Since the day my son was born we’ve worked at being conscience of his elimination needs. There’s something about those totally successful days of diaper-free with my son that makes it all worth it. When he can be bare bum or in a pair of small underpants all day without any misses. We don’t always have successful days and sometimes there’ll be a few days in a row that it seems I catch nothing or he’ll pee immediately after I offer but for the most part it is getting easier and easier. At night time he fusses before he has to pee and I have the option of peeing him in the small potty next to the bed or in laziness letting him pee in the diaper and changing him right away. At this point he usually pees only once in the night and will wait to be peed in the toilet or sink in the morning.
In a way, I feel like the fact that I have all these hardly used fitted cloth diapers that I should use them even though we really don’t need them. I’d hate for them to “go to waste”. How ridiculous a concept since we’re both actively not wanting to use them. My son hates wearing a diaper as much as I hate putting it on him. Okay, well hate would be a strong word. At least the diapers are light and lack bulk since we forgo covers. Going cover free makes for easy access for peeing him and also lets me know quickly if we’ve missed. Perhaps I should just put away half the diapers for now. I could always sell them or send them to my dear friend who’s baby is only a month old.
We use the Eco Nix pants for when we are out for a little extra protection just in case:
I’d like to get a few pairs of these for general use:
For diapers I still have Motherease Sandy’s: 
And for night time we’ve been using Sammy’s one size:
I’m not having any more babies but I’d highly recommend anyone wanting to go diaper free with their future babies to buy few diapers and only in the smaller sizes. There isn’t any need for these one size or bigger diapers.
Excellent Diaper Free/EC/Elimination Communication resources:
The Continuum Family Supplies and Support
Books: DIAPER FREE! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene (the original book on EC and a more natural lifestyle) and The Diaper-Free Baby: The Natural Toilet Training Alternative (more mainstream friendly)
Articles: Going Diaperless, A Culture in Diapers, Decommissioning the Diaper, Never too young to potty
I had never heard of elimination communication when my kids were babies. But they were naked most of the time and we used Motherese and Bumkins when we used diapers. We called the motherese “softies” and the bumkins “silkies.” I had forgotten all about that. Odd to say, but those are happy memories now. They were so little back then!
Both of mine were potty trained before they were two (day and night.) I think going diaper free had a lot to do with that. I also think, in most cases, its just insulting to the native intelligence of children to have them sitting around in diapers at the ripe old age of three or four or (good grief!) FIVE. Don’t even get me started about “Pullups.”
Kudos to you young Mama pioneers! Hopefully one day EC will be “normal”.
Peace, Katherine
“Softies” and “Silkies”! That’s so sweet!
It sounds like you were doing “ec” without even knowing it. This is how it was with my daughter who’s now five. I had learned about ec after she was born but had been leaving her bare bum as often as possible. She was also out of diapers before two. Of course not long ago there were no disposable diapers and laundry machines that run without effort. It was natural to have your child out of diapers earlier. How backwards our world has become (is going still?)
You’re so right about the absurdities of a typical child wearing diapers at such a late age. I think diapers go up to six these days! Insanity.
Thank you for popping by Katherine! I really enjoy reading your blog!
Oh how I wish I could have read this post before my little one was born. I stocked up on way too many cloth diapers and now have way more than we need. I spent a to on them too. I really enjoy cloth diapers but we really onl need a few like you said mainly mother ease one size at nights and prefolds here and there. We really like the Eca drop flap pants for trainers.
Well, I will know for the next baby at least!