Our Zen Family

Yesterday marked Day One for our elimination communication (EC). In reality, it is not really the first day, as we’ve spent the last 5 weeks observing and learning Taio’s elimination patterns. In the last week or two Taio has been a lot more consistent with his timing and patterns. I started to note that upon rousing in the morning he would have a poop and pee. Clint and I had discussed starting the natural infant hygiene process as it has been obvious that the little guy despises being wet and/or dirty. We have attempted to initiate the use of cloth three times, all rendering diaper rash. We’ve had to revert back to ‘eco-friendly’ diapers (is that possible? at the very least eco-friendlier!). I felt pretty confident that Taio would take to EC if it meant he would spend less time in wet nappies!

We woke up yesterday and Taio was making his usual grunting indicating a poop was on its way. Clint suggested getting the potty. I ran to get the potty, removed Taio’s bottom layer and held him in position over the receptacle. I gently asked if he needed to use the potty and made the cueing sounds ‘poo-poo’ and ‘pssss’ To our amazement, within seconds Taio was pooping, followed by a stream of pee!! Well that was easy. Was it beginners luck? We praised him over and over again, you’ve never seen such proud parents! And Taio really seemed to comprehend what had transpired.

So was it beginners luck? Feeling optimistic we tried EC for the remainder of the day. And it worked- Taio pooped one other time and peed 10 times over the course of the day. The most incredible thing- after a nap I held Taio over the potty and he went pee. I put a diaper on him and we all went out to run errands. We were gone about 2 hours or so. When we got home I undressed Taio and discovered his diaper was unsoiled. I held him over the potty and he went pee again!

I could tell by the end of the day, the little guy was knackered. That was a lot of work and stimulation for him. I decided not to push him too much. I was not going to offer the potty in the middle of the night but after a feeding I went to change him and noticed his diaper was clean again. So I held him over again and lo and behold he went pee. And again when he woke up this morning. And a big poop mid-morning. I missed the first one this morning- he had already started in his diaper and got very disgruntled when I attempted to interrupt. There will be misses and I reckon it is not 100% fool proof but so far Taio’s done an awesome job and we are so proud of him

It is a well known fact that babies love to be touched and gain a lot of comfort and security through contact with parents and family. In many cultures, massage is an integral part of the process, beginning daily from birth. I’m most familiar with Ayurveda which has its origins in India but it is quickly gaining popularity here in the ‘West’.

Baby massage has so many wonderful benefits, from bonding (gives dad a chance to get involved too), relaxation, relief (especially for gassy and/or colicky babes), interaction and stimulation. Some purport that regular baby massage enhances neurological and physiological development.

We have incorporated baby massage into Taio’s daily routine;  sometimes he gets two massages…if the little guy gets a shower and a bath!

I have noticed he has less gas and thus is less fussy (not that he’s overly fussy- he is a Zen baby after all!). Also I’ve noticed if he gets upset or is crying, a simple foot massage seems to calm him down. All in all, Clint and I thoroughly enjoy giving the massage and  its obvious Taio enjoys the experience- but you can decide for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39RR6f5T6VA