Elimination Communication: Essential Resources & Must-Have Items for Success
- Carmen Fourie
- Dec 23, 2024
- 13 min read
Updated: Apr 2
Doing elimination communication with Elba was one of the best parenting decisions we made. She's 22 months old now and has been out of diapers for a while. We never had to potty train her or have any kind of harsh transition from diaper to toilet. It was all very gentle & respectful, and one of the best things - our communication with, and connection to her was so much stronger as a result of doing EC since birth.
Let me share, based off our experience, the essential resources and must have items that I believe contributed greatly to our elimination communication experience.
First off let me say this - you do not NEED anything to do elimination communication. If it isn't in your budget or you aren't in a position to get any of these things. You can still do EC (elimination communication) without any of these things. That being said - I do think they make it easier and better to do - which is why I am sharing. But again, don't let not having something stop you. Use what you have and get what you need and want when you can. I will also provide alternative (cheaper) options where I am aware of them.
Right, with that being said - let's go.
Table of content:
Is it worth getting the Go Diaper Free Book?
This is a very common question I get asked.
I have the book, and I read it in preconception and pregnancy. I asked my mom to buy it for me as a Christmas gift as soon as we decided to start trying to conceive. I had watched videos on EC and I knew that this was something we wanted to do. I did not know a single person who was doing it or who had done it. Not knowing anyone who had done it or was doing it that I could ask questions, I sought out information online. At that time, I did not feel that there was enough practical information on EC. There was enough theoretical information of why to do it and the philosophy, but I wanted the actual how to part. And that is why I got the book.
Now that being said - there is a lot more practical information on EC out there - from other people, but also, I made Elimination Communication videos that are on Youtube that cover the very practical things like how to hold your newborn on a potty. You can watch them on my Youtube channel. I made updates every 3 months until Elba was 12 months old.
Given it seems EC is increasing in popularity, and you may be able to find someone, or have some friends who have done it to ask questions, and there is more information online - is it worth it to get the book?
Yes, if like me you are a nerd (I use this as a compliment), and you like to read and you like the details.
Maybe, if you like information but you do not love reading, because this is a very easy to read book and it has loads of photos and summaries. You can skip to what you want, and you definitely don't need to read it cover to cover.
No, if you'd rather obtain your information elsewhere (like videos or these blogs). Or learn more details as you do it and ask people as you run into challenges (I like to prepare lots up front, but that isn't everyone's vibe). Also, no if budget is limited - because it isn't a cheap book. Use the Go Diaper Free podcast and my Youtube videos rather if it isn't in your budget to get the book.
If you want the book:
Buy it straight from Go Diaper Free. *Use FOURIE15 to get 15% off.
Buy it on Amazon.
P.s. Please note some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Your support helps keep this blog running—thank you!
Alternatives:
Here are some alternatives to purchasing the book:
Buy the digital version of the book
Watch my Free Youtube Videos
Ask a friend who did EC for tips
Comment on my content with your questions & I'll do my best to answer them in full
Try to find the book 2nd hand
Ask for the Book as a gift like I did
Another reminder - you don't NEED the book. It is a nice to have resource that I enjoyed having. There are other EC items I definitely think are much more important and useful.
The most useful EC item in my opinion
You would think it is the potty, but no. The most used item and the best thing for our journey was actually something we did not buy with EC in my mind. We bought it for our home birth, and it became the best EC item. And that is: Reusable absorbent pads. But specifically, these ones.
I specifically recommend the blue ones. We have a pack of the blue ones and the white ones. The blue ones are thicker and firmer than the white ones. The white ones are nice for folding small to travel with, but for home use I recommend the blue ones.
Now, Go Diaper Free has a "Diaper Free Mat" / waterproof pad. It is nice and we still use it when for example offering potty in the car to protect the car in case of spill. But it was and is used less than the pads I am recommending. The reason is it is smaller. The bigger pad was great for Elba to do loads of diaper free time from birth until she was crawling (so for basically 9 months). She could roll around and still be on it. We used it to change her on and offer potty. To change her on we added a "bum towel". Basically, a cut up towel to put under her that we had many of and threw in the wash if some mess went on it. I didn't like washing the Go Diaper Free mat each time because it is more expensive and wears from washing - which is why I used bum towels over it and the bigger absorbent pad.
