The most eco friendly alternative to disposable nappies

[Andy Hamilton]

Well it is not like me to start a thread in this section as I don't have any kids. I thought this article might of interest to those of you with children still in nappies.

Here is a little extract - As with his two brothers, Jacob is being brought up using something called Elimination Communication, or Natural Infant Hygiene. In theory, it involves being attentive to signs that your baby needs to "eliminate", and then responding by moving quickly to the nearest toilet, sink or potty, depending on your preference. A jam jar, water bottle or the nearest bush will also suffice. The baby then eliminates and there's no need for a nappy.

I think if I had kids I might be ready to give it a go. Not sure if I could keep it up though.

[red]

something called Elimination Communication, or Natural Infant Hygiene.

oo and in my day we called that 'catching'

ah well. yes.. used to practise it a tad.. if you recognise the signs.. why waste a nappy (after swimming in the hydrotherapy pool, which was very warm, my son would always have a pee.. so I used to bring a potty to catch with...)
but - cant see how this works at night.. or in fact with newborns.. who dont seem to know when they are doing what...
and then also you have to balance that against the 'damge' that can be done to a child trying to potty train when they are just too early.. it can end up a very confusing time for the child - imho kids get the hang of potty training when they are ready.. and part of the process is knowing the sensation of being wet or dirty.. cant see how they would learn that if they were lowered over the loo anyway...
and then there's - how-does-that-work-if-the-parent-has-to-work. question.
and the couple in the article pooh-poohed (sorry!) the idea of using a pushchair saying it worked better with a sling. I can see that. they have a shock coming when their child gets to a size!!

having said all that.. if its working for them, then fine - and yes would definitely save on nappies. not necessarily on other washing... but on nappies.

[Annpan]

Well yes you do it a bit when your kids are older and for poos but as the article states most mothers have better things to do with their time other than stare at their baby's face all day. I would not feel happy sleeping in bed with my baby (beyond a few months)and couldn't carry her in a sling all day. If you don't do all this then there is no way you could 'catch' it in time.

As for sitting in your own poo, I change my baby as soon as I realise that she is dirty, so she doesn't sit in it. What about women using sanitary pads? or tena lady? sorry to get so detailed but really is it any worse? Also the astronauts use adult nappies, if it's good enough for them...

I have been realiably informed that there are links to bed wetting and early toilet training, so you would have to be quite careful about how it was done, so as not to set off the same triggers (ie. set toilet times)

hmmm... I think I'll stick my tried and tested method.

[Shirley]

As far as I'm concerned... life is just too short to spend it wondering when you little darling is going to 'perform' - sure this probably works for some people but not for me.

children are ready to come out of nappies when they are ready. There is no set age.. it differs from child to child.

I fussed about getting my middle child off the nappies and onto the potty... and he wasn't dry at night for a good long while....

I decided that I wouldn't fuss about my youngest and that I'd just, errrm... go with the flow (pardon the pun!) and it worked. Lot less stress and a dry child.

[baldowrie]

pointless exercise Andy, until the child realises they need to go it won't teach them anything but only serve to get the parent sleepless night and exhausting days...try doing it with twins

Far better to get cloth or preformed cloth nappies

Babies do pee in their sleep too

[chadspad]

I have 2 friedns that potty trained their boys early and are now suffering with bed-wetting problems even tho their boys are over 5. I left my son to realise what was going on with his bottom and he didnt get out of nappies until he was 3 but I have NEVER had a wet night with him. Dont rush these things is my opinion!!

[Annpan]

Bed wetting can be hereditary aswell though, along with it being a possible stress related problem. Although early potty training can be a cause, maybe it isn't always. There were problems in my family so I am going to leave E to tell me when she is ready in the hope that she won't grow up with the same embarresment that I did I was very old before I stopped

[circlecross]

I couldn't do this - I am trying to help my son potty train at the mo (he is three) and whilethe weather is warm he is out of nappies and outside. He just can't be bothered though - and actually hangs on until he gets a nappy back on then deluge! He goes to nursery, so he has to be in nappies for that, and we are busy going swimming, parks, soft play, occasional car trips...so I cannot let him be nappy less on these occasions. I also have a new baby, so the attention spent to either of them is compromised with regards to elimination. You do learn to recognise signs, but to be honest, it is very difficult to catch. I am sure my carpet will be a different colour when I clean it as it is full of two children's wee (as well as a pint of breastmilk), but I am still no nearer potty training him. He will do it when he is ready, and he is being stubborn, as he knows the whole routine, but is holding out on us!

