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Posted by Dawnee on May 16th, 2009 in Articles

Asa, diaper free, eco, mama

“What is the deal with this potty training before she is even one?”

A dear friend of mine responded with this question when I emailed her pictures of my daughter. Included in the set were shots of Asa sitting on her potty reading a book. I figured people would comment on Asa reading, not on the fact that she was using a potty at, what I’ve since learned, is a controversial age for potty training in the United States.

Before my daughter was born, I decided without question that I would use cloth diapers. I believed it was the eco-friendly choice, and being well aware of the toxic life span of the disposable diaper, I went ahead and stocked up on cotton pre-folds and Velcro diaper covers that I would wash at home myself. At some point in my pregnancy, I came across a book called Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer. Thinking I had the diaper situation covered, it surprised me to learn that there was an even better solution to the diaper dilemma, one that required no participation in the ultra-wasteful $3.2 billion disposable diaper industry, and also didn’t add to the problematic eco-impact of cloth diapering.

Diaper Free takes parents through the process of “nature’s design for infant care” i.e., observing your baby’s natural cues for elimination and responding appropriately. Bauer uses her personal experience with her own children as a foundation for other parents to begin practicing natural infant hygiene, also known as elimination communication. However, the most compelling argument in the book is the fact that millions of people worldwide practice a diaper free lifestyle. For example, mothers in India, Africa, and China are so attuned to their babies it is second nature for them to respond to the child’s elimination rhythms. In other words, diapers have never been a part of the equation in these traditional cultures.

The idea that I didn’t have to use a diaper was a revelation. And so I removed my family from the debate of disposable vs. cloth, and went renegade. I started elimination communication with Asa when she was 4 weeks old – I simply took her to the bathroom sink when I thought she needed to pee or poop, and if she did she would. I soon learned to read her cues, and within a short time we were in elimination harmony, with very few accidents. As soon as Asa learned to sit up, we gifted her with a little green potty that she uses regularly at the ripe old age of 13.5 months. I don’t travel with a diaper bag when we’re out and about since Asa can use the women’s facilities (or, in a pinch, a patch of grass), and I’ve happily saved money on the detritus of diapers – the wipes and ointments, not to mention the hidden environmental costs (the manufacturing, transporting, and disposal) behind purchasing those materials.

The mainstream ideals of this country are all about convenience, from our food, to our fuel, all the way down to how we nurture our children through pottying. It isn’t easy to go against the grain, and being eco-friendly in all aspects of my family’s life takes true time and effort. The rewards, however, have been worth it. My daughter is healthy, happy, and enjoys the extra nurturing a diaper free lifestyle provides. It’s another piece of a give-and take relationship with the planet that I strive to teach her about, and a worthwhile lesson it is.

To read more about Diaper Free, check out: http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/  

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