DIAPER FREE:  NATURAL INFANT HYGIENE An Alternative to Cloth AND Disposable Diapering
Throughout most of human existence, parents have cared for their babies hygienically without diapers. Natural Infant Hygiene is a way to communicate with your baby around pottying and it can be done from day one!   This may be a shocking concept to most of us in the Western hemisphere, but when you realize that most of the world's people do not use diapers it doesn't seem so far-fetched.  There is a wide range of how this method is practiced - it's not a matter of choosing to NEVER use diapers or to ALWAYS use diapers, but rather knowing that you have the ability to communicate with your baby when they need to pee or poop (just as when they need to nurse) and have a variety of options of how to meet their needs.
In this 2-hour class, you will learn: How to care for your baby hygienically without diapers How to increase your baby’s physical comfort How to avoid diaper rashes and digestive problems How to support your baby’s body awareness How to raise your baby without the environmental impact of disposable or cloth diapers How to avoid diapering and toilet training struggles Learn the four basics of how to know when your baby needs to go Explore the ancient roots of this newly Westernized concept Helpful hints of what to have on hand to begin (“If I don’t need diapers, what do I need?!”) Some tips and information for starting late, and why the terrible twos is the hardest time to start   I receive  many inquiries from my students and clients about ‘the best way to diaper my baby’.   I hear so many questions (and debates) about diapering’s impact to our environment, what is best for their baby’s skin, what is most cost-effective, and how they can nurture the communication and caring bond they want with their child. Natural Infant Hygiene provides a great solution to all these questions!   Many of my clients and students have practiced Natural Infant Hygiene But most have had to fumble along without much more than a book and their own determination to successfully raise their infants without relying on diapers. This class offers expectant parents and parents of young babies a chance to learn from successful diaper-free parents, to get helpful hints, and to ask questions about how to get started, what to expect, and where to turn to for support and resources.   This class is based on the book Diaper Free!  The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene, by Ingrid Bauer.  This class is designed for those who: Are thinking about having a baby Are pregnant with your first or tenth baby, it doesn’t matter Are questioning the diapering options available to you Work with families with infants Have a young baby and want to get started!
About the Instructors:   Adam and Kibby MacKinnon have been practicing elimination communication with their son Theo, age 3, since he was born. He has not worn a diaper since he was 8 months old -- he sleeps diaper-free, and even flew around the world (Seattle-Australia and Seattle-Scotland) without a nappy! Adam offers a dad's perspective on doing EC since he was the full-time parent for Theo’s first 10 months, so he will speak to how dads and partners can hone their intuition and learn elimination communication. Kibby became the full-time parent when Theo was 11 months old, so she has a different view, having learned how to communicate with an older baby who was also starting to walk and talk. Kibby and Adam first learned about elimination communication when they lived in cohousing in West Seattle. Their major parenting influences include Ina May Gaskin, attachment parenting, the Continuum Concept, Jane Nelson’s Positive Discipline, and Non-Violent Communication.  Kibby is currently training to be a Waldorf teacher at Sound Circle Center in Seattle. They now live on Beacon Hill at the Emma Goldman Finishing School, an egalitarian commune.
Class fee is $25 per couple.   Pre-registration is required.    Check the calendar for the next date this class is offered. Register for this class.