What is natural infant hygiene?
Natural infant hygiene is a method used in many parts of the world that enables parents to listen to their child's need for elimination and to respond to it from an early age. Parents who practice natural infant hygiene can allow their babies to relieve themselves in the potty or toilet when their child shows the need. Surprising as it may seem, this practice can enable babies to become potty-trained within just a few months of birth!
How can my baby be potty-trained after just a few months?
As soon as your baby is born, he has the ability to express his needs. He can communicate with you about hunger, sleep, feelings of insecurity and the need to eliminate. Contrary to popular belief, babies have the physical ability to hold back and wait to be allowed to relieve their primary needs.
The key to positive learning
The practice of natural infant hygiene requires a high level of parental availability. The parent must be attentive to the signs transmitted by the baby. This method must be carried out in a completely natural way, with neither positive nor negative reinforcement. The baby must not feel pressure to please the parent by succeeding, nor must it displease and be punished. We simply have to listen to nature and respond to it as best we can for healthy, positive parent-child communication. At no time should parents impose cleanliness on their children.
HNI can be practised from birth on a full-time basis, but it can also be practised part-time in combination with cloth diapers. Being a parent is a challenge in itself, and it may be wise to allow ourselves a simpler alternative (at night, for example) or when visiting our loved ones(who may have different views on alternative potty-training techniques!). It's vital that the practice of IH remains positive and is not associated with a sense of parental failure and frustration.
Why practice natural infant hygiene?
NCH requires a great deal of parental availability and may not fit in with our North American lifestyle (especially if practised full-time). Why do some parents practice it in spite of these difficulties?
- HNI promotes children's psychomotor development and motor skills.
- HNI reduces certain health problems such as diaper rash and fungal infections.
- HNI is economical (the cost of disposable diapers is very high, and cloth diapers, although very economical, still require an initial investment).
- HNI is ecological (disposable diapers are a real environmental scourge)
- HNI fosters the parent-child bond by developing complicity and perfect availability of the parent to the child's emotional and physical needs.
What accessories can help you practice natural infant hygiene?
The Minimal Nappy
A group of mothers in the Czech Republic have developed a diaper cover specially designed to promote natural infant hygiene: the Minimal Nappy. The Minimal Nappy is a minimalist diaper cover with a removable absorbent part that helps avoid minor accidents while remaining attentive to your child's signals. It's easier to use than cloth diapers, diaper covers and flat diapers, as it removes very quickly for immediate potty relief. It's available in Canada from Aux P'tits Cadeaux(see collection), which specializes in all types of cloth diapers. It's ideal for making Nappy Hygiene easier and more successful.
Waterproof Alèze
The waterproof liner allows you to offer your baby diaper-free periods while protecting your surfaces from minor accidents. Bébé D Lux's Chevreuil liner is highly absorbent and waterproof, so you can practice Nappy Hygiene without worry. Three sizes are available, for a large play surface, to cover a single bed, or a more practical format for carrying everywhere you go.
The potty
The potty is an HNI essential, and will enable your child to move to it on his own as soon as he's able to move around. Several easy-to-carry models are available on the market, so you can practice HNI wherever you go!
Training pants
There are a multitude of training pants to suit every child's needs. For expert advice on the most popular brands on the market, we suggest you make an appointment with one of our Aux P'tits Cadeaux advisors. Among other things, you'll discover the Minihip training panty, our favorite training panty.
To find out more about natural infant hygiene, don't hesitate to contact me!
Patricia Paradis
Mother of three
Nurse clinician
Owner, Aux P'tits Cadeaux boutique
