Book Report - Diaper Free

AMAZING YET ORDINARY
Excerpts from the book by Ingrid Bauer

People are surprised to learn that my son stopped wearing diapers consistently when he was four months old. They sometimes assume this means he simply relieved himself wherever, whenever, while I cleaned up after him. They often find it hard to believe that he was aware of his need to eliminate and that we were able to communicate about it long before he spoke his first words. Even those who watched me respond to his signals, and he to mine, still occasionally shook their heads and exclaimed, "But that's not possible!"

Yet it is possible. I've experienced it. People of many cultures worldwide never use diapers, relying instead on this same natural communication between mother and child to keep their babies comfortable and their homes clean. Few people realize that this can be practiced within our own culture, reducing the need for diapers significantly, perhaps even totally.
In a search for a natural alternative to diapering, I discovered that babies are, from birth, aware of their elimination needs. Amazingly, they can and do signal these needs, and will respond to communication from their caregivers as well. Tuning into your baby's elimination needs is a synergistic and natural bonding process, much like breastfeeding.

A GROWING INTEREST
This book was born in response to the many people who asked me to write about my experiences. They wanted support and information that might help them practice what I call Natural Infant Hygiene. It became important to me to share what I had learned, so that every mother who might be open to this choice, would at least know it was available. As I began extending beyond my personal experience into the research realm, I discovered I was not alone. In small but steadily growing numbers, North American and European mothers are seeking a natural alternative to diapering.

Dozens of mothers, fathers, anthropologists, researchers, health practitioners, and grandparents in North America and abroad shared their experiences of diaper-free infant-care with me. The parents with whom I spoke come from all walks of life, and include homemakers, home business owners, teachers, students, artists, musicians, writers, farmers, La Leche League leaders, midwives, medical doctors, naturopaths, a psychiatrist, a chiropractor, a biologist, and others. They range in age from a teenage couple, to grandmothers using this practice with their grandchildren. Most parents have one, two, or three children; a few have between four and seven. Some live in rural areas, but most reside in cities, larger towns, or in the suburbs. Many live in nuclear or extended families, or shared housing. Some are single parents. One group with several diaper-free children lives in a small intentional community in Hawaii.

In most cases, the mother assumes the initial and primary responsibility for Natural Infant Hygiene. This book reflects the closeness of that relationship. However, many fathers, older siblings, and other involved adults also participate significantly as a vital part of the process. The mothers might be full-time homemakers, share childcare with a partner or other adult(s), take their babies with them to work outside the home, work part-time outside the home, or run a business form their home. I haven't come across any diaper-free babies who were in full-time daycare. This is a practice that implies a commitment of time and consistent presence that can really only be given when a parent spends the majority of her day with her child.