So as it turns out, we’re still suffering the consequences of Arddun’s squeamishness with the potty, and we’re still nowhere near getting her out of diapers. But she’s perfectly happy reading all about it, so today I thought I’d borrow a leaf from our potty-training story book and start role-playing the process.
I don’t expect you to have read the book or any number of potty-training philosophies or techniques, so here’s how it goes.
- You find a suitable teddy.
- You role-play the whole potty process using said teddy.
- Child miraculously understands how using the potty pertains to her, and voila. Diaper free days!
In our case, I decided to use a stuffed toy Arddun had never met before. Rummaged around for a candidate, which turned out to be a dog. Granted – dogs don’t usually park themselves on a child’s potty to relieve themselves, but neither do bears for that matter. So Doggy Doo-Doo had to do.
I made the entire concert as entertaining and positive as possible,
“Oh look, Arddun! It’s a potty! She needs to go to the potty! Okay, let’s have a sit… doo-dee-doo-dee-doo…”
After a suitable waiting time and some ad hoc elevator music, Doggy Doo-Doo stands up and peers into the (empty) potty.
“Oh LOOK, Arddun! It’s a POO! Yay! Well done! Good job, Doggy! What a great effort, Doggy Doo-Doo! WHOOO! Now… we take a bit of toilet paper…” (I let Arddun tear a piece. She tears 3 long strips straight after that, so it’s obviously a huge job.) “Oh-kay enough toilet paper. Alright, let’s give Doggy a wipe… All done! Now throw the paper into the big toilet, aaaand… FLUSH TOGETHER! Yaaaay!”
We do this twice, Doggy Doo-Doo and I. We make a huge fuss over the imaginary turd, and what a triumph it was. We emphasise that toilet paper-tearing is a privilege reserved purely for potty users, and that flushing the toilet after is extra special.
And then Arddun starts making gestures that she wants to give it a go.
So I watch as Arddun seats Doggy Doo-Doo on the potty. Very cute.
Two seconds later, she flings Doggy off the seat, sticks her face into the potty to peer at the imaginary turd, and yells “OH NO A MESS!”
Obviously my rendition was NOT how she remembered things.
Back to the drawing board?

23 January 2013 at 11:30 pm
We’ve had a few accidents from our 4year old this week :-(
24 January 2013 at 9:06 pm
Ooohhh… that couldn’t have been fun! It has happened to a friend of mine, too. Out of the blue, her 4yo little girl didn’t make it to the bathroom. Hope next week’s a whole lot better for you!
24 January 2013 at 9:29 am
Thanks Chevelle that was the best laugh I’ve had for a few days :)
Maybe she’s thinking poo in potty “mess”, mess is bad, so poo in potty is bad? Who knows but I love the stories of her journey!
24 January 2013 at 9:09 pm
I think you’re definitely on to something there, regarding her negative association of “mess” with the potty. I guess I should be thankful that she’s not one of those wheee-let’s-smear-it-on-the-walls curious tots!
3 February 2013 at 1:48 pm
oh man, when i read this i thought you were talking about the game Doggie Doo and i was thinking… finally someone made sense of it… if you’ve never heard of it you should definitely google it…