Question: I have to go back to work soon. Where does this leave my EC relationship with my baby?

You can practice EC on a part-time basis. Even some parents who stay at home with their babies EC this way.

You may want to search for a childcare provider who is open to EC. The caregiver(s) can give you feedback on new cues your baby may be making, and you can keep doing it your way when you are together.

If your childcare provider is not open to EC, here are some things that you can do.

Make sure you give your baby the opportunity to eliminate when he wakes. If you've already figured out the frequency with which your baby eliminates in the mornings, try to adjust your time to catch as many of those eliminations as you can before you have to leave.

If your baby is cared for outside of your home, try to give her a pottytunity at the place of care before you leave. If your baby is cared for in your home, give her one more pottytunity as you head out the door.

During this last pottytunity, you can explain to your child that you won't be there and that it is okay to use the diaper. As soon as you get back to your baby, give her a pottytunity. Tell her that you are back and if she lets you know she has to pee/poop, you will get her to the potty.

Children are usually much more perceptive than we think they are. They will soon figure out that when mommy and daddy are around, they are given opportunities to eliminate into a toilet or other receptacle. When the childcare provider is around, it is okay to use the diaper. They will also learn from their primary EC facilitators that if you tell them that the timing is just not right (i.e. driving on the highway or in the middle of cooking), it will be all right to use the diaper. They will know that as soon as you can, you will get them clean and dry again.