Mum-of-five reveals she's scrapped nappies and holds kids over the sink when they need to go
3 January 2020, 13:12
Stay-at-home mother Andrea Olson says the elimination communication method was the 'best thing I ever did'.
A mother-of-five has revealed why she ditched nappies in favour of holding her children over a sink or a potty when they needed the toilet.
US parent Andrea Olson, who runs Instagram page godiaperfree, explained 'elimination communication' transformed her life when all of her kids were little by helping her avoid having to deal with tons of poop-filled diapers.
By simply hovering her babies over places she could flush away whatever came out, the American stay-at-home mum described the method as "the best thing I ever did".
"A friend of a friend posted on Facebook that they didn’t use nappies– they simply held their baby over the toilet or the ground, from birth, and avoided poopy nappies," Andrea wrote on blog Love What Matters.
"'I am in! Where do I sign up? I don’t even have a baby yet! Or a steady boyfriend!’ I exclaimed."
Just four years later, she and her husband began having children and decided to try out the technique for real.
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Elimination communication, also known as EC, involves listening to a baby's signals and cues – such as bearing down and wiggling – that hint they need to urinate or defecate.
Once the parent has recognised these signs, they hold the child over a potty or toilet (or in Andrea's case, a sink) to enable them to wee or poo in an appropriate place.
"I can assure you that I never looked back from that day forward," she continued.
"This was the best thing ever! I dedicated myself to learning my baby in this way, and I am certain I became a better mum because of it.
"I was engaged, connected, and felt like I at least knew how to do two things with my new baby: nurse and potty! For me, that built lots of confidence."
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Supporters of EC have raved about the pros, claiming it's better for their baby's skin, reduces waste, forms a stronger relationship between parent and child, and is really cost efficient.
Andrea explained: "It kept our babies way more comfortable, less fussy, way less ‘colicky,’ and more healthy.
"We completely avoid nappy rash, medical constipation, endless accidents, unnecessary tantrums, erratic behaviour and bedwetting.
"We’ve also saved an estimated $10,000 (£7,600) in nappy costs, and have raised our babies without the disgusting task (and smell) of endless poopy nappies."
The US mum, whose five kids were all nappy-free in the daytime by the time they could walk, went on to explain how she, her husband and their five little ones made it work – crediting her success to two easy tricks.
"First, we do not do EC 24/7 for all pees – we do it part-time, with a full-time awareness," she says.
"But we always regard the nappy as a back-up, not a toilet.
"Second, we use a diaper when doing EC – until the babies start to walk.
"We are less stressed. We just stuck with some sort of consistency and supported our babies’ hygiene in a predictable manner, and they all followed suit."