Once Elba was crawling, we still used the pads under the potty (in case of spills). We stopped using it when she could get on and off the potty without mess (herself) and was walking. But although we stopped using them for EC - we still use for other things.
Alternatives:
Here are some alternatives:
Get a playmat that is easy to clean
Use your highchair mat. We love using our highchair mat for messy play and Arts & Crafts. We have this one and I highly recommend it.
Use old towels or buy some 2nd hand ones from the thrift store (we had loads of towels for our home birth that were great for using around the house).
Having something this size that was easy to carry around, easy to wash and bigger than the average size changing pad made diaper free time much easier for us. And we did loads of diaper free time for the sake of EC, but also because we preferred Elba to not wear a diaper.
On that note.
Cloth Diapers and EC work well together
For parent and baby - cloth diapers go hand in hand with EC.
Babies, like us, don't like feeling wet. Cloth diapers, unlike modern disposables, leave a baby feeling wet. They are likely to communicate this to you as a parent and you'll start knowing when your baby goes. They will also (unless left to get used to being wet), not like being wet and thereby communicate more for potty or for you to help them take their diaper off.
You know the whole thing of boy babies peeing as soon as their diapers come off and parents using wipes or little cloth covers to catch it? To me that's part of babies not wanting to pee in their pants/diaper.
They also help parents because well, less cloth diapers to clean is a motivator to stay consistent when it might not feel like EC is working. For some motivation: I barely cleaned poop diapers after 6 months and I did not clean any poop diapers after 8 months (except that one time we were in the car and see was telling me poo and I couldn't find somewhere to stop). Each catch in the potty is one less diaper to clean. We were 100% cloth diaper parents until Elba stopped wearing diapers and now, she wears little cloth trainers.
Note: I don't recommend using liners in cloth diapers for EC babies. Reusable fleece liners are often used to pull moisture away from the baby (which can prevent rashes - which is why some parents use them for babies sensitive to moisture). The point with EC is to leave the wet feeling. Obviously if your baby is getting rashes and you want to prevent that by using a liner - I would pick that over the wet feeling, but that wasn't the case for us and so I didn't use liners.
Potty for a newborn
The top hat looking one is the newborn potty.
If it's in budget - 100% yes - I recommend getting at least one. They are so great to put between your legs and hold your tiny little baby and their tiny bum over.
I also strongly recommend using it with the cozy. Not necessarily for warmth, but for comfort for our tiny babies.
We only had one newborn potty and one cozy, but in future we will have more than that - especially an additional cozy, because often pee or poop would get on the cozy, and it needed to be washed. I found with such a small baby it was best to always use the cozy for softness and comfort in their time of adjusting from the womb to the world. I did not like putting little Elba's bum against a hard plastic potty, even though it was not cold in our house.
I've already bought a 2nd newborn potty and cozy that I found on FB marketplace for a reasonable price so that we will have two for a future baby.
The reason I recommend having two newborn potties is different to why I recommend having additional bigger potties. During the newborn phase I advocate for honoring the first 40 days by staying in or close to bed, therefore I don't think it is necessary to for example have a potty upstairs and downstairs. I don't recommend leaving the house unless absolutely necessary, therefore I don't think it is necessary to have one in the car. So, the reason I think it helps two have 2 newborn potties is because of how many times a day newborns poop and pee. I was catching poop and pee in the potty during the night, and I did not want to go throw it out or rinse it in that time. I found with being postpartum, lots of breastfeeding and healing, skin to skin, lying down, etc. - I didn't want the task of throwing out and rinsing the potty several times a day. Ian did do a fantastic job of throwing out and cleaning the potty to make sure I had a fresh one, but that job would be easier if there was more than 1 potty (especially at night).
Should you buy a newborn potty?
I understand that the cost of baby things can escalate quickly. Our choice of parenting meant there was lots of baby things we didn't buy and instead our baby budget went to things like the EC items (even at a time of adjusting to a new country and needing to be very tight with money). I found having this potty useful in the initial stages of EC and I found it to be worth it. That being said, it's a short time. We did not use the newborn potty for very long - only a few weeks.
Watch my newborn elimination communication video for more details on that.
Some parents may use it for longer, but I found it only worked nicely for a very little newborn and once they are bigger and stronger - the bigger potty works better, and the newborn one becomes annoying to use.
