Elimination Communication Clothing: Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer
Updated: November 20, 2018
It can be challenging figuring out how to dress your baby conveniently for elimination communication. Many baby clothes have rows of tiny snaps that are tedious when doing frequent diaper changes. Undressing your baby from the waist down to offer the potty can make her cold. EC-friendly clothing can simplify diaper changes and keep your baby warm while using the potty.
We are going to show you our favorite types of baby clothes that allow for easy diaper changes and quick pottytunities. We have suggestions of elimination communication clothing for each season of the year: fall, winter, spring and summer. We will cover both specialty EC clothing and regular baby clothes.
This post includes the following elimination communication clothing:
- Reversible cardigan
- Split pants/trousers
- Wool baby clothes
- Sleep gown and sleep sack
- Pajamas with zipper for easy diaper changes
- Twirl dress
- Interlock wool shorts
- Drop-flap bodysuit
- Tee shirt and long socks
Disclosure: The Baby DeeDee Sleepsie and Eviry Co bodysuit were given to me free of charge. This post contains affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Fall Elimination Communication Clothing
As the weather starts to cool down this fall, you may wonder how to keep your baby warm while she is using the potty. We put together a sample EC friendly outfit to give you an idea of how to keep your little EC'r warm this fall.
In addition to gathering warm clothes, you may want to add a potty cozy to the top of your little one's potty. A potty cozy is simply a stretchy band of fabric that covers the rim of a potty, making it more comfortable.
Long Sleeves for Fall
Baby is wearing:
For fall elimination communication clothing, you can start with a long sleeve shirt or dress. Add a sweater for extra warmth. Keep legs warm during pottytunities and diaper changes with long socks or baby leg warmers.
This reversible cardigan from Primary is a great staple in a minimalist baby wardrobe. With the solid colored basics from Primary you can easily put together a mix-and-match capsule wardrobe for your baby or toddler.
Another excellent source of solid colored basics is City Threads, which offers high-quality children's clothing that is made in the USA.
Pact Apparel will be launching an organic cotton line of toddler and kids solid colored basics in March, 2019.
Winter Elimination Communication Clothing
Wintertime EC poses the biggest challenge, since you need to bundle up your baby but still make it to the potty in time.
Split Pants for Winter
Baby is wearing:
- Little Bunny Bear discrete split pants
- Flaparap drop-flap diaper
- Rock-a-Thigh Baby Socks
Split crotch pants are a wonderful option for babies practicing EC in cold weather. Split pants work perfectly paired with a drop-flap style diaper like Flaparaps. Or your baby can wear split pants with nothing under if you are catching almost everything in the potty. Add extra warmth by layering long socks under the split pants.
Update November 20, 2019: The Flaparaps shop has closed, but you can sign up to be notified when a sewing pattern is released. Another option is the Drop-Flap Nappy sewing pattern from Little Bunny Bear. Komfi Baby is also working on developing an EC-friendly waterproof cloth diaper cover.
The Little Bunny Bear shop, which is based in the UK, offers discrete split trousers in organic cotton or wool. You can also purchase the PDF sewing pattern and sew your own split pants.
Split pants and baby chaps are also available from EC Wear, based in the USA. Split pants and potty leggings are available from Komfi Baby, based in Canada.
If you are using wool pants, you may want to pair them with Merino wool baby socks like those available from Lamington.
Wool Baby Clothing for Winter
Baby is wearing:
- Merino wool jersey raglan shirt from Truly Charis
- Interlock wool soaker from Truly Charis
Merino Wool Baby Clothing
If you live somewhere that gets really cold in the wintertime, consider switching from cotton baby clothes to Merino wool baby clothing. Merino wool clothing is perfect for babies, since it is soft, thin, breathable, naturally flame resistant, and good at maintaining body temperature.
Truly Charis offers Merino wool jersey clothing for babies and toddlers (and mamas, too!).
You may also want to opt for two-piece pajama sets made from Merino wool.
Woolies - Diaper cover and clothing in one!
