What is the difference between EC and PL

[starina_bliss]

I knew nothing of ec with my 1st dd and didn't even use cd's. When she started noticing the toliet and was playing with it I started sitting her on it when she played with it so she would know what it is used for. at about 2 she was completely pl'ed. i've done the same thing with dd #2, she watches me rinse her dipes off and when she started throwing things in the toliet i started sitting her on it and she has used it once. she don't throw things in it anymore but she does hand me her potty chair to sit on the toliet. i've heard of ppl waiting to ec after 12m and can't really tell the difference between ec and pl. maybe i haven't read enough about ec?

[goldmama22]

It sounds like you do a nice gentle PL which is great. I think often when people do EC later, that's a lot of what they mean - child-led PL'ing. I usually say to people, "We do infant pottying" instead of EC, and I hate the term infant potty training, and this is why I see it's different - I have no interest in when my baby actually is "potty trained". To me the whole point is that it's a slow and gentle process, one that is so organic that the baby never needs to have an aha moment or even realize that there's a process happening. It's really a lot like child-led weaning - in both cases, the end result happens slowly, with the steps toward it being taken of the child's own will and capability. And in that regard it sounds like what you're doing really is EC-ish... I just started it a lot earlier when my dd showed that she didn't want to pee or poo in a feel-wet diaper (which was before 6 months old, when I put her back in cotton dipes due to my 2.5 year old showing me that she preferred to pee in her comfy pocket diaper). From that point on, it was, anything that went in the potty, great, anything that didn't, fine. I loved only having 3-6 wet diapers a day (including nighttime), mostly b/c of outings, maybe once a month having a poopy diaper. I loved knowing that her bum was truly dry and not just microfleece dry. I loved owning fewer diapers and doing laundry less often, much better for the environment and my stress level.

So I guess for me the difference would just be in the process - starting earlier just makes it even more unnoticeable, but even if it's started later, the point is to pay attention to the kid's needs and help them potty when they need to, without having a set goal in mind. (which is not to say I wasn't thrilled to put my dd in underwear at 18 months, but early underwear wasn't my goal... a smooth transition and a lower "footprint" on the earth were my motivation)

And that is why if this next baby doesn't seem to do well with it - if it stresses him/her out - I won't continue. But I can't imagine that being the case, as long as I keep the same attitude that I had before.

Megan

[goldmama22]

Oh, I guess the other thing that is different from what you do is that EC'ers would be trying to put her on the potty when she was likely to go, rather than just when she showed the interest. Basically figuring out if they have a bodily sign that precedes going, or figuring out a time that they need to go (right after nap, etc), and then putting them on at that time, so that they are peeing in the potty hopefully most of the time that it is offered. Of course, not everyone does this - my SIL was putting her newborns on the potty at every diaper change, and if they went, great, if not, oh well, rather than trying hard for "catches" - but with positive reactions from her, and cue-noise reinforcements, they've gotten good at pottying and they're only 9 months, so it's still working, and still stress-free.

Megan

[starina_bliss]

Thanks for the info. it sounds kinda like what i am already doing. everytime i go to the restroom my dd goes with me. if we are at home all day she has been going coverless so i know when she is wet i can change her right away so she understands what being wet is. with my 1st dd when i wanted to go heavy duty pl'ing i would let her run around the house with a bare bottom and she started to understand pretty quickly.

[FluffShop]

I'm reluctant to call it infant potty training. The term PL or PT connotes sitting a baby on a potty and teaching them to go. Right now I just go by her cues and put her on the toilet when she 'asks' to go. We've progressed from my recognizing her cues to now her being able to 'tell' me (and knowing she's telling me) and I take her if I'm able to/have the time to.

If she eventually begins going on her own TO the toilet and asking for help I think that's a step toward the PL end of the spectrum.