The elevator pitch for EC (or, how to talk about it without seeming judgy or crazy)

In this episode I’ll give you the elevator pitch for Elimination Communication - or how to talk about pottying your baby without seeming judgy or crazy.

Today’s show is sponsored by my free masterclass about how to bring EC to your town with confidence and structure - “How to make money (and change the world) telling others about EC - My 3-step method.” In it, you’ll discover my simple method (and my very special secrets) to bring EC to your town, make money, and gosh-darnit, change the world...doing what you're already doing, anyway. Save your seat for this week’s class at godiaperfree.com/coachclass.

(The feedback I’ve been getting about this brand new free class has been overwhelmingly positive...definitely check it out if you want to bring today’s topic to a whole nother level.)

So, I’ve definitely talked about how to tell others about EC before, but, while researching my upcoming signature EC courses, I’ve gotten a bunch of requests for an even MORE abbreviated version of how to talk about elimination communication without getting the stink-eye, or worse yet, shunned by other parents.

Today I’ll give you a few concise options, followed by my biggest tip on how to bring an awareness of EC to YOUR town...especially if you don’t know a single other soul who does it.

Unfortunately, there is no one correct way to phrase some of this stuff, so take what you like and then write down a sentence or two that you want to use from now on. Feel free to change your “elevator pitch” as you find out what feels right...or what totally bombs, in real life.

Let’s dive in….

What I say when someone asks me about elimination communication

First, I want to share exactly what I say when someone asks me about elimination communication:

“Yeah, we start all our babies using the toilet at birth.”

This piques curiosity and leaves them free to ask more questions if they want.

Typically, they say “Whaaaaa? How????”

I answer with a question and some key points (and this part is my actual “elevator pitch”):

“Do you need to pee when you first wake up? [yes] Well, so do they. Babies aren’t incontinent like the diaper companies want us to believe. They have really strong instincts and can hold it long enough for you to get the diaper off. Think about a puppy...they won’t go in their crate...babies are the same. We are all mammals.”

And sometimes I add (especially if they ask “how do you know they need to go?”):

“Newborn babies cry to have you take the diaper off so they can go - by the time we figure out why they’re crying, they’ve already gone in it, and we think ‘oh they just wanted changed.’ But that’s not quite it. They wanted you to help them do it outside of their diaper from the first cry. We just have to learn to hear that and help them.”

Usually at this point they say “That makes so much sense.”

That’s what I’m trying to get at - can I make this make sense to them?

How to address further questions or objections

The next question is usually some kind of objection like, “Isn’t that time consuming?”

I say “I think changing blowout diapers and poopy pants is time consuming.”

Sometimes I’ll add “breastfeeding is time-consuming. Being up all night is time-consuming. Babies are time-consuming. This way, I put in a little effort up-front and then I save time later by not having to change poop diapers or potty train.”

Sometimes they ask “Do you use diapers?”

I’ll reply “Yes, definitely. Since we have carpet and 5 kids, we do use a diaper as a back-up, but it’s not a full-time toilet - it’s just there for when we are busy or being lazy. We stop using them when they start to walk. Then there’s no need to potty train.”

There are a million more possibilities and objections, you guys! For a full list of how to respond to people’s concerns, criticisms, or objections, please listen to or read podcast episode 31!

Some brief snippets you can borrow for your EC elevator pitch!

Here are some brief snippets you might want to borrow when talking about EC to others, along with some tips!

           1. Speak about it like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Don’t apologize - be confident, not awkward.

• • Yeah, babies prefer to be clean and dry.
  • Babies are mammals, and all mammals have the instinct to not soil themselves...otherwise we humans would have been wiped out by disease a long time ago!
  • Newborn babies cry to have you take the diaper off so they can go - by the time we figure out why they’re crying, they’ve already gone in it, and we think “oh they just wanted changed.” Nope. They wanted you to help them do it outside the diaper from the first cry. We just have to learn to do that.
  • If you’ve ever been peed on when you take the diaper off, it’s because your baby was waiting for you to take their diaper off.

           2. Ask a question and leave it at that.

• • Do you have to pee when you first wake up? (Yes) So do our babies.
  • What did people do before diapers? Exactly.
  • What do people do in parts of the world where there aren’t diapers? That’s what we do.

           3. Be blunt.

• • It’s bullshit that we have to wait for our kids to tell us they’re ready...diaper companies really have us fooled.
  • I don’t see any reason to wait.
  • My baby loves using the potty, and has since she was ----- months old.

           4. Answer questions with empathy, reflection, and compassion...plus resources!

• • It seems like this might be freaking you out a little bit.
  • It seems like this has you baffled...we live in a diapering culture so that makes sense.
  • It seems like you think having your baby in daycare means you can’t do it. The thing is, it still totally works part-time.
  • You only know what you know when you know it...and when you know better, you can do better (Maya Angelou spin-off).
  • You can see if you like it at godiaperfree.com. There’s a mom there who breaks it down. I would start with the 4 Easy Catches. Don’t overthink it.

           5. If they outright say they’d never do it.

• • Yeah, it’s not for everyone. You could just sit your baby on the potty every morning to make potty training easier later on, or just catch the poops. If you don’t want to do any of that, I highly recommend potty training at 18-20 months...any longer and it turns into a giant power struggle. I mean, you don’t want to change diapers for 3 more years, do you?

I could go on and on and on with variations of what I’ve said and do say to people...it’s always different based on who it is, how old their baby is, and where they’re at in life...and, for me, it’s ever-evolving.

Bottom line: Start with a simple one-liner

All that said (and there are sooooo many words I just shared!): I do find that starting with a confident, matter-of-fact one-liner is always best.

I prefer this one:

“Do you have to pee when you wake up? [yes] Well, so do babies.”

...because it’s very funny and personal and so, so true.

Go ahead and choose one line that you love and try it out for a few weeks, if you get the opportunity!

And if you love telling others about EC, and there aren't’ many in your town who even know what it is, and perhaps you’d like to earn some money for your time in spreading the word about EC...then I would like to invite you to my free masterclass, “How to make money (and change the world) telling others about EC - My 3-step method.” In it, you’ll discover my simple method (and my very special secrets) to bring EC to your town, make money, and gosh-darnit, change the world...doing what you're already doing, anyway.

Save your seat in this week’s class at godiaperfree.com/coachclass and I hope to see you there!

Also, a little public service announcement:

My coach program is now open for enrollment several times per year! If you want to learn more about it, definitely check out the free class I just mentioned, and if you want to take this even another level deeper, check out the coach program at godiaperfree.com/coachprogram. We’d love to have you if you feel called.

Now for some accountability and mingling. Let’s make this happen.

What one-liner are YOU are going to use to tell others about EC...what’s YOUR new elevator pitch? Please share it in the comments below.

I can’t wait to chat with you in the comments.

 

xx Andrea

 

PS - here’s the video version of this episode in case you prefer to YouTube it. ;)