Woolies serve as both a water-resistant diaper cover and clothing, all in one! Wool is an amazing option for elimination communication clothing. Wool is naturally odor resistant and the lanolin in wool can neutralize urine. Lanolized woolies can be reused many times between washes!
Woolies can be made from either interlock or knit wool. Interlock is my personal favorite. Please let me know in the comments if you have tried knit wool and how you like it.
Woolies come in a variety of styles. Pull-on wool soakers look like diaper covers. You can also get longies (long pants/trousers). Or even footies which will cover your baby's feet and keep them extra warm!
Underneath the woolies your baby can wear a fitted cloth diaper or cloth training pants. Cloth training pants are an excellent option for toddlers. You can help your toddler pull down the cloth training pants and wool leggings in one motion.
You can find a wide selection of wool diaper covers on the Truly Charis website. They are handmade with love in the USA.
Sleepwear for Nighttime Elimination Communication
Nighttime elimination communication poses its own challenges, but don't worry, we've got suggestions on how to keep your baby warm while doing nighttime EC in the cold weather.
Sleep Gown and Sleep Sack for Nighttime
Baby is wearing:
- Organic cotton sleep gown in size 6-9M
- Halo Sleep Sack, 100% cotton in size Medium
I would skip the cute footie pajamas with rows of tiny snaps, and opt for a sleep gown instead. Sleep gowns work for baby girls or boys and can simply be pulled up when it's time to offer the potty or change a wet diaper. They are usually only made in up to size 6 or 9 months. You can choose from organic cotton sleep gowns or Merino wool.
Your baby can wear long socks under the sleep gown, to keep their legs warm when the gown is lifted. Just make sure the socks are not too tight.
Over the sleep gown you can layer a sleep sack (aka sleeping bag, wearable blanket). When choosing a sleep sack, be sure to select one that opens from the bottom. For cold nights I recommend investing in a Woolino 4 Seasons Sleep Bag that fits from 2-months-old to 2-years-old.
Pajamas with Zipper for Easy Nighttime Pottytunities or Diaper Changes
Baby DeeDee Sleepsie
Baby is wearing:
Baby and Bear are reading:
- Night Potty board book by Andrea Olson
Another option is romper style pajamas with a zipper between the legs to allow for easy diaper changes and quick pottytunities.
Shown above is the short sleeve version of the Baby DeeDee Sleepsie, which has an ankle to ankle zipper. They also offer a quilted footie long sleeve version.
For a similar style that can be worn during the day, check out the Zomper by Rowe Kids.
ergoPouch Layers Pajamas with Zipper Between the Legs
Baby is wearing:
I just discovered ergoPouch layers and winter onesies, which have zippers that pass between the legs, going front to back. They also have fold over hand mitts and foot cuffs. The ergoPouch layers 0.2 Tog that we tried allowed my baby to use the small potty or big toilet with EC hold while keeping her legs (and feet!) covered.
Spring Elimination Communication Clothing
As the weather starts to warm in the spring, it gets even easier to practice elimination communication with your baby or toddler.
Short Sleeve Dress for Spring
Baby is wearing:
We love dresses when practicing elimination communication away from home. A dress can be used to cover the potty, making for discrete pottytunities.
Wool Shorts for Spring
Baby is wearing:
Wool shorts can be worn over a fitted diaper or cloth training pants. If your baby has a miss, the lanolized wool will contain the wetness.
I like pairing wool shorts with a wide tunic style shirt or a dress.
Eviry Co Drop-Flap Bodysuit for Spring
Baby is wearing:
The Eviry Co drop-flap bodysuit is perfect for pairing with Flaparaps since they both drop down from the same place. Simply swing them off to the side when you are offering a pottytunity. If your baby starts crawling away before you've finished dressing her, no problem! Simply snap the two large snaps on the back while she is crawling.
Eviry Co also offers long sleeve bodysuits for colder weather.
