Natural Infant Hygiene

Natural infant hygiene, also called Elimination Communication, is a new term given to a very ancient practice. It's a hygienic, respectful way of handling baby's eliminations (pee and poo), and it involves getting in touch with baby's cues and responding appropriately. Parents all over the world raise babies without diapers, and they don't get messed on. :)

Just as babies give clear signals when they're hungry, tired, bored or not feeling well, and Mothers can pick up on those, babies also signal the need to "go". Parents can choose to tune in to those signals instead of ignoring them. Instead of training baby to go in a diaper, parents who choose NIH/EC cue baby to go into an appropriate container (in our culture, usually a small potty) or other acceptable place (in other parts of the world, the grass or other toilet facility).

Natural infant hygiene is not about using force neither is it a coercive way to potty train. It also isn't about exerting control over a baby's body. Rather, it is a method that respects the innate wisdom that all living creatures have... the desire not to eliminate on their own bodies. It also acknowledges that babies are ever so much smarter than we give them credit for! In my own experience using this method with two of my children, it's amazing to see a young baby clearly indicating that s/he wants to use the potty instead of a diaper. Just as some are amazed to see a young baby using sign language.

While natural infant hygiene is a method that is unheard of by the majority of American parents, it is practiced in most countries around the world and is growing in popularity in Western lands. A nonprofit organization exists to help parents who want to raise a baby, diaper free. DiaperFreeBaby.org was established to give support to parents practicing Elimination Communication. You can listen to an interview with Melinda Rothstein, co-founder of DiaperFreeBaby here.

Two excellent books that discuss what Natural Infant Hygiene is and how to do it, is Infant Potty Training by Laurie Boucke and Diaper Free! by Ingrid Bauer.