Say bye-bye to the diaper bag. There's a growing movement to teach infants to signal when they have to go to the bathroom.
It's a common practice in Africa and Asia and it's gaining momentum in the United States.
It's the diaper free movement, a belief that children are born with the instinctive ability to signal when they have to go to the bathroom.
According to an Associated Press article last month, the way it works is this: Starting at birth, parents begin watching their babies for signals and routines, to learn to recognize when they need to eliminate. Holding the baby over a toilet or sink, the parent makes a hissing noise ("ssssss!") as the baby piddles. Eventually, the baby will wait until he hears the "sssss" before he goes. As he gets older, the parent begins "elimination communication," teaching the baby to signal by grabbing his wrist with one hand, showing that he needs to get to the potty.
There are mothers who swear this is more convenient, less messy and more natural than doing diapers.
They say this was the way everyone did it in the old days and the way it's always been done in poor nations.
One woman said her baby hasn't wet the bed since he was 6 months old.
The proponents of the diaper-free method seemed to be quite relieved about not having to clean up dirty diapers. But the comment that caught my attention was the freedom from carrying a big diaper bag. That advantage, alone, might make it worth the effort.
Who knows if the diaper free movement will catch on and soon be the norm, or if it's just another passing phase. If you decide to try it, email me and let us know how it worked.