Summer Elimination Communication Clothing
Summer is the ideal time of year to practice elimination communication. You can dress your baby in minimal clothing, or nothing at all! When leaving your baby bare-bottomed, be sure to observe closely for any signals that your baby needs to go.
Tee Shirt and Long Socks for Summer
Baby is wearing:
- Organic cotton "Potty me please!" shirt from Komfi Baby
- Flaparap cloth diaper
- Rock-a-Thigh Baby Socks
Tee shirts are a great alternative to Onesies® (bodysuits) for babies who use the potty. There are no small snaps to deal with and tee shirts that end at the waist won't dip into the potty like the tails of a bodysuit can.
I prefer tee shirts that are made from natural fibers such as organic cotton or Merino wool jersey. Komfi Baby offers organic cotton baby tee shirts with EC slogans. Truly Charis offers Merino wool shirts for babies and toddlers.
To add a little warmth, you can pair a tee shirt with long socks or baby leg warmers.
Elimination Communication Back-up for Summer
The hot summertime is a great opportunity to transition to the next type of elimination communication back-up. If you have been using cloth diapers as back-up, you can give cloth training pants a try. If your toddler is nearing potty independence, you might want to try underwear. Summertime also allows for lots of diaper-free observation time. Just be sure to keep an eye on your little one, and a potty nearby.
Cloth Training Pants
Baby is wearing:
- Tiny Trainers, size 12M
Cloth training pants can absorb a single miss, but wetness will leak through. When worn with nothing over them, you can see right away when cloth trainers are wet, so you know to offer the potty and change to a clean dry pair. Cloth training pants also allow for better freedom of movement than bulky cloth diapers.
I liked letting my baby wear Tiny Trainers while laying on a Little Bunny Bear wool puddle pad covered by a Cloth-eez muslin swaddle blanket.
Small Underwear
Baby is wearing:
- Komfi Baby organic cotton underwear, size 12M
Once you are catching almost everything in the potty or toilet you can have your little one wear underwear, at least for part of the day. Komfi Baby underwear can be paired with a soaker pad so they function like training pants (as shown in the photo above).
Bare Bottomed
Baby is wearing:
- Nothing!
Summer is a great time to do naked observation time, to learn your baby's signals and natural timing.
That wraps up our suggestions of elimination communication clothing for the fall, winter, spring and summer. I hope you feel prepared to outfit your little one in EC friendly clothes! You may also want to see our list of DIY Elimination Communication Clothing Patterns and Tutorials.
Be sure to check for the latest discounts on EC friendly baby clothes on our EC Coupons Page.
EC Peesy Sleepy Gown & Snuggly Shirt Giveaway {Closed}
Congratulations to our winners: Jessica, Paulette, and Janell!
Prizes include: red Sleepy Gown size 3-6M, red Snuggly Shirt size 12-18M, and red Snuggly Shirt size 18-24M. Made in the USA from luxuriously soft organic cotton velour.
Rules:
- Open to residents of the USA
- Must be 18 years or older
- One entry per person
- 3 winners will be randomly drawn and will have 72 hours to respond.
- Open February 14, 2019 - February 15, 2019 at 11:59pm HST
- No purchase necessary
- To enter, simply leave a comment saying how you like to dress (or plan to dress) your baby for EC.
I love to have my sweet pea in a sleeper with a zipper or an open sleep sack. It makes it super easy to catch pees and poops
I usually dress my little one in a T-shirt and shorts… one year tmrw (02/15)!!
I like to dress my walking 11 month old in suma style prefolds with a diaper belt and legwarmers around home. When it’s nice outside and not cold he’s bare bottomed a lot too!
I just started doing “observation” time with my 4 month old baby boy. He wears a shirt or nothing while I learn his signals 🙂
We do EC part time. We do pants, cloth diapers, and shirts in the winter. If I can get the temperature in the house warm enough, we skip the pants and just do cloth diaper.
I love all your ideas! I have a few jumpers and LOVE the zomper from Rowe kids – snaps and zippers around the legs are easiest 🙂 Night clothes are harder, I would love to try the long sleep shirt!
