I'm still figuring out how to practice elimination communication with a mobile baby.
Back when rolling over was a big deal, going diaper free was not a big deal. Naked time on the (waterproof) blanket was a regular and pleasant part of life. But now Miriam is on the move and if anything being diaperless just allows her to crawl faster!
For about two days I thought I had it. I'd sit her in front of a basket of books and she'd be occupied enough to get in some naked time. But she quickly moved on to bigger and better things - maybe pausing long enough to pull each book out of the basket but more often spying a cord or piece of lint or dog that needed immediate investigation. So diaper free time pretty much went out the window.
But then a few weeks ago we noticed her first ever bit of diaper rash. "It's not even a rash, it's just a tiny spot of irritation," my husband corrected, but I was dismayed. Clearly the only cure was naked time, that very day! That afternoon I stripped her down to a onesie. She had peed on the potty just a little while before, so I decided it was safe to let her just play wherever she pleased.
Miriam had a grand time crawling all over the (less than a year old) carpet, throwing books and blocks and babbling happily. After a while she crawled over to me and as I loved on her I was shocked to discover the front of her onesie was soaked.
"You peed!" I cried in astonishment, my head swiveling in all directions. To my surprise, there was no obvious wet spot. I felt the flap on her onesie again.
"Yeah, you peed," I confirmed, and stood up to scour the room. I still couldn't see where it had happened.
"Did you pee?" I asked, starting to doubt myself. Miriam grew bored with me and crawled away to play as I assumed a crawling pose myself. I crawled on my hands and knees over every inch of the carpet. No wet spots anywhere. I doubled back over the room again, carefully rubbing my hands around and around. Nothing.
I pulled Miriam's onesie off her to make sure I wasn't going completely crazy. She had definitely peed. So where was it??
That's when I realized she had returned to the scene of the crime: the vent in front of the window. I couldn't find the pee on the carpet, because it wasn't on the carpet. It went down the vent.
Nancy Drew would be proud of my mystery-solving skills. Although she might raise her eyebrows at me allowing Miriam to go diaper free again the next day, only to pee on the actual carpet this time.