Going potty? The controversial ‘nappy free’ method for babies

Two Californian doctors are advocating a nappy-free lifestyle, claiming parents can simply learn to be sensitive to when their baby needs to go potty...

Western babies are toilet trained later these days and most are in nappies until an average of three years of age. But a new 'nappy free' movement claims that parents can avoid ever having to change one. Advocates claim that not only does eliminating the need for nappies save money and remove a cumbersome chore for parents, but a baby's ability to control its bladder improves efficiency and reduces the risk of urinary tract infection.   Whistle while you work As bizarre as the idea may sound to many Irish mums and dads, it is not a new one. In Vietnam, potty training starts at birth and the need for nappies is usually eliminated by nine months of age. Psychologist Anna-Lena Hellström, from the University of Gothenburg, says that the Vietnamese technique is based around parents learning to be sensitive to their baby's need to urinate:

"The woman makes a special whistling sound to remind her baby. The whistling method starts at birth and serves as an increasingly powerful means of communication as time goes on."

Hellström says that Vietnamese mums notice signs of progress by time their babies are three months old. Most babies can use the potty on their own by nine months of age if they are reminded, and they can generally take care of all their toileting needs by the age of two.

"Vietnamese babies empty their bladders more effectively. The evidence is that potty training in itself and not age is the factor that causes bladder control to develop."

Although the majority of Western parents have grown accustomed to the idea that babies cannot be potty trained, the evidence from Vietnam demonstrates that more sophisticated communication between parents and their babies allows for potty training to start (and finish) much earlier. Elimination communication Married Californian doctors Jeffrey Bender and Rosemary She decided to test the nappy-free 'whistling' technique with their third child because of environmental concerns about the overuse of diapers. Bender and She say that, in addition to environmental benefits, the unusual approach (formally known as elimination communication or EC) can also reduce health problems such as nappy rash, urinary tract infections and even nasty antibiotic-resistant infections such as MRSA. However, Dr She who is a pathologist and medical microbiologist at the University of Southern California, admits the lifestyle choice is not for everyone:

"It's funny that we think of it as modern and new, where it's probably a very old and ancient practice and what people did before there were diapers and still do across the world where they don't have the luxury of disposable diapers."

Bender, a professor of paediatrics, agrees that the method is impractical for many parents and caregivers:

"The way our society is, with a lot of children in daycare, this probably isn't feasible. By no means do we feel this is for everyone. We were fortunate and in a position to take alternate months off when our daughter was a newborn, and a lot of parents don't have that luxury."

There you have it, the debate is on the (changing) table. Would you consider a nappy-free life with your baby?