Frequently Asked Questions

Scroll thru the below Q’s and A’s to see if your question is asked (it’s everything from “is your book right for me” to “how do I open the downloaded files”).

Q: My baby is beyond the first “golden window” of 0-4 months (but is not 18 months old yet). Are we too late to start EC? Will your book help us?
A: Absolutely no and absolutely yes. You’re not too late and the book will totally help. Although EC is easiest to begin (in most ways) during months 0-4 of your child’s life, the majority of our readers (and ECers across the world) are “late starters” (5-12 mos) or “early start potty training” (12-18 mos). It’s hard to nail everything as a new parent, and easier to diaper, so, people discover EC when they do. No harm, no foul.

Point is…you CAN (and should?) start during months 5-18 AND the EC Simplified eBook is the best resource out there on this topic. Further, the Forum Archives go beyond the book with the most cutting-edge, up-to-date processes for working with a more mobile, older baby, and starting with young toddlers. So, you’re in the right place! Btw, EC Simplified recommends starting quickly…reason being, older babies are getting VERY used to those diapers every day and you’ll need to turn that boat around sooner than later.

Q: My child is 18 months old or older. Will your book (or EC) work for me?
A: Honestly, with an older child, skip EC. Do not buy the book. It will waste your time and your child is now old enough to require a more autonomous, “do it myself” method. But don’t shop around at other potty training sites and books just yet! Pretty much all of them are coercive and rewards-based except for my friend’s. Jamie will help you potty train your child within a few weeks (her average is 7 days). There IS a form of gentle, non-coercive toilet training out there where you do NOT have to wait for readiness…and it’s only found with Jamie. It’s geared towards 20-30 month olds (although she can help older kids too). See Jamie here for non-coercive potty training. And get the book for your next baby and get an earlier start…at birth if possible. (But, please, potty train your older one *first*, okay?) :)

Q: My child is 17, 18, or 19 months old. Should I start EC now or just wait and potty train her? Or can I potty train her now and skip EC?
A: EC Simplified gets this question a lot so we’re adding it to the FAQ here! Jamie, has had success with those as young as 17 months, more commonly 18 months, so we’ve changed the window! EC Simplified covers 0-18 months, Jamie covers 18 months plus. What to do at 17, 18, or 19 months then?

At 17 months, you can start EC and do it for a couple months…and then we’d recommend wrapping it up at or around 20 months with Jamie’s non-coercive potty training method as discussed above…because your child will then be able to 100% retain the repetitive tasks necessary for potty training to “stick.” And Jamie’s that good that you don’t want to drag on EC forever and still have accidents while your other friends are PTed and good to go. It’s embarrassing, let’s face it!

If you have an 18 or 19 month old, just skip EC altogether and start Jamie’s non-coercive potty training method NOW, knowing that it may take up to a couple of weeks or months to finish (or not!). You see, all babies are different and while one 18 month old might be done in a week, another 19 month old could take 6 weeks. But, with Jamie, we doubt it would ever take that long (she’s that good).

Q: I’d like to join your Forum but don’t want/need to buy your book. Is that possible?
A: We’re sorry but we can’t offer this at this time, and won’t in the future for some very specific reasons. The Forum Archive is a very safe space full of those Moms and Dads and caregivers who have all read the book. Between the book and private video library, we’ve covered 99% of what you’ll face. For the other 1% of possible questions, the Forum Archives are here and can be helpful to those who have become stuck! So, you can see now why they’re a package deal. :)

Q: We are just beginning to think about Infant Potty Training/Elimination Communication. Can’t we just practice EC based on all the free info on the Internet, without buying your book?
A: Two answers here. Yes, absolutely, you can do it on your own! And, we don’t recommend it, as the vast majority of parents who “wing it” with EC end up with a heaping pile of problems within a few short months. Because EC isn’t common in modern society, you’ll need to gather information and the Internet definitely has a bunch. However, it’s mostly written by parents who have experience ECing only one child. This is like asking for sleep advice from someone who only had one baby who happened to sleep 10 hours straight every night. Suggestions will vary and you never know what you’re gonna get (or overlook).

While any young baby will pee when held in position, you may be in the small, lucky group and not experience a potty pause later. Remember: you should be able to start EC with confidence and ease…and you can expect some level of day/night dryness by 6-20 months. If you don’t experience these things, are frustrated, aren’t getting the hang of it, or simply feel like there’s something missing in what you’re doing…then by all means get the book.

Q: Does your book cover twins/multiples?
A: The process for EC is the same regardless if you have twins or more! The only difference with twins is you will need an extra set of hands during the first few weeks of learning, and EC Simplified suggests an extra set of hands throughout infancy! :)

Q: Do you guarantee my baby will be potty independent by 6-20 months?
A: We can’t guarantee this; however, many other parents that have purchased the book and have commented on the EC community forum can offer support through their experience. Please check out the EC Simplified Forum Archives for Q&As and fellow troubleshooting during the Elimination Communication journey.

