Diaper free - relaxed and natural baby care

Did you know that babies often don't go into the Baby Carrier or into the Baby Wrap because they have to go?

Maybe you also know the following phenomenon: your baby suddenly presses in the sling or in the Baby Carrier pushes through the legs. As if it wants to stand up.

Here too, your baby is telling you: "Mommy / Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom!

I am Carina from Carinas Krabbelblog (Instagram: carinas_krabbelblog_windelfrei) and as an enthusiastic diaper-free-KOKADIne I would like to explain to you what diaper-free means and how it can help you in your everyday life with baby.

When the term diaper-free is mentioned, many people think of babies who don't wear diapers at all and the caregivers have to stressfully catch or wipe up every excretion. Or maybe even an elaborate trend, a hype that doesn't help anyway and only puts babies under pressure. Wrong thinking!

Diaper-free is a natural form of baby care. The baby signals before it has to eliminate and is then "held off" by the caregiver. Holding off means that the baby is placed in a supported and comfortable holding-off position, where he or she can relax and relieve themselves outside of the diaper into a potty / toilet / sink or similar.

Yes, diaper-free babies wear diapers, even though the term quickly suggests otherwise. Diaper-free means communication. Diapers are allowed, but serve more as a backup.

Diaper-free has several names: Elimination Communication, Topffit, and Potty Teamwork are just a few examples.

For our babies, diaper-free is the most natural thing in the world and they expect nothing else.

It's so normal for them that they already practice for it in the womb. They get restless shortly before excretion, kick briefly and only then excrete, swimming in the amniotic fluid. Fascinating, isn't it? And why all this? Maybe these arguments will convince you to give diaper-free a chance. Diaper-free has many advantages. Keeping off is THE help for three-month colics.

These hardly ever occur with diaper-free babies. Nights can be made easier. You know that thing, your baby always wakes up at night between 3:00 and 4:00 and parties? The kidneys kick in right about that time and the bladder fills up. The pressure of the bladder wakes up the little one. (You can learn more about diaper-free at night on my Instagram account).

In addition, this intense form of communication creates a thick bond between MaPa and baby. Since the baby feels understood in everything (it signals and is responded to sensitively) the brain regions are trained and new networks are created.

This is how babies get really smart! Your baby's self-confidence and self-esteem are strengthened. In addition, diaper-free produces no waste. Just for comparison, a fully diapered child produces about 1 ton of disposable diaper waste in a diapering period of 3 years. This waste cannot be recycled.

You can start diaper-free from birth.

But you can also start later. Ideally within the first 3-4 months of life. This is the period in which babies strongly signal. They don't let go just like that, because that doesn't correspond to their original program. Babies have control over their sphincters.

Of course, not in the way we adults do, but it is there. If it is not acted upon, the baby adapts and accepts the diaper as a toilet and no longer signals. The sphincter is no longer used and sensed.

You can still start at a later time - it is never too late! However, it may then become more difficult.

Signals? What should that look like?

I have already described two signals at the beginning: your baby does not want to enter the Baby Carrier or into the Baby Wrap These can be signs that your baby needs to go to the bathroom. Babies signal particularly intensively when being carried.

The reason is simple: babies don't want to fill themselves or their caregivers up.

Babies also signal with facial expressions and sounds. Observe your baby, do these signals sound familiar?

Your baby makes an O-mouth, hits with the fist in the direction of the crotch, scratches his thigh / bottom suddenly becomes restless / crotchety / kicking is just active and suddenly becomes quiet, stares into space wants to squirm from your arm, but if it is no longer on the arm, it cries, etc. then your baby must certainly times.

Every baby signals in its own characteristic way. Pretty competent little ones, aren't they? Wearing supports the practice of diaper-free perfectly.

Through the intense closeness, you feel more quickly what the baby needs and you are sensitized to exactly these signals.

And what was that about brain maturity?

There is a study that says that children can't be dry earlier than 2-3 years old.

For me, it is absolutely understandable that fully diapered children have a different starting situation than diaper-free children and it takes a certain maturity to relearn what has been unlearned. And here it is important to take exactly the initial situation into account and not to exert pressure.

Back to the study: it makes it difficult to make a statement for everyone if only fully diapered children were studied.

However, there are also (non-European) studies on diaper-free. A European long-term study on diaper-free has already been conducted and submitted to Paper.

Curious now?

If this form of baby care has made you curious, you are welcome to visit me on Instagram windelfrei_mamasein, browse through my diaper free tips as well as ask all your questions about it at any time.