Climber & EC

There's my little climber! He will not stay away from the oven! So far, he does seem to notice when it's on and warm & he hasn't really tried to mess with it then.. But I'm always right there too & telling him no, hot! Otherwise, he likes climbing on it several times a day. One day I was holding it closed and so he angrily opened the drawer there next to it and attempted to pull himself up.. He did a full pull up! He's one strong little man. We tried to find an oven lock but haven't yet. He also sees his brother use his step stool all the time, so he thinks he has to as well! He actually uses it very well!

Courtesy of wikipedia: 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. Caregivers try to recognize and respond to babies' bodily needs and enable them to urinate and defecate in an appropriate place (e.g. a toilet). Caregivers either use diapers as a back-up in case of misses, avoid the use of them altogether, or do a mixture of the two. 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 practice can be done full time, part time, or just occasionally. The term "elimination communication" was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby care in less industrialized countries and hunter-gatherer cultures.^[1] Some practitioners of EC begin soon after birth, although it can be started with babies of any age.

This week, I began semi using elimination communication. Aeson hates to have diapers on & will take them off any chance he gets. I also figure since I'm home, I may as well be working on it with him! And, I see this as the more natural thing.. Diapers don't seem that way for me. Plus, I get tired of washing diapers all the time & I don't want him to get used to always going in them, which will in turn make potty training harder! I'm not trying it all the time yet or anything like that.. It's too hard with other children here or when we go out places.. but I say it's still a start! I thought it was rather fun too. I haven't picked up on any signal or cue that he's going to go potty but once he started, I stuck the bucket under him and he LOVED peeing in it! He actually stopped himself pretty much every time (when I gasped, realizing he was going!) and then started again once the bowl was under him. Once, he's even pointed to the bowl & when I got it, he went! He was pretty proud of himself for pottying in there. He also LOVES to sit on the toilet.. but the problem is, he just wants to sit there! And sit there & sit there & sit there! :) He's made a few messes but luckily we have hardwood floors & it's an easy cleanup. I hope I continue to find time to work on it with him. I think it's a pretty amazing practice!

Well, I hear my little bundle up right now, so I better go cuddle him & give him some milk!