Diaper Free Cesilee Update- EC at 13 months

Sheesh its been too long since I updated. I apologize, parenting two kids can make you behind on everything. Well Cesilee is now almost 14 months. She is in that wannabe independent stage where she must try things on her own or she freaks out. Its been fun. Due to her mobility and independence her pottying has some challenges. We are both frustrated. Now dont get me wrong, we take a laid back take it as it comes approach and are careful to not put any pressure on EC. I am just trying to figure out how to help her go in the best place possible. She is resisting sitting on her potty half the time and seems to prefer standing on laying flat on her stomach while she goes. I understand sitting is not the most instinctual way to eliminate but I wonder how I can effectively catch without her sitting on it? I think that because she is learning walking and other major things right now she is less focused on communicating her needs. Also I will admit that I got too laid back and wasn't noticing her signs. I am going to be better about it. Its hard to try to take her to the big potty and she seems to not like that she has nowhere to rest her feet. Despite these challenges I still prefer having a diaper free baby and she prefers that as well. Maybe I should actually read a book on natural infant hygiene to get some tips on how to move froward from here.

EC and our 7 month old!

  Well it has been a little while since I have updated about how the natural infant hygiene is going. I have been busy planning Ceaghans 3rd Birthday party and coordinating our local Improving Birth Rally For Change. Cesilee is now 7 months old. She can sit up on her own and even propels herself up from sitting on the potty to standing. She is not crawling yet though, she hasn't mastered both the arm and leg movements and ends up doing this very cute inch worm thing. She has been doing so amazing with giving us signs that she needs to eliminate. She urgently babbles, pops on a off the breast while nursing and even cries if its urgent. She is still dry during naps and goes upon waking and then around 15-20 minutes after that sometimes. Something that shocked me was that I randomly put her in her Grovia  diapers going out for a few days in a row and she did better in them than she ever did in trainers! I dont understand why but she would hold it longer and be more persistent about expressing her need. I dont really love having her in diapers, they are bulky and more work to get on and off. I was almost about to just only use them though if she had more success in them. But we started putting her in her trainers again and she is now expressing the need just as much in them!
  Chris is having more success as well. He would often miss her signs and end up with a lap full of pee before. But now she is getting his attention. I think the introduction of the tiny potty has helped as well. I purchased a Baby Bjorn smart potty, a clear tiny potty, and a pottete plus travel potty. I first bought the bjorn and she really was loving being able to sit on it on her own (she could even before being able to actually sit unassisted) and I realized that we were having more success using it. Before the potties I was walking her to the bathroom and holding her over the sink or the toilet to go. This was successful until she started reaching and grabbing things and becoming very distracted. On the little potty she can have a teether or toy to keep her hands busy. I keep the baby bjorn potty in the living room and the tiny clear potty on  the end corner of my bed. The pottete plus travel potty is great for keeping in your bag/vehicle. It has disposable liners but you can just put it on top of prefolds and then throw the soiled ones in a wet bag. I bought it because she had gotten so comfortable with going on the tiny potty at home that she didn't want to go being held over and sink or toilet while we were out. Also it is very convenient when we are at an outdoor location like a park that doesn't have a restroom.  I continue to get surprised how well EC goes while we are out. She will sleep on the way somewhere, wake up going in the carrier, eat, sleep some more and then wake up and get back to the car before going. Its amazing how much control babies have. She really does want to wait until her potty opportunity to go. Just from that you can see that this isn't something parents/caregivers force onto babies, it is what babies prefer and the parents/caregivers learn to help facilitate.
    We are still trying to figure out nighttime. I make an effort but it isn't going amazing. She isn't a loud demanding baby, she fusses lightly and even finds her own way to nurse while I am sleeping if she needs it. I think the issue is that I am not waking up when she is fussing the tiny bit she does before peeing. She can hold it for a while and then when she gets to an uncomfortable point she will fuss and release it all at once. This happens half way through the night and in the morning. I have tried waking up at 1am and sitting her on the potty, but she screams and cries and protests against it. She will not go and I think mostly she just is not awake enough. I am not sure what to do about this. We could try investing in layers of wool for the bed and keeping her nude with prefolds under her. I think that will be our next attempt for night. We will have random nights where I can get her to pee while nursing/still asleep and when she wakes up dry in the morning she releases a large amount in the potty. I wish every night could be like that. I'm sure in time it will get easier.

