Alicia Silverstone left parents open-mouthed when she revealed her “excitement” at doing away with diapers and relying solely on “communication” for cues as to when her son needed to go to the toilet. The eccentric actress, now 46, claimed she had saved money with the unconventional parenting method, as she rarely needed to buy any nappies.
It’s the most natural, primal thing… just like your baby tells you it needs to eat or it’s tired, they [also] tell you when they need to go to the bathroom
Alicia Silverstone
Although her net worth is estimated at $20 million (£16.88 million), the former Clueless star says she was still “excited” to have saved “tons of money on diapers”.
“It’s the most natural, primal thing… just like your baby tells you it needs to eat or it’s tired, they [also] tell you when they need to go to the bathroom,” she insisted.
The USA-based star, who says she began the eyebrow-raising toilet training method with son Bear when he was just six months old, has also claimed the reason it doesn’t work for everyone is because parents are “ignoring” their children’s cues.
“If you pay attention, they actually have a pause button and will give you enough time to get to a place that makes it comfortable for them to go [to the toilet]. It’s amazing,” she added to People magazine.
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In her book, The Kind Mama, Alicia has described the technique as “elimination communication”.
“When I got into it, I was so excited because it was another way to communicate,” she concluded, claiming that Bear experienced “joy” at “being heard”.
“The cues part for me was really fun… I thought that he was flirting with me because he would do this little smile. That’s when he had to pee,” she revealed on the Ellen Fisher podcast.
Alicia has remained close to her son as he grows up, even continuing to share a bed with him despite the fact that he has now turned 11.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Kourtney Kardashian has been equally open about sharing a bed with her 10-year-old daughter Penelope, though eldest child Mason started sleeping alone aged seven.
Yet Alicia admitted she believes she will spark the wrath of “mom shamers” for her unconventional habits, adding that she is unrepentant.
“If you were in any kind of wild setting where there are wild animals, if you put your baby [away from you], your baby is going to get eaten.
“It’s not ideal for the baby to be over there,” she declared on the podcast.
Alicia, who also pre-chewed food for her son when he was younger before passing it directly into his mouth like a bird, is adamant that she is just “following nature”.
“Our society is scared of nature and scared of love,” she exclaimed.
Meanwhile, she also raised eyebrows on a previous occasion when she admitted her son had tried to tongue kiss her “passionately” at the age of five after seeing her doing the same thing on Clueless.
She had taken him to a special screening of the movie under the stars at the Hollywood Cemetery – and only realised afterwards that it might not have been suitable for a boy his age.
“He was so young and it’s not appropriate, I think, for a 5-year-old to watch that movie,” she mused.
“It’s all about sex and stuff, so I just realized, ‘Oops’!” she told ET Online on the night of her appearance at the Netflix premiere of Senior Year.
“What he really picked up is he tried to kiss me – like, passionate kisses, because that’s what he saw in the movie.”
That seems to be the only aspect of Bear’s parenting that she has regrets about, as she insists that her other choices – including regularly sharing a bath and a bed with him – are based on “instinct and deep research”.
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