The Potty Song

[halojedha]

 I made up a song to sing when holding E out over the potty. Sometimes they won't go until I sing the song. 

To the tune of "Give a dog a bone"

I love you, you love me
You like being nappy free
You're sitting in my lap over the potty
Do you want to do a wee?

You love me, I love you
I think you know what to do

You're sitting in my lap over the potty
Do you want to do a poo?

Also includes alternate versions eg when a poo has been started but not finished, "Is there any more in you?" And when leaving them lying over a damp nappy for a couple of minutes because they're too full of milk to hold out, "You're lying on the mat over the nappy"

The song works well. The only problem is that sometimes I get it stuck in my head all day!

Comments

[strange_complex]

Sometimes they won't go until I sing the song.

That's really amazing, actually. I mean, they are only tiny still - coming up for four months, is it? But that shows they're already starting to respond to cues about when it's 'OK' to go - i.e. the beginnings of the self-regulation system are already developing. I didn't know that would show at such a young age.

[halojedha]

The stuff I've read indicates that it neurologically can't happen until the prefrontal cortex develops, which happens gradually over the first 18 months of life. At this stage (three months) they can't plan or delay gratification as they have no concept of the future. What they do have apparently is associative images - they form patterns of expectation attached to specific events based on what usually happens. So maybe that's how the potty and the song works? Or maybe it's just coincidence!

[strange_complex]

Yes, that makes sense - it's a bit like a Pavlovian response. Still pretty amazing, anyway.