u/Lost-Rule-1472

Before I start, I just want to say that I know our outcome is unusual, especially at 11 months. Every baby is different, and this isn’t what I think everyone should expect, I simply wanted to share our journey because reading success stories here encouraged me so much when we started, and I hope ours might encourage someone else too ❤️

It all started when my mother in law (Middle Eastern) casually mentioned that she potty trained all three of her kids around 14 months.
I was absolutely shocked because I genuinely didn’t know that was even possible! She then continued to explain that, back then, if they peed on themselves the first few times, she would drip candle wax on them.
I was absolutely horrified. I adore my MIL and she’s a wonderful person and the best grandmother, but thankfully parenting has come a long way since then.

There was absolutely no way I was going down that road.
Still, the idea that babies could be out of diapers so young completely fascinated me. I started researching and stumbled across Elimination Communication and the rest is history.

We started when my daughter was 1 month old, right after my husband went back to work. I knew him well enough to know he probably wouldn’t get on board with what sounded like a weird new parenting idea unless he saw actual results.
That very first day, while he was at work, I caught her first poop by holding her over the toilet.
I was SO excited that I immediately sent him a picture… of the poop in the toilet 😂 He was completely mortified, but I think a tiny part of him was impressed too. From then on, I was hooked.

We continued holding her over the toilet for the first few months. Around 3 months, when she got heavier, we switched to using a small potty between our legs, which was much more comfortable.
We weren’t hardcore about EC. She wore regular disposable diapers the whole time. We simply offered the potty after every wake up, before leaving the house, and whenever she looked like she needed to go.
Before long we were catching essentially 100% of poops and around half of pees. Potty time became one of her favorite parts of the day.

Around 7 months she started signing “potty” occasionally.
By about 8 months she was signing consistently and was staying dry for days at a time despite still wearing diapers.
Then… 9½ months hit.
She got sick, and it was the biggest regression imaginable.
She completely stopped communicating. Her diapers were suddenly heavy all day long. She wouldn’t do anything on the potty no matter what I tried. I was soo frustrated. I felt like months of work had been for nothing.

Looking back, I realize two things were happening.
First, she had also just learned to say “mama” and “baba,” so I think she became focused on practicing those new communication skills instead of signing.
Second, and I think this mattered even more, I became stressed and frustrated. Potty time stopped being something fun and relaxed and became something I desperately wanted her to do. Babies really do notice these things and reciprocate.

The thing that turned everything around was giving her more independence. We switched to a floor potty that she could easily access herself, and she absolutely loved the autonomy. It was going fairly well (with a lot of toys bribe) , until exactly two days after she turned 11 months, when she started saying the potty word I’d always used while doing the sign. So i decided this would be the perfect time to try letting her roam around the house without a diaper.

Every time she had an accident, I calmly interrupted if I caught it happening, said, “Pee goes in the potty,” and sat her on the potty. I tried to make the experience positive and without shame.

The first day I was definitely overdoing it 😂 I kept trying to catch every pee before it happened and was asking her “mama potty? potty? potty?” every few seconds. I think this is probably something a lot of EC parents do in the beginning because you just want to get it right.
My MIL actually gave me the best advice without even knowing I was stressing: she said i MUST let her miss sometimes because that’s how they learn. So I stopped trying to prevent every single miss and started embracing them as part of the process.

Long story short (not so much) it has now been a few weeks. She wears underwear at home full-time, day and night (diaper only for travel), tells us she needs the potty by saying our potty word and doing the sign, and waits until we get her there. It still amazes me every day.

I’m such a proud mama!

More than the potty training itself, I honestly feel like EC changed the way we parent.
Learning to notice her tiny cues made both me and my husband much more observant and responsive parents. It taught us to really listen before she even had words. And I think it also taught her something so important: communication works. When you tell Mama and Baba you need something, they listen and help you.

Anyway, I just wanted to share our story because this community encouraged me so much when we started. EC has been so much more than potty learning for us, it strengthened our bond and taught us to really listen to our baby.

And to anyone still in the messy middle: keep going, trust your baby, and don’t forget to enjoy the process!

Good luck❤️

Hello beautiful new parents (of otherwise healthy babies ❤️).
I just wanted to share one unsolicited piece of advice.

You don’t have to stress over schedules. It’s okay if your baby goes to bed at 12:00 a.m. because that’s what worked for your family. It’s okay if today’s naps look completely different from yesterday’s.
You don’t have to track every little thing unless it’s helping you. Feed them when they’re hungry. Change their diaper when it needs changing. Let them nap when they’re tired. Don’t feel pressured to follow every piece of advice you see on Instagram.

Sometimes it’s okay to simply follow your baby’s cues and rhythm. Just go with the flow. I genuinely think we make it so much harder than it has to be.

Sincerely,
A new mom myself to an 11 month old, who’s learning that babies really do their own things in their own time.

I know a child who is being abused and neglected. I live in Belgium, the child (3.5 yo) live in Munich, Germany with his father. How can I contact Child Protection Services in the most efficient way? I looked online but it was too complex and I couldn’t find a straightforward email or somth.

Thanks in advance!

My daughter’s first birthday is coming up, and I’d love to start her with a Schleich animal collection. I’m mainly interested in farm animals, but I’d also like to include some wild/jungle animals and other favorites over time.
I’ve noticed that a lot of the Schleich sets seem to overlap, with the same animals appearing in multiple packs.

For those of you who collect Schleich, which sets would you recommend buying to get the widest variety of animals with the fewest duplicates?
I would be happy to buy multiple sets if they complement each other well.

Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated!

CHAPTER 1 - THE FESTIVAL OF MOONS

"You are fortunate. He is said to be patient."

The burnished gold chains at Aunt Amina's neck clanked in a rigid rhythm to the palanquin's motion as it pressed onward, barely visible beneath the satin veil.
Huda paused, pulling in a measured breath. The words carried a weight she did not question.

"So I have heard."

A gust of cool evening air seeped into the confined space, carrying muffled echoes of festivity as it stirred the soft, layered silks by the chamber window into an enchanted dance. Dance. Such a peculiar phenomenon. It was effortless, light, and unburdened - a word that seemed as distant from Huda's own steps as the celebrations impending through the night. How softly the silks moved, and how strange that she could envy even fabric for the liberty to choose its own.

"You will meet him on the morrow night. The moons favor beginnings made under their witness."

The kinswoman's voice, worn by the years, carried the remarks in a slow, deliberate cadence; the golden pendants at her ears hung firm, deflecting an intruding beam in a restrained glint.

"You will not want for anything."

Huda lowered her gaze, her slender fingers hesitating over the embroidery gathered across her lap; a tight, stitched floral pattern looping in a dignified obedience - the precise, familiar configuration woven into her garments since her formative years.
When night falls on the morrow, an offering would be made beneath the twin harvest moons. It felt as though she, too, would be claimed.

"You will come to care for him in time, my child."

The aunt's tone softened. She cared for her. Huda knew that much.
The dancing silks now flattered frantically, unable to withstand a sudden flurry. The elderly matron drew her mantle tighter across her shoulders, securing a bronze button through its loop with meticulous care. Huda cast a glance towards the carved lattice screens sheltering the hatch. The sounds outside had grown closer, no longer contained by the wood. They were nearing the capital.

Fragments of black sky drifted between the neat partition squares, white clouds swirling across, shifting around the two silvery moons. Their colossal presence loomed with unusual proximity as though the city itself had drawn upward to meet their favor.