[ina]

I often wonder - how did our mothers cope? No disposable nappies; no washing machines, either. I was definitely "dry" at the age of three - my brother was at two; the Kindergarten wouldn't have accepted anybody who still needed nappies (the adult/child ratio in those days was much, much wider). So how did they do it? None of us were bed wetters, either.

[Jerseymum]

I ended up part of a discussion on this whole issue on another board.
It seemed to boil down to being something that worked for those people who choose co-sleeping and attachment parenting, but those of us who had to leave our babies with other people, for whatever reason, couldn't imagine it working.
I know people from India/thailand who swear by it and say it is the norm where they come from.
I also know people who, when reaching the age of toddlerhood used to poo on the carpet infront of visitors becasue they had associated the praise of producing wee/poo with pleasing people you love and they wanted visitors to love them too.
My girls are almost 3 years and 6months. Eldest is only in a night nappy, and has been for nearly nine months. She still has accidents, most noticeably as a response to change in her day/routine when she is feeling insecure.
Littlest will be 'trained' the same way: when she is ready, we'll go for it.
Elimination technique or not, I'd still say either method is preferable to seeing a 4 or 5 year old in a well-known branded disposable nappy which is so efficient at whisking wet away that they don't know what it feels like to be wet and so never learn to toilet train. But I have a whole bug-bear about disposables and recognise that I may be slightly obsessive about cloth nappies.
I'm getting therapy!
Sarah

[Shirley]

Someone has already commented on the fact that children wear the super absorbent disposables and don't realise that they are wet... I wonder whether anyone has actually done a comparison study to show whether clothbots are out of nappies earlier than plastic and chemical wrapped babies? It would be very interesting.

[Annpan]

Sarah, I agree with you that it must work for some people but there are alot of cultural issues about how to raise your children. As we should not force other mothers in other cultures to raise their children in a way which is un-natural to them neither should mothers in this country expect that they can take on other methods when it is not in our culture to do so.

I refer to self-led weaning, which I had a long discussion with a mid-wife/ reflexologist / infant massage instructor. It is worrying that some women are choosing this method of weaning without extending breastfeeding past 6 months. Like-wise in countries with high breast-feeding practice (ie countries in which one has no choice) all mothers breast feed all babies - in India and Pakistan it is common for all mothers to do this where as in some African countries it tends to just be immediate family. In this country we must understand that these ideal situations are hampered by our culture of privacy and small family units. It obviously works in some families, but very few.


As for you using washable nappies, which type do you use? I just can't get into them at all. I have been trying tots-bots and traditional squares but E is very uncomfortable in them and can't move around as much as she can with disposables, I tend to use them on a whim and get so frustrated with having to change every 2 hours and that E is grizzley that I give up after about 2 changes I would rather use them can you give me any advice?

[Silver Ether]

Someone has already commented on the fact that children wear the super absorbent disposables and don't realise that they are wet... I wonder whether anyone has actually done a comparison study to show whether clothbots are out of nappies earlier than plastic and chemical wrapped babies? It would be very interesting.

ooooh thats a very good point... most of teh kids I loko after use disposable even though I am happy to deal with other routes and are usually out of nappies around three reguardless of wether toilet traing is started young or older... but my own katy was out at 12 months and she was a very wet baby ... so perhaps she did not like it and ???

[the.fee.fairy]

I was a cloth bot! I kept getting cystitis because i was too small to be wearing disposables, os the wee kept coming back up. Mum put me into terry nappies and i was dry by the time i was 18 months old (she decided to toilet train me really early to help stop the cystitis).

My sister was ok, she was a normal sized baby so she was in disposables but my dad had great troube with them (he resorted to parcel tape one day) but she wasn't dry til she was about 2 and a half.

I don't know whether it was to do with parental decision, or the disposables, but there might be evidence to suggest that clothbots are trained quicker.

[circlecross]

my boys are clothbots and as I mentioned, my eldest hangs on, preferring to wee in his nappy than the po. His skin is very sore, and is`not helped by nakedness, or dispicables. He is a heavy wetter, so feeling the wetness doesn't bother him. he will do it at his own pace, as bribes don't work. it is annoying, but I just have to wait!