Check it out, parents! Our free, grant-funded program to help you with potty training and so much more is finally here. In 2019, Diaper Stork teamed up with Re-Think Green to conceive of a project that would save families money, reduce the amount of trash going to landfills, and minimize toddler meltdowns. Our project received a grant from the Waste-Free Communities Matching Grant program, meaning that every dollar and volunteer hour we put into this initiative earns us a 2-to-1 match from the City of Seattle, up to the amount of our grant. Our team has put in hundreds of hours of work to teach families the skills of infant potty training (EC, or Elimination Communication) and toddler potty training, share our cultural knowledge and spread the word about a lower-cost, zero-waste way to keep our babies and kids clean and dry. Today, we are ready to show you what this project is all about, and to invite you to participate and spread the word. Here’s what you can look forward to:
Elimination Communication Challenge GroupThe greatest news that maybe you’ve never heard: Babies are born ready to eliminate away from their bodies, which is why they signal, fuss and cry BEFORE they need a diaper change. They want that diaper off so they can stay clean and dry! Give them “pottytunities” at the right times, and you can keep those diapers clean and dry, too, with benefits for your wallet and your local landfill, as well as that happy baby. Infants have been going diaper free since time immemorial, and in many places around the world, they still do. To solve our first world problems of too much trash and budget-busting diaper expenses, we aim to reclaim the lost skill of infant pottying, which our elders and community members from other countries can help us relearn.
We are following a group of 6 families and their EC certified facilitator, Heather who also has a newborn, as they learn about and practice responding to their babies' pottying needs, either full-time or part-time. These families will explore the techniques of elimination communication (EC) over the one-year period of our grant with monthly meetings. By sharing their stumbles and successes, they will help broad networks of families learn about EC and get excited about trying it with their own babies. Read more.
Free EC Classes and Activities
For those who don’t have newborns right now or aren’t sure if EC is for them, we have a free
video class introducing Elimination Communication without any commitment. Join our
Facebook group or mailing list to keep informed. Free Potty Training ClassesWhen is the best time to potty train? Since Pampers developed the disposable diaper in 1961, a majority of pediatricians, led by Pampers’ paid spokesman Dr. Ben Brazelton, have refused to give parents concrete advice, instead making potty training sound difficult, anxiety-inducing and something you don’t want to rush. That’s a big reason why the average age of daytime dryness has risen from 18 months of age in the 1950s to over 37 months today. And they keep coming out with new, bigger size diapers! Well, we have no qualms about giving parents the real scoop on potty training: 18-30 months of age is the ideal age to complete daytime potty training using a kind, gentle, but methodical teaching process. Over a short period of time, determined but compassionate caregivers who put in the time can teach their toddlers this important skill, using reassurances instead of rewards to help them get past any anxieties. Parents’ and caregivers’ preparation makes all the difference, because we can’t expect every child to potty train themselves. Expert potty trainers will give you the strategies and confidence to seize the perfect moment for your 18-24-month-old to start. Stay tuned for our schedule of free classes. The goal of this project is to lower the average age of potty training in Seattle by six months, saving $500 per month, 335 gallons of waste and countless tantrums per family.
Join our
Facebook group or mailing list to keep informed. Watch our potty training video class for parents or caregivers. Outreach to Pediatricians, Doulas and DaycaresDaycares, medical professionals, and parent educators play an important role in families’ potty training journeys. We are looking for daycares as well as pediatricians, other health care professionals and parent educators who are interested in this topic.
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