Diaper-Free Babies? Introducing "Elimination Communication"

Ever wonder how mothers in less industrialized societies who work in fields with babies carried on their backs deal with no diapers or sanitation stations? From the third world, where parents are less able to afford disposable diapers and are more wedded to traditional child-rearing techniques, comes an age-old practice with brand-new meaning for eco-parents concerned about the environment. Called 'elimination communication" or EC, it's a practice that teaches parents to use timing, signals cues and old-fashioned intuition to address an infant's bodily needs in a way that reduces and some times completely eliminates the need for diapers.

According to the website Diaper Free Baby, there are 75 benefits to the early potty training of children. In addition to the close communication between child and caregiver and elimination of ills such as diaper rash, is the significant environmental benefit of using fewer disposable diapers. It is said that 18 billion disposable diapers were sold in the US in 2005, the majority of which ended up in landfills.

Diaper-free babies? Perhaps a lost-art worth reviving in the new eco-conscious age.

COMMENTS ()