Elimination Communication...???

Okay, so recently it seems like the "green" thing to do is to go the cloth diaper route with a new baby. There are definitely some cute cloth diapers out there and the money you save and amount of waste you keep from throwing in the landfill is well worth the effort, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, we were unable to do cloth diapers with my little one since we moved into an apartment with no laundry facility right before she was born. I didn't think the people at the local laundromat would appreciate me washing her soiled diapers there and neither did I want to run there everyday to keep them clean.

Anyways, I've recently been acquainted with a possible "greener" way to go. Ever heard of Elimination Communication? It's a method of raising your baby with no diapers, sound crazy? Well, in my opinion I think it might be!

Otherwise known as Natural Infant Hygiene or Infant Potty Training, the parents rely on following specific cues from a baby to tell when he needs to go to the bathroom. Traditionally this method was seen and practiced by the whole community, learned naturally over a lifetime.

According to http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/, a network of free support groups promoting a natural approach to responding to babies' elimination needs, "babies know when they need to eliminate and are capable of communicating this need...You might have noticed that your baby pees 5 minutes after nursing, or grunts just before he poops. These types of observations will guide you on WHEN to help your baby eliminate without a diaper. "

There are even local support groups to help you!

In conclusion, I give major props to women who choose to do this with their children. Would I ever attempt it? Probably not. Let's be honest, I think there's already enough stress and guessing at raising a new child. I don't think I would want to worry about if the baby was going to pee on me any minute as well!

Any thoughts?!