Forget Diapers, Try Elimination Communication

Wouldn't it be great if babies didn't need diapers? There would be no smelly surprises, no need to change a diaper when you're driving down the interstate, no frustrating attempts to potty-train your toddler. Well, it is possible with a process called elimination communication.

Elimination communication (EC)—also often called infant potty training—is a system that revolves around raising your child with minimal or no use of diapers. It's all about learning and recognizing your child's signals, while teaching cue sounds and potty associations. Some parents use this with diapers to prevent accidents when the family goes out, while others learn to be rather resourceful when it comes to finding a quick place to pee.

Parents who want to use diapers in the early months can start to develop elimination-place associations by picking up on your child's signals and sitting him or her on the potty when those signals occur. Many parents also periodically take their child to the potty throughout the day and night to help establish potty association and to give the child the opportunity to eliminate.

EC can be a much easier way to teach your child to use the toilet. Think about it: If your child is in diapers for two years, you've been teaching your child that it's normal to urinate or have a bowel movement in a diaper; no wonder it's a hard habit to break for some kids. But if your child is taught to urinate or have a bowel movement on the potty from infancy, then that will seem natural—and your child may even be "potty trained" before baby's first birthday.

While it may be a more natural form of "potty training," EC isn't for everyone. It requires close attention to your child all day, every day, so it's not for parents who head back to work soon after their child is born (unless you have a nanny, but then you're not really getting the bonding benefits). But if you have the time and patience, it can pay off.

Mayim Bialik—better known as Blossom, from the '90s sitcom—used EC with her kids when they are at home. When they're out, it's all about cloth diapers.

"When I first learned about it I thought it was the craziest thing I've ever heard," Bialik told the Sierra Club.

"It's a really profound level of communicating with your child," she said, adding, "It's a really profound level of communicating with your child."

Bialik's second son was dry in 11 months.

Elimination Communication is Worth the Effort

It's a time-consuming process that involves carefully watching your children in the early months, but if you have the time, it's well worth it.

Newborns go through about 15 to 18 diapers each day, and the average baby uses around 5,000 diapers before being potty trained (that's just the average—yours might use more!). And when you consider the number of babies in diapers at any given time, the waste is astounding.

At least 18 billion disposable diapers end up in American landfills each year, and each diaper takes 500 years to decompose (recent estimates peg the current number closer to 27 billion diapers). What's more, the resources to make 18 billion diapers are significant: 82,000 tons of plastic and 250,000 trees.

Reusable cloth diapers are the green alternative, but they're still not as green as EC. Think about it: Every time you need to wash diapers or send them out to a diaper service, you're using energy and water. Reducing reliance on diapers altogether is a much greener option.

EC can help you save resources and money, and though there is a lot of work in the first year or so, you'll bypass the hassle of potty training a toddler. What more could you ask for?