Q: Is the Author an expert? Or…?
A: She needed a mentor when she was starting EC with our son. She studied and researched and went to meetings and started leading meetings and eventually became a DiaperFreeBaby Mentor and everything. Now she calls herself an Elimination Communication Educator/Mentor. She doesn’t call herself an expert, but she has indeed filtered through everything out there and made it simple to digest, implement, and troubleshoot.

Q: What makes your book different from the other paperback books in print, such as The Diaper Free Baby?
A: Good question! Glad you asked. EC Simplified is visually-oriented for the placenta-brain or busy parent/parent-to-be. It includes over 100 full color photos of positions, downloadable guides, logs, and forms for recording tendencies, and a 25+ private how-to video library is now available on the private Book Owners site. It’s basically a hands-on experience of how to start EC in simple, straight-forward language…not just plain book text. The internal navigation also helps a person jump around, or they can search the document for their answers.

If a parent needs a way to start, today, in simple, visual, accessible, and directly-usable format, EC Simplified is the best choice. It’s basically like someone has sifted through all of the available information and condensed the necessary stuff in a digestible, fun format.

You won’t get this kind of learning in a paperback, text-based book!

Q: Do you offer a Kindle Version?
A: Not yet, but…you can open it there anyway because it’s a PDF! Enjoy as a PDF in the meanwhile, on your Kindle and laptop.

Q: Can I put your book on many different gadgets of mine/my family’s? Can I share it with a friend?
A: Yes and no. Different gadgets? Sure! Just keep it in the family. However, if you want to “share” with a friend, we’d prefer that you send them to ecsimplified.com and have them buy their own copy…if possible.

Q: What’s a digital book? or Where is my hard copy? or Will you ever release a hard copy?

A: A digital book is also called an eBook and enables the reader to quickly jump around the book, search it, and read it on any number of things like a laptop, an iPhone, or a Kindle. It’s a great way to shrink the carbon footprint while also allowing for a more interactive learning experience. And don’t worry, it’s super-easy to open and read. So, yeah, we don’t do hard copies. They are a waste of trees and plain texts (hard copy books) do not effectively teach EC. Thanks for understanding….we know even the most skeptical parent will appreciate this format immensely. See the Testimonials page for Stephanie O.’s initial reluctance about an eBook format…which ultimately turned into adoration! :)

Q: How do I download your book? or I can’t find my book!
A: You received 2 emails when you ordered the digital book. Check your email, try to download it, and if you can’t, contact EC Simplified if you need your link re-set (if it’s expired already). If you’ve “lost” your book on your computer, don’t worry…we get this one a lot. Find the place on your hard drive where you can search your computer (start here: on a Mac: Spotlight or Finder; on Windows: Start menu, C: drive, My Documents). Enter the words “EC-Simplified” and “EC_Simplified” to locate your book. Then do a File>Save As to save it somewhere handy & memorable.

Q: Are there any shipping costs or tax?
A: No and no. Since our products are digital, you get instant access to them via an email after you complete your payment checkout.

Q: On which devices can I read your book?
A: You can read the book on all types of computers and laptops using the Free Adobe Reader (get it here), Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or any device that supports PDF documents. Because the book is delivered to you as a uniquely-stamped .PDF file, you can learn EC on-the-go!! See the next FAQ question for details on how to read on these devices.

Q: How do I OPEN/Read/Listen to your EC Simplified Book & Audiobook?
A: After you’ve purchased and downloaded my book and/or audiobook, here’s how to read/listen!

NOTE: Usually if you just download it and then double-click the file, your computer will automatically open it with the correct application!

>>Opening & Reading Your Book

HOW TO OPEN ON A COMPUTER/DESKTOP/LAPTOP
1. Double-click on the Folder “Book File – EC Simplified”
2. Double-click on the .PDF document found in that folder, called “EC Simplified – Infant Potty Training Made Easy – Book 2.0.pdf”
3. It should open in whatever reader your computer has…IF it does NOT open when double-clicked, go to http://get.adobe.com/reader and download the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat
4. If you’re worried about “losing” your book after you’ve opened it, click File>Save As and save it somewhere special and memorable on your hard drive.

HOW TO OPEN ON KINDLE
Until our Kindle Version has been created (due date TBD), just drag and drop and your book will show up on your Kindle. Amazon Kindle natively supports our digital book as a PDF. Kindles are AWESOME for new parents…get one here.

HOW TO OPEN ON IPHONE, IPOD TOUCH, OR IPAD WITH THE IBOOKS APP
(for screenshots of this tutorial, please see this link – It shows where you’ll find Books under Library in iTunes, IF you have the latest version of iTunes installed.)

