Ditch the Diapers project was created by Julia and Carrie after learning about the SPU communities waste free grant.

Julia Deák Sandler is a community organizer with a background in language education as well as quantitative and qualitative research. Her work these days is focused on sustainability and community resilience, and she has worked to share intercultural wisdom for sustainable lifestyle changes since 2016 on the blog she created, Re-ThinkGreen.com. She lives in Lake City, where she has enjoyed raising her son, who was in a home-based daycare several days per week starting at 10 months of age. They did part-time EC, part-time cloth diapers, and at 25 months of age completed daytime potty training with the intensive "Oh Crap" method


Mara is an early childhood educator and executive functioning coach. She has over four years of experience working in preschools as a lead teacher with two-year-olds. Contrary to most, Mara’s favorite part of teaching preschool was potty training! While it may be messy, this period of learning is filled with opportunities to build connection, cultivate independence, and foster body autonomy. She believes that few things compare to seeing the pride on a child’s face when they experience the success that comes with taking on this challenge. Mara is thrilled to share her joy of potty training and work with families to navigate this phase with ease.


Heather is a certified EC coach and has been practicing elimination communication (EC) with her daughter since discovering EC when she was 6 months old. Working full time and only practicing EC on a part time basis, her family successfully ditched the diapers at 15 months. She was able to work with her childcare providers to find a balance that worked for her family. "It felt good to have one more form of communication with my daughter. I felt so luck to bond with her in this way. I found a love for EC and wanted to share my journey and help introduce infant pottying to others along the way.”


Katja is a mama to three girls, with whom she chose to use EC from birth for environmental impact and for the bond it allowed with her babies. Each kiddo brought new lessons to her EC journey, and she wishes to share her knowledge with you! She is also a register nurse, practicing at a Family Birth Center in Portland, OR.


Jazmin is a Certified Oh Crap! Potty Training Consultant, as well as a Full Spectrum Doula and Certifying Lactation Educator. She has years of experience working with children, stemming from her years working at a Grade 1-8 school for students with dyslexia, working as a doula, and as a mommy of two astounding girls. Potty training is a big milestone for little ones. "Potty training is a rediscovering of senses, feeling new emotions, and having to process new experiences. It's a lot for any child and parent to go through, but you don't have to go it alone. I potty trained my eldest daughter (10 years ago) when she was 15 months and with the help of my parents. They provided advice, comparison stories, and helped me to process what my daughter was experiencing. It was immensely helpful. I strive to be that person for the families that I work with."


Suzanne is a birth doula, nanny and mom of three who first learned about elimination communication when her oldest was about 18 months. She started from birth with her second and third babies with great success. She's been teaching EC classes with Ditch the Diapers for a few months now and loves helping people learn how to potty their babies!

Carrie is the owner of Diaper Stork and the business lead on this project. "When I was pregnant, only one acquaintance mentioned elimination communication to me. The first time I tried it my baby was 1 month old, and she pooped over the potty. I felt a deep sense of reward and excitement, I was hooked. By the time she could sit up, I was only changing a poopy diaper once per week. My friends and family were skeptical and continue to be, but my experience made me want to build awareness that babies and toddlers are way more capable than our society has taught us to believe. As owner of a cloth diaper business, I am aware that many families will never choose cloth as an alternative to disposables so using less is the next viable option to making a dent in our diaper waste, plus someone has to combat the billion dollar disposable diaper industry that encourages families not to worry about potty training because they got you covered with SIZE 6 diapers."