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A mind-boggling blend of delightful and irritating content
We normally don't let our almost-3-year-old use screen media, but in a fit of desperation we bought the Potty Power DVD because she had regressed somewhat with potty training. She was transfixed from beginning to end and immediately wanted to "use" the potty. I use quotes here because, ever since she first saw the video, she has been "using" the potty perfectly except for the essential step: peeing or pooping. She pulls down her pants and pull-up, sits on the toilet, and 5 minutes later stands up and proclaims "I'm done!" Then she washes her hands, singing "Wash your hands, wash 'em real GOOD..." (which drives me nuts because the appropriate adverb is WELL... but whatever). The video has definitely increased her enthusiasm for using the potty. We didn't see the miracle effect that other parents reported, but I'm glad we bought it.
Now for a few words about the video itself. The female narrator is adorable in a Disneyesque sort of way, and the first 80% of the video is populated by equal numbers of girls and boys (who all look like they're between the ages of 3.5 and 4), making the video gender-neutral. (However, parents of boys who are trying to teach them to stand while peeing or to point their wee-wees DOWN while sitting won't get any demonstration in the video.) The final section of the video features a story about a princess, but since girls are constantly expected to shape-shift their experiences and interests to accommodate stories about boys, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect boys to occasionally do the same with stories about girls. My main complaint with the video is that it covers every component of using the potty except elimination itself. There's no mention of the feeling or sound of pee or poop leaving the body and hitting the water or the bottom of the potty chair. Some people might find this gross, but I think such overt, concrete demonstrations are essential for preschoolers. Otherwise all they hear is that the proper protocol is to sit down, amuse yourself for a while, then stand up and wipe. So as far as my daughter is concerned, she's doing everything absolutely correctly.
Another warning for parents: the neurotic jester character in the final story may inspire homocidal fantasies. He reminds me of Robin Williams pre-rehab. My spouse looked up the actor's webpage and found that he does video clips for the farce newspaper The Onion, which redeemed him in our eyes, but only somewhat. We still find him unbearable to watch. There's a scene where he's alone with the princess, and my spouse and I looked at each other and said simultaneously, "I'