EC Daytime Cloth Trainer Reviews

 Realizing that diapers were a pain to take on and off to potty and that they contained too much absorbancy for the daytime, I purchased a variety of training pants for Cesilee. I have ended up liking certain styles for different reasons and certain situations. I have seriously over bought, but I wanted to try out many kinds and some cute prints are hard to resist. Cesilee is 5 months old and 15 lbs. She is chubby with a little belly and pudgy thighs. When she becomes mobile and her body changes, what works might really change. To be really honest though... to practice EC you dont really need anything. Yes there are items (like training pants, potty's, split pants) that make it a little more convenient, but they aren't required. You could really inexpensively use prefolds and receiving blankets to catch misses and a Tupperware or bowl as a potty and even use the bloomers that come with baby dresses as underwear! I like the convenience and the cuteness of the trainers and I dont mind the expense for that. Here are my thoughts on some types of training pants and an explanation of each that we use/have tried.
Ecapants Drop-style Training Pants $17.95 -$21.55

Waterproof EcaPants

Non-waterproof EcaPants

They are specifically made for babies who potty. They have a great range of sizes that fit from newborn all the way through toddler. I find them very convenient when out of the house. I could see how they wouldn't be as convenient under pants or shorts. Since it has been warm, Cesilee has been in shirts and dresses so we haven't encountered that problem yet. They have an elastic band that secures around the waist and then the front part snaps over top. When its time to potty, you simply unsnap or un-aplix the front from the sides and drop it back out of the way. Not having to take a trainer down or off and then back on is a lot easier, especially in situations where you don't have anywhere to lay baby down. I have tried both aplix and snap styles and I seem to have a preference for the aplix. This is so surprising to me since when we cloth diapered I was so anti-aplix; lover of snaps. The reason for this is ease of closing the Ecapants after opening them for use. I find when I am trying to reattach while juggling her in my arms it is easier to just stick aplix than try to secure snaps. One negative that I could see even stopping parents from purchasing Ecapants is the price. Some parents argue that they are simply an expensive version of using a prefold diaper secured with a prefold belt. The prefold/belt combination does not really transition well to outings. Overall I really love my Ecapants! They are ideal to me for times out of the home, especially the waterproof styles. They are well made and come in very cute prints and colors. I will definitely buy more when they go on sale or are listed for sale second hand. They are somewhat hard to find used but not impossible.

Blueberry Cloth Training Pants $15.95

She has a bunch of Blueberry training pant prints,
this one has sunset colored stripes.

I will be honest, the reason I was first attracted to these was the adorable prints!! I also was a huge fan of Blueberry/Swaddlebees diapers. I knew they would be made just as quality as the diapers were. The Blueberry training pants style is essentially absorbent underwear. Made to catch most of a pee so that you don't end up with a puddle. You pull them up and down and there are no snaps or other things to secure. A negative that can arise because of this is if you do end up missing a poop catch, it can result in an epic mess to clean up. These pants are very soft and can hold a pee miss very well despite not being waterproof. I like them for at home or going out to places where I know I will have space to take them on and off to potty. I find at this point that I can't just pull them down to her ankles to potty. It doesn't work out and I have dropped some accidentally into the toilet before. I like that the size small fits her great but has enough stretch that it seems like it will fit for a good while. I think that makes these a great investment. Since this brand is very popular and they are aimed for the potty training community, they are not hard to find used in excellent condition. The smallest size is the small size and so these would not work for younger smaller infants and newborns. They are made for the 20lb toddler who is potty training but like in our case could work on a chubby round baby. Measurements are more important than weight in cases like these.


Starbunz/Super Undies $19.99
I have some the original Starbunz Super Undies and the new style as well. They have a few different types. Ones that are pull on and have a sewn in absorbancy, ones that snap open and have a pocket and also overnight ones. I have some of the older style with the sewn in microfiber, a pocket and a PUL waterproof outer. And also some of the AIO style with no pocket: all of the absorbent layers are sewn in. The AIO style pulls on and off and the pocket style does also but has snaps as well. I like using them when going somewhere where I am unsure if I will have access to a toilet or when we are doing something that might distract me from her signs. Being waterproof makes a miss not as much of a mess. A bonus is that the pocket style can be stuffed with more absorbancy. Which means you could use them if you practice EC a night and need something as a backup. They seem well made. I just wish they had cute prints along with the colors and that the absorbent layers were made from natural fibers instead of microfiber. I find these a bit hard to pull on and off. We also have issues with them being too short in the back and her getting a plumber crack going on.

Guerilla Fluff Training Underwear

Guerilla Fluff Training Underwear $16.00
These are just so cute! I love the print choices of the cotton and how soft they are. They are essentially little underwear that have a lay in doubler to use as an training pant. It seems like a great idea to have them have 2 uses, however the lasy in doubled does just that..it lays in. So when you go to pull these on and off the insert twists and falls out the side. There is nothing keeping it in place at all. I found this annoying enough that I rarely reach for them at all. I am sure they will be great once she is older and needing underwear. They are cute and very well made. I just wish they would update them with a way for the insert to stay put! The price of these and the issues makes me not interested in purchasing anymore right now.