If you are in preconception or pregnant reading this - I recommend getting Facebook Marketplace to alert you to people selling EC items in your area or even, consider having it posted to you from in your country if you're outside the US. I have some EC supplies that were really affordable from parents who bought them new and ended up not doing EC. Because I am in Canada my orders from Go Diaper Free included shipping costs and taxes and duties.
Another recommendation: Find EC mom friends - they are often willing to let others use their EC items when they aren't using it, but also, I shared ordering costs with a mom friend which helped.
An alternative:
Here are some alternatives:
Find the smallest potty you can and use that
Use a plastic container or mixing bowl that is somewhat a useful shape and then don't let baby touch the sides if they aren't comfortable.
Use the bigger Go Diaper Free potty (which is also probably the smallest one you will find)
Elimination communication potty - which one & how many
The Go Diaper Free elimination communication potty is great. It is made with EC babies in mind, and it is smaller than any potty I've seen on the market.
If you can get this potty - I definitely recommend it, because most other potties are made with toddlers in mind and not a baby. This potty worked well for our baby when she was a baby and when she became a toddler before she transitioned to the toilet. She is now 22 months old, and we still use this potty when we go out for her to go in the car.
It is easy for them to learn to climb on themselves, because again an EC baby is younger than a toddler who can walk and is more physically developed. It is also nice from them to carry around when they get to that stage.
Recommendation: I highly recommend looking for this 2nd hand. It is easier to find than other EC items. I bought one new and I found two more on Facebook marketplace. I am not sure which version I received when I bought mine, but the one I bought from Go Diaper Free does not have the nonslip part at the bottom. The one shown on the website now does have it. The two I bought off FB both have it. I definitely prefer the ones with the nonslip bottom. Elba might disagree since she likes to climb on her potty and skooch around the bathroom.
How many potties to have?
If you can get them - 3 is the perfect number for us. We started with 1 and it was fine, but three was best for us because:
one upstairs
one downstairs
one in the car
While I do recommend the use of the cozy for the newborn potty, I don't think it works well for the bigger potty. We live in Calgary, Canada - we know cold and even in the cold I don't think the cozy works well for the bigger one. I don't have enough EC friends to hear if it worked well for someone else, so if you try it - please let me know. I have two cozies for the bigger potty, and I didn't use them. I tried and found it was messy. It isn't as easy and clean to put on and take off compared to the newborn one and it impacted sitting on the potty (like her position). But let me know if you try it please!
Alternatives:
Buy a small potty that you can find - a friend of mine used the IKEA one and found it worked well (she did, however, only start EC around the time her baby was 9 months old).
Search for "baby" potty in your country or area. Specifically, "baby" and not toddler
Use the method of holding your baby over the toilet (we didn't really do this)
Note: For those in South Africa - Here is a link to a Baby Potty sold on Takealot that a friend of mine has used for her Elimination Communication journey.
If you are in another country and find a baby potty - please share it with me that I can share it with others.
Go Diaper Free is based in the US and while they ship to many countries, it isn't always practical, affordable or possible for people to buy from them.
And that is all the items I recommend specifically for EC in the first year or so, but there are some items for older babies I recommend as well.
Items for older babies
Once you feel your baby is ready, I recommend getting a toilet seat for them to be able to sit on the toilet. We are at this stage, and we have 3 - One upstairs, one downstairs and one in the diaper bag that folds up. For upstairs we have the IKEA toilet seat, for downstairs we have a really nice one with handles (I like this one the most) and for the diaper bag we have one that folds up, which is practical.
And the other item I recommend for older babies is using trainers instead of diapers. I made a whole Youtube video on it when we switched to trainers for Elba at 12 months and another video on the different trainers we tried -Reusable trainer review video.
Watch those for more details, but the two trainers I highly recommend now having used trainers for a while is:
Tiny Undies - we use these the most. These are the best for everyday use at home (and then out the house too a bit later).
And Thirsties Small Organic Cotton ones. These are the best for nap and transitioning out of diapers at night because they have a waterproof outer.
And those are the items I recommend having for your EC journey. Thank you for joining me on this Elimination Communication journey! 🌿 I hope these insights, resources, and tips help you feel more confident and connected in this unique parenting approach. Remember, every little success counts, and patience is key. If you have any questions or stories to share, I’d love to hear them in the comments below. Until next time, happy parenting and connecting more to your baby!
Carmen
