Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Potty Whispering

The Gentle Art of Infant Potty Training

I was excited when I learned a video on elimination communication had been released. I ordered Potty Whispering almost immediatly - with my fourth baby due it's a good time for me to "brush up" on my EC skills!

The video was really well done. You get two disks full of information and both of them are extremely helpful. The video starts with an introduction to exactly what "Potty Whispering" is - you may know it by the terms "elimination communication," "infant potty training," "natural infant hygiene," or "diaper free baby."

After the introduction the video dives right into how-to's and instructions for using elimination communication with your baby.

Of course one of the strengths of any video is the video footage - and Potty Whispering gives plenty. There are also a lot of still shots sent in by families who have used elimination communication with their babies. The video and still shots a really big help!

The basics are all covered in Part 2 - you'll learn how to observe your baby for timing and patterns. You get to see some great examples of baby cues as well. The discussion continues with ways to "cue" your baby to go, with different positions, locations for pottying baby, and different recepticles. And all of this is illustrated for you with photos and video footage!

Other sections of the first disk discuss how a baby is aware of his or her elimination and how much baby is capable of. A large section covers things to avoid as well as common myths.

Part 5 was one of my favorite sections - it covered issues like late-starters, multiples, nighttime EC, cold weather, "part-time" EC, etc. Since we've moved to a cold climate I was very interested in the cold weather section. I found it and the nighttime section really helpful.

Part 6 is a useful section as well - it covers all kinds of resources and support groups/forums you'll appreciate while you're bringing up a diaper free baby. Though it does neglect to mention my EC articles ;p it's suprisingly thorough in the resources it covers.

The second disk consists of several interviews. The interviews are great. It's very helpful to listen to the experiences of families working with EC (and seeing footage of their beautiful children!) There's an interview with the mother and father of twins - if you have or are expecting multiples you'll really find that interview helpful. I found it helpful and I'm having a singleton!

There are also some interviews with medical experts that will reassure you that today's beliefs about how long "potty training" must be delayed are errenous and that you'll only be helping your baby by doing even a little elimination communication with him or her.

All in all I was thrilled with Potty Whispering! I've already watched several sections of the video a few times and I know I'll refer to it more as my due date gets closer - and most certainly after my baby arrives!

If you're new to EC, would like to see some "real life" examples from families using Elimination Communication, or if you just want to learn more for yourself (and your baby) pick this video up today!