Elimination Communication: when refusal hits!

We'd been doing so well with Elimination Communication but just lately we've hit a 'potty refusal' stage. I seem to remember this vaguely with Esme although we weren't practicing EC as diligently as we are with Gidoen. This 'refusal' seems to coincide with developmental changes. Gideon is starting to get up on his hands and knees and move around the floor a bit so really doesn't like being 'confined' on a potty. Also, he's much more interested in things around him so is often wanting to reach things when he is sitting on the potty which results in him pushing himself up and off the potty!

So...what to do about it? There's not a lot we can do about it at present apart from just wait it out (and I know things will change - as they always do with a little baby!) Luckily Gideon is still happy to do poo in the potty (I really don't think he likes doing it in his nappy anymore - he will deliberately hold on these days until he is on the potty to do it) but we are having a bit of trouble catching wee at the moment. When we try to put him on the potty for a wee he will often cry and push himself off. We still have times that we are guaranteed to catch a wee (such as when he first wakes up or first has his nappy off) but in between those times, it's a bit hit and miss (literally!) We are quite fortunate in that we have floorboards so don't have to worry too much about carpets getting dirty although do occasionally get misses on our rugs (a terry towel to soak up the wee immediately works wonders by the way).

We do have a few 'tricks' that we can use to keep Gideon happy on the potty if he's refusing to go though. One of those is putting a basket filled with lots of different toys in front of him so he can rummage through it, giving him a favourite toy to chew on, or a piece of fruit that he likes (yeah, probably not the most hygienic but you gotta go what you gotta do!) Also, bigger kids sitting with him and talking to him can also help (although sometimes this is more of a hindrance than a help - especially when they yell and stick their faces in his!)

So, that's where we're up to with our EC journey at the moment. I will update again in a couple of months time and let you know whether the 'refusal' stage has passed - fingers crossed it has!