As somebody who suffered emotional trauma from medical experiences, THANK YOU for changing the way you interact with children!

Dr. Steve, thank you! After many ER visits with 7 kids I can still remember the staff who did or did not engage with my kids like this. My 32 year old is still terrified of needles after an experience with no warning given. After a doctor spoke directly with my son with much respect, my then 10 year old asked “Can we fix this a different way? Can we use glue instead of stitches?” After the pros and cons were explained he chose to have his cut glued. He felt so empowered! What you are doing has a huge impact on your young patients for years to come!

Hi Corine! Thanks for asking. I don’t think EC fits with the RIE philosophy, because it entails interrupting infants and holding them in unnatural positions. That doesn’t mean it is not the best choice for you, but those are my feelings. Communicating that she’s urinating is wonderful! But from there, the adult is making the choice to hold the infant over a toilet.

How do you feel “elimination communication” fits into the RIE philosophy?

I have only found out about it recentelijk, and don’t know much so far, but the idea of consiuosly observing my baby and letting her communicatie when she needs to pee seems very RIE to me

Also not letting my baby sit in her own dirt (diaper) seems more respectfull, even with todays superdry diapers.

Kind regards,

Corine

Hi Steve,

I really can’t thank you enough for your comment. It comes at the perfect time. As much as I believe in this approach with every cell in my body, I still get discouraged…and today was a discouraging day. You are a hero, in my book, for the work you do. My son, now 13, says he wants to be an ER doctor! (after being a professional soccer player, but still…)
Thanks again,
Janet

I have been meaning to write to you for a while. My wife is crazy about your stuff and to hear it second hand sounded to me like some serious hippy Mumbo jumbo. Talk to and treat an infant like person? They don’t even understand English, I thought! However, I read your book and thought it made sense. Thank god I read it when she was little. Diaper changes are a piece of cake now. I let her know what I am doing, what to expect and treat her with dignity and respect. All my interactions are guided now by this philosophy. I had feared speaking in this way would be formulaic and contrived. Quite the opposite. I feel my interactions are more genuine because I speak to her simply how I would want to be spoken to. This has carried to my work as an ER doc. I now speak respectfully to children, let them know what is coming. I know it’s not the point of your work but it makes my job so much easier! I have to spend half the time with wiggling children because they usually comply with my requests! So…thanks a lot! Dr. Steve