This brief tutorial will show you how to add PDF files to iBooks so that you can read them on your iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone.

1. First up – we’re going to make the assumption that you have iBooks installed on your iPad/iPod Touch/iPhone. If you don’t, click here to install it: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks/id364709193?mt=8
2. Now open up iTunes. Select File -> Add to Library….
3. Navigate to the PDF file(s) you want to add to iBooks. You can select more than one file, or select an entire folder. Once you’ve made your selection, click Choose.
4. Now select Books from your iTunes Library. You should see the PDF file(s) that you just added, now listed.
5. Right-click (ctrl+click for single-button Mac folks) on the newly added PDF and select Get Info.
6. First select the Options tab. Make sure that the Media Kind: is set to Book.
7. Now select the Info tab. From here you can add any missing info – the authors name, the published year etc. When you’re done, click OK.
8. Almost done. Now select your iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone from the Devices list in iTunes. Select the Books tab from the list at the top. Make sure that Sync Books is checked. If you want to sync all of the books you’ve added to iTunes, select All Books and then click the Sync button. If you want to only sync specific books, choose Selected Books and then place a check next to each of the books you want to sync (and then click the Sync button).
9. Now open iBooks. You’ll see a PDFs button at the top. Tap it.
10. You’ll be presented with a list of all the PDFs you added via iTunes. Tap one of them..
11. and it will open in iBooks. At any point in time you can tap the screen and a menu will appear at the top. From here you can change the displays brightness, search the PDF, bookmark a page etc.
12. That’s it – you’re done!

HOW TO OPEN ON ANDROID WITH THE ALDIKO APP
NOTE: EC Simplified and all other PDFs do not show up that great on the Android YET…but they do work. Best to download to your computer and transfer a copy to your Android!

How?…Simply download the Aldiko app here – http://aldiko.com.

Then….

(1) Put the eBook and document files in the SD card of your device, tap on the “Files” icon at Home. Check the box next to the file that you want to import (or tap on the menu key of your device and choose “Select All”), then tap on the “Import to Aldiko” button at the pop-up window at the bottom; Or

(2) Create a folder (say “import”) in your SD card, put all the files that you want to import in that folder. Tap on the “Files” icon at Home, check the box next to the folder and then tap on the “Import to Aldiko” button at the pop-up window at the bottom; Or

(3) If the eBook or document files that you want to import are under different folders, tap on the “Files” icon at Home, check the box next to the folders that you want to import and then tap on the “Import to Aldiko” button at the pop-up window at the bottom.

*Please note that if you are importing Adobe DRM protected ePub and PDF files, you need to authorize your device with an Adobe ID before doing import.

>>Opening & Listening to Your Audiobook

HOW TO ADD TO ITUNES
1. Drag & drop the entire folder called “Audiobook Files – EC Simplified” directly into iTunes…OR…
2. Open iTunes. Click File -> Add to Library. Navigate to the folder entitled “Audiobook Files – EC Simplified” and click “Open”

HOW TO ADD TO YOUR MP3 PLAYER
1. Either drag & drop directly from the above folder, “Audiobook Files – EC Simplified”, into your MP3 player’s control panel after plugging it in…OR…
2. Open iTunes. Plug your MP3 player into your computer. It should appear in your iTunes sidebar. After adding the audiobook to iTunes (above), simply drag & drop the album into your MP3 player in the iTunes sidebar.

HOW TO BURN IT TO A CD TO LISTEN IN A CD PLAYER
Follow the instructions in your computer’s music player or iTunes to burn the audiobook to a CD. It will be done in the same manner as burning a musical album to a CD disc, as all the files are in MP3 format.

Q: What is EC and who is the Author?
A: You can read more about Elimination Communication (EC) here and see a long list of the benefits of choosing to do Elimination Communication here. Lastly, you can read all about EC Simplified, here.

Q: Andrea is endorsed by DiaperFreeBaby. Who are they?
A: DiaperFreeBaby is an international non-profit organization dedicated to informing people about Elimination Communication. They also host a network of volunteers, including Mentors, and link people with support groups worldwide. Find out more on their website: DiaperFreeBaby.org. Become a member and get a discount on our book!

Q: Can you help me, personally, learn how to do Elimination Communication?
A: We are not currently teaching EC one-on-one;  however, when you buy EC Simplified you get access to the Forum Archives.

Q: What is your Return Policy?
A: If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, we will personally refund your payment within 5 days of your original purchase (not from the date of your download, but your purchase date), no questions asked. We want you to be happy and believe that you will love the book…. If you want to get a refund after the 5 days have passed, we will have to say no. Sorry! Thanks for understanding!