I'm taking the plunge and switching to cloth diapers. One of the critical elements of switching, though, is embracing the laundry... which I've always hated. But now I'm actually excited to stay on top of the laundry. For some reason it gives me a great sense of accomplishment, if I manage nothing else in the day, if I can get at least one, preferably two loads done and put away in a day, it's a good one!

It's an economical, as well as ecological move... but also a means to an end. What we're really doing is an experiment in infant potty training, also known as Elimination Communication (EC), or Natural Infant Hygiene (NIH). But I'm finding disposable diapers to be a big hurdle to that. I can't feel when she's already wet, and she can't feel when she's wet either.

In reality, I feel like I'm starting it late, although "the experts" don't seem to think so (she's 10 weeks). Fact is, we train them from birth that peeing OUT of the diaper is a bad thing. So we spent over 24 hours getting her comfy just peeing when her diaper is off...

From there, we have to create the Pavlovian response. We start with finding when she pees, even learning her cues to pee. When she does pee, we make a pss sound, which she learns to associate with peeing. The end goal is that we make the sound, and then she pees.

Should be fun! Poor third kid, she's one big experiment in conditioned responses!