Elimination communication (EC) is a toilet training practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant’s need to eliminate waste. Typically the goal is to partially or completely avoid the use of diapers. EC emphasizes communication between the caregiver and child, helping them both become more attuned to the child’s innate rhythms and control of urination and defecation. The term “elimination communication” was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby care in less industrialized countries and hunter-gatherer cultures. Some practitioners of EC begin soon after birth, although it can be started with babies of any age.

Origins

The terms elimination communication and natural infant hygiene were coined by Ingrid Bauer and are used interchangeably in her book, Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene (2001). Bauer had traveled to India and Africa, where she noticed that most mothers would carry their diaperless babies constantly, yet she saw no elimination “accidents” as would be expected in industrialized countries where babies wear diapers almost continuously from birth. Subsequently, she raised her own children with minimal use of diapers, and eventually began to share her approach with other mothers and caregivers — initially through Internet-based parenting support groups and eventually through her book and website.

Prior publications introducing Western parents to this ancient practice include the booklet Conscious Toilet Training, by Laurie Boucke (1979), book Trickle Treat: Diaperless Infant Toilet Training Method, by Laurie Boucke (1991), a pamphlet entitled Elimination Timing, by Natec (1994), and the more extensive Infant Potty Training: A Gentle and Primeval Method Adapted to Modern Living, by Laurie Boucke (2000). Boucke was influenced by an Indian friend who taught her how mothers in India care for babies without diapers, and she adapted it to fit her Western lifestyle. Boucke later co-produced an in-depth DVD entitled Potty Whispering: The Gentle Practice of Infant Potty Training (2006) and co-authored articles for medical journals.

While the terms elimination communication and infant potty training have become synonymous, many caregivers who practice EC do not consider it to be a form of “training,” per se. EC is viewed primarily as a way to meet the baby’s present needs and to enhance attachment and communication in general. In that sense, EC is often likened to breastfeeding. “Toilet mastery is, of course, an inevitable consequence,” writes Bauer, “Yet it’s no more the goal of Natural Infant Hygiene than weaning is the goal of breastfeeding.” (2001, p. 217)

Today, one often hears the terms natural infant hygiene, infant potty training, and potty whispering used synonymously.

Components

The main components of EC are timing, signals, cueing, and intuition.

Timing

Timing refers to identifying the infant’s natural timing of elimination. Newborns tend to urinate every 10–20 minutes, sometimes very regularly, which makes timing extremely useful. Older babies may still be very regular, or may vary in timing based on when they have last eaten or slept. As infants get older, the time between eliminations will increase. By six months, it is not uncommon for babies to go as much as an hour without urinating while awake (babies, like adults, rarely urinate during a deep sleep). Timing varies radically for defecation, as some infants may have several bowel movements a day, while others may only have one every few days. (Some doctors[which?] would consider the latter to be a sign of problems, usually with diet, such as not breast-feeding, the breast-feeding mother’s dietary problems, dehydration, problems with the formula the baby is given, or possibly emotional problems, such as much stress in the home.)

Signals

Signals are the baby’s way of informing a caregiver of an elimination need. Some babies signal very clearly from the beginning, while others may have very subtle signals, or no signal at all. These signals vary widely from one infant to another, and include a certain facial expression, a particular cry, squirming, a sudden unexplained fussiness, as well as others. Babies who are nursing will often start delatching and relatching repeatedly when they need to eliminate. For defecation, many babies will grunt or pass gas as a signal. Older babies can learn a gesture or baby sign for “potty.”

Cueing

Cueing consists of the caregiver making a particular sound or other cue when the baby is in an appropriate place to urinate or defecate, in order to develop two-way communication. At first, the caregiver can make the cueing sound when the baby is eliminating, to develop an association. Once the association is established, the cue can be used to indicate to the baby that he or she is in an appropriate potty place. This is especially useful for infants who may not recognize public toilets or unfamiliar receptacles as a “potty.” Common sound cues include “psss psss” for urination, and “hmm hmm” (grunting) for defecation. Older babies (late starters) may respond better to more word-like cues. Cues do not have to be auditory.

Intuition

Intuition refers to a caregiver’s unprompted thought that the baby may need to eliminate. Although much intuition may simply be subconscious awareness of timing or signals, many parents who practice EC find it an extremely reliable component.

Further Resources

• Natural Infant Hygiene – Ingrid Bauer’s article summarizing EC
• Infant Potty Training – Laurie Boucke’s Infant Potty Training website in 10 languages
• DiaperFreeBaby – international support organization for caregivers who practice EC
• International Board for the Study, Research and Promotion of Assisted Infant Toilet Training – Supportive pediatricians, medical journal articles and research
• Part Time Nappy Free – A Free Online Guided Tour of EC and Support for Easing Into Part-Time Baby Pottying…
• Getting Started with Elimination Communication – Basic EC information
• EC forum at Mothering.com
• BornPottyTrained.com
• WhatisEC.com
• The Potty Whisperer
• Tribal Baby – From full time nappies to nappy free – Practical tips and strategies for practicing EC
• How to Do Part-time Potty Training with Your Baby – EC for working parents and caregivers