old! It makes me sad that people underestimate the abilities of children. Hopefully you’ll change some minds in the group just by being there. xx Andrea

  9. Avatar MEGAN NEWMAN on April 29, 2019 at 4:27 pm

    This is my favorite episode so far. I get some really weird looks when I tell people that we arent going to diaper train our baby. I probably need to listen to this one again and take notes because people still think I’m crazy, although a few friends are interested!

    • Avatar Andrea Olson on May 2, 2019 at 1:35 am

      Thank you Megan! It is great you are telling people and getting some interest. Keep spreading the word! xx Andrea

  10. Avatar SK on May 1, 2019 at 12:18 pm

    I have to admit, talking about EC is something I generally shy away from! Partially for fear that my baby and I won’t get it down right (more due to my incompetency or lack of consistency than baby’s abilities, of course) and won’t do justice to a practice that is already woefully misunderstood in our society.

    One day my husband heard some coworkers discussing potty training at work, and thought they’d get a kick out of a picture of one of our 3 month old’s successful poop in the potty experiences. The nurse practitioner in the group (we’re both nurses) immediately went off on him about how it’s ridiculous and damaging to start so early, causing your baby so much undue stress when they lack the sphincter control to learn, etc. My husband hadn’t even said anything about our practices at all; he’d simply shown a picture. (And it was a darn cute picture with our cat showing her support! ;)

    If I do talk about it, it’s generally like, “Well, it has to happen at some point, and I think, personally, I’d rather struggle through this now than with an angsty toddler!”

    But let’s be real—it is such a hard learning curve for a new mom without the immediately present support system! We started at 3 months (because this mom couldn’t get it together earlier than that, as much as I wanted to—we had serious breastfeeding struggles causing me to pump/bottle feed the majority of the first 3 months before we could achieve any latch, so that whole ordeal kept me very preoccupied), and baby seemed to enjoy EC those first few weeks, but then we hit a potty pause! I hadn’t read up on it all enough, so we went on a hiatus for about a month while I tried to regroup, because she would refuse the potty every time! (I felt I was doing it wrong and was giving her negative associations with pottying, which is not at all what I wanted!) Then I got one of your emails about potty pauses (thank goodness!) and mistakes new ECers make and realized I needed to stop half-assing it and finally buy your book! For the last few days I’ve been reading/listening to get my game plan down to restart and be successful with EC! Hopefully, I can do the practice justice!

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