Our house is pretty consistent inside so we do long socks and a long sleeve shirt or gown with a clothe diaper!
We’re big fans of wool interlock for bottoms year-round. If we could afford merino head to toe, I’m sure it would be amazing.
With my 3 monh old we do sleep sacks at home most of the time. On warm days its leg warmers and a onsie with only 1 snap actually snapped. When we are out its tshirt and pants. During the coming summer months it will be dresses and ts for easy access!
I don’t currently have a baby (littlest is 2 1/2 and been out of diapers well over a year now), but I liked just a cloth diaper on a waterproof pad.
Right now I’m using a cloth diaper with a cover and pants because it’s cold here but as it warms up some we will switch to leg warmers. I have been trying to see what my child signals in best and I have tried some baby underwear with a zorb insert and that might be it but I still need to do a little more observing. If that is how we’ll get the most pee catches than I’ll be switching to leg warmers sooner than planned!
I liked to use Baby Legs and a shirt 🙂
I love using a cloth diaper with an elastic waist band to hold it in place when the weather’s warm (sumo-style!)
I dress my 5 month old in a onesie with the snaps undone and some leg warmers. At night I love putting her in a nightgown or a romper.
Currently, our 4 month old is just naked. We don’t have many t shirts and we definitely don’t have ec clothing. We only do ec at home so when we go out, he’s typically wearing a cloth diaper and warm clothing because we live in a cold environment!
Thank you for all these great ideas! Definitely considering some new options for the next LO. With my first we used shirts, legwarmers and a diaper. At a year we switched to T-shirts with pants and training pants. We have one pair of knit wool pants and they work great over training pants. But I worry about snags when he’s out playing. Would love to try some interlock. Two piece pajamas for night EC.
I love onsies qith 1 snap snapped with leg warmers!!
I dress my 18 month old daughter in a shirt and Tiny Undies training pants for around the house
We have almost made it one year! I usually dress baby in a dress with leggings or long socks. Or a kimono onesie with leggings. In winter I use warm fleece dresses and thick leggings with feet. Sleep gowns have worked well for nighttime. I use cloth diaper back-ups but want to try some new things soon!
My next baby will arrive in the summer so I hope I keep him or her bottom naked most of the time, with a simple t-shirt… let’s see if husband agrees! 😉
I have just started to look into EC Clothing but already got a split pant for my baby boy. I am glad that found this article and the sewing patterns!!!
I’m new to EC and still trying to figure out what’s available and tried and true. So far I’ve discovered using the brand new diaper set I just made with gazillion inconvenient for EC snaps with only 2 snaps snapped. That paired with leg warmers and dresses.
Right now I just button up her little onesie after she pees, and then put a little insert inside if I am not sure I can catch the next one. Or I just unbutton her onesie and let her roam around. It has been cold lately though, so I am looking into hand-sewing some split pants. At night, I have her in a wool cover and cotton inner with a wool topper, but I am taking her potty usually twice a night and it is just for backup.
With the snuggly shirt and leg warmers! I’m loving learning & doing EC with my little guy!
Hi Janell,
Thanks! I still want to try a Zomper from Rowe Kids. Congratulations on winning the giveaway! Please check your email and respond in order to claim an EC Peesy Snuggly Shirt.
Happy birthday to your little one! We love t-shirts too.
It has been cold lately! You might like the split pants sewing pattern from Little Bunny Bear. We also love using wool!
Too bad that the diapers you made turned out not to be the most convenient for EC. At least you figured out a way to still use them!
Congratulations on winning the Sleepy Gown! I hope your son gets a chance to wear it.
Yes, wool from head to toe would be awesome! #woollove
Upon clicking through I was sad to discover that the Flaparap shop closed in March. I thought you’d want to know!
Hi Sylvia, Thanks for brining it to my attention that I needed to update this post. I was so sad when the Flaparaps shop closed! They were a great product for EC’ing families. There are some B/S/T groups on Facebook where you may be able to find used Flaparaps.