Jeanelle Classen

My name is Jeanelle, your local Nappy Free Consultant servicing Perth and surrounds. I’ve been practicing EC with my baby since birth in August 2022. Meeting parents where they are at whether to start, troubleshoot, and master their Elimination Communication and Potty Training practices.

I love EC because it allows me to foster my baby’s ability to communicate his basic needs from birth (contrary to popular belief). I first heard about EC whilst talking with a coworker about someone on the news whose baby was no longer dependent on nappies by 18 months of age. At first, I thought it was ‘too much’ and that I would ‘never do that’, but after researching it and reading the Go Diaper Free book, I was convinced that this is what I want to do with my kids.

My biggest EC embarrassment was when within minutes of telling someone about how much I love EC and that I don’t have to clean too many dirty nappies, my son had a big ‘poo-namy’.

One challenge I faced doing EC was when my son started resisting going on the potty so I stopped offering as much (because I was over-offering) and started singing a toilet song I’d made up - worked like a charm!

I held a fear that it would damage my baby somehow or that I would try to make him ‘grow up too fast’ but after researching the philosophy behind EC I learned that this wasn’t the case.

One misconception I had about EC was that I had to do it full-time to practice it successfully. Once I became more educated about EC, I found that it's actually about communicating with your baby so you both become more attuned to the child's natural rhythm and control when eliminating which leads to increasing toileting independence over time.

My biggest EC secret is that I STILL sometimes forget to pay attention to my baby’s signals which usually leads to a string of misses! I have to reign my ‘busy-ness’ back in so we get back on track.

Get in touch today for information on local meet-ups, workshops, and consultation services.