Super Skivvies  $17.95
These Skivvies are very cute very comparable to the Guerilla Fluff Trainer. They are also an natural fiber underwear style with an absorbent insert. But these have a piece of fabric in the crotch where you insert in the insert! It really does make them much more convenient and I reach for them if I am needing a non-waterproof trainer. Once your child is potty independent you can simply leave out this insert and use them as very cute underwear. They are very well made and have a good stretchy waist band. The only downside to these is that they are a bit pricey. At around $18 a pair, these are not for the budget conscious. However for those who love collecting cute prints, these are a good investment. One must also be aware that non-waterproof underwear style trainers are not extremely absorbent. They will catch a bit of pee but not as much as say the blueberry trainer. We are not at a point yet that I would be confident leaving the house with just these on.

Gerber Training Underwear $9.00/3 pk
Gerber training pants are cotton with an absorbent fill sewn into the crotch. The 18 month size will shrink enough in the wash to fit chunky babies well. They are inexpensive especially if found secondhand. Most stores will not carry the 18 month size but you can find them on amazon or at online EC stores. I love these for Cesilee during her day alert/play time. I am expecially attuned to her signals during this time. I find them extremely easy to pull on and off. They do catch a miss but sometimes not the whole mess. Sometimes I double them up for more absorbancy in case. This is easily done. I wish they made different colors and patterns. I am planning on attempting to tie-dye the solid white pairs in the future to make them more fun. The pink prints are cute but I would love some purple or other vibrant colors. These can be used as underwear once baby is potty independent, which makes the low price an even better deal. I am not sure how these will hold up over time but I like having these around right now.

Daisy Doodles Bikini Britches Trainer in Hot Pink.

Daisy Doodles Bikini Britches Trainers $16.95
These are Custom made to fit your baby or come in sizes. The ones I have were given to us (I was so excited!) and are a size medium. However they do fit good and are well made. The outside is waterproof and the interior is made of soft natural fibers. They are very absorbent. I like them for trips out of the house when I am either out of clean ecapants or need a pull down option instead of drop down option like the ecapant. I like that even a full pee will not leak out of these. These are very soft inside. A big downside to custom sized trainers would be that baby would grow out of them quickly. They fit perfect and are very trim at the start and them baby grows out of them and its time to drop more money on a size up. I have 4 or 5 size medium yet they all vary in sizing, which I find strange. Some fit perfectly and others the waist is too loose. They also only have one set of snaps on the side so you cannot adjust them. They outer waterproof material comes in a wide variety of solid colors. I like them a lot but don't plan on purchasing more anytime soon.

Charlie Banana Swim Diaper/Training Pant with
a cute heart on the butt!

Charlie Banana Swim Diaper/Training Pant $12.88
Charlie Banana gets props for this 2 in 1 style trainer. They can be used as an waterproof trainer or swim diaper. They prints are very cute and the sizing goes all the way down to newborn. They will hold a tiny bit of pee before they leak. They are sized and therefore wont be a long term investment. Baby grows out of them quickly but they are very trim. I tend to use these as a swim diaper the most. They are getting snug though and are very hard to get up and down. I dont think I would purchase more until she needs a new swim diaper next year.

I also have some Imse Visme trainers and an Gro-via trainer. The Imse Visme trainers are in their smallest size and although they are usable they are very large and bulky. I love Gro-via and do still use their AI2 and AIO system but their cloth trainer is way to large even on the smallest setting to use on Cesilee. It is also very bulky and thick. I am keeping it and hopefully we can use it for nighttime once she is older.

Using dress bloomers as underwear. 1-2 sizes down usually
works the best due to them being made to fit over diapers.

  Occasionally I dont use a trainer or diaper at all and we do naked time or a prefold with a prefold belt to hold it on. A prefold belt holds on the prefold and allows you to drop down the front to potty. You can use an headband as a belt as well. Like I stated earlier in this post, using a prefold belt is much like an inexpensive version of Ecapants. You can easily do this at home or under wool for outings. Well that is if you dont have a crazy addiction to cute prints like me! And the final option is just using tiny underwear or if you would rather avoid the ridiculous mark up on those special made tiny underwear,  you can go to your local thrift store and pick up a bunch of those little bloomers that go under baby dresses! I have seen these for as low as 5/$1.00. They will work for boy or girl as there are a wide variety of colors and prints.
  As I said in the beginning, you don't need anything to practice EC but these items make it even easier. They make life easier when you are going through transitions and are having a lot of misses.