Oh, potty training! We all have heard the scary stories! Fortunately, my oldest had a pretty easy transition. I never really intentionally trained him. It just kind of happened. At two and a half, he started asking to go to the bathroom when he had to go #2. And right after turning three, he was fully “potty-trained” without having been trained.

When it comes to delays in children with Down syndrome, I have read a lot about potty-training. I must confess that I found it really intimidating. And the more I read, the more I believed that the delay in this topic was unavoidable. But that did not stopped me from continuing to research.

During my time trying to learn more about successful potty-training experiences, I learned about “elimination communication”. I found stories from many moms talking about how by using this method, they had been able to get their kids with DS potty-trained within a neuro-typical range.

What is Elimination Communication (EC)?

EC is a practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant’s need to eliminate waste. Caregivers try to recognize and respond to babies’ bodily needs and enable them to urinate and defecate in an appropriate place. (source)

This ancient method is used by some families, nearly from birth, to potty-train their children. I have decided to take a different approach when it comes to using it with Mara. I am using it as a way for her to start becoming aware of her own body cues now that the is three months away from turning two.

We have just started using EC when Mara needs to go #2. If I am near her at the time, I can always see those cues so that is a good place for us to start. When I see her giving those cues, we move to the bathroom to try to finish in the toilet. We have had some early success.

The pee cues are way less evident for Mara. So for that, I am simply starting by putting Mara on the toilet every time I am about to change her diaper. In this way, I want to just introduce the idea of using the toilet for that purpose.

I will keep you posted on whether or not EC works for our family. I am putting no pressure on any of us in this process. My main goal is to build awareness and work on communication. If it works, wonderful. If we need a different approach, great!

If you would like to know more about EC, you can get this book explaining all about it!