Is Diaper-Free For You?

Some say the bulky diaper bag commonly hanging from infant strollers is becoming a thing of the past thanks to a growing "diaper-free" movement for babies that can't even crawl yet. Sometimes called "elimination communication" or IPT (infant potty training), the diaper-free movement was founded on the belief that babies are born with an instinctive ability to signal when they have to relieve themselves. Parents of diaper-free babies have learned to read their baby's body language and cues (facial expressions, a particular cry, squirming, a sudden unexplained fussiness, etc) and then respond by taking their baby to the appropriate place to use the bathroom. The parent then gives a "cue" to signal the child it's OK to go ahead and relieve themselves. Common cues include a "psss psss" sound for urination, and "hmm hmm" sound (grunting) for defecation. Parents or caregivers of very young children may first make the cueing sound when the baby is eliminating to develop an association. Once the association is established, the cue can be verbalized to tell the baby that he is in an appropriate place to use the bathroom. Diapers can be used but usually become unnecessary after a short time.

Parents Of Diaper-Free Babies Love The Convenience Of Going Diaper-Free: Parents who have successfully gone diaper-free sing the movement's praises, claiming it's not at all uncommon for a baby to be completely free of diapers by 4 to 6 months of age. This means much more freedom, less work, less panic in middle of the night and the absence of the bulky diaper bag. Diaper-free babies are common in many parts of rural Africa and Asia where parents cannot afford diapers. In the United States, many diaper-free parents are stay-at-home-moms, but there are also working mothers and even fathers who embrace the practice. Proponents of diaper-free babies feel the method is superior to other methods of toilet training because there are no rewards or punishment, the process encourages close ties between babies and their caregivers, and the practice reduces the large environmental impact of diapers.

Critics Are Skeptical Of The Feasibility Of Diaper-Free: Some parents and toilet training experts are skeptical of the feasibility that an infant can really be "diaper-free." Many parents wonder how it's possible to worry about an infant's signals and cues while trying to nurse, care for and bond with a baby on only a few hours of sleep. Experts insists that children younger than 12 months have no control over bladder or bowel movements. Most maintain that the diaper-free practice merely conditions babies to go to the bathroom at predictable times or show clear signs when they must go. To be truly toilet-trained, they say, a child has to be able to have the sensation that they need to go, be able to interpret that sensation and then be able to communicate and prompt their parents to take action. Diaper-free babies, they say, are missing the last two steps in the equation.

Challenges Of Going Diaper-Free: Developmental milestones or illness can delay the process or make going diaper-free more difficult. This is because an infant may be too distracted by illness or the efforts necessary to master a new skill to worry about communicating their need to go to the bathroom. Many diaper-free parents have a challenging time finding a supportive daycare center. Other problems include finding tiny underwear for diaper-free infants and the awkwardness of explaining the process to friends, family and strangers not familiar with it.

Still, whether critics and other parents agree, the diaper-free trend appears to be one that is here to stay. Like breast or bottle and working or staying home, going diaper-free is an individual decision based on a family's unique situation. It's highly likely that the growing number of diaper-free families will be noticed by corporate America, who might just begin to produce underwear sized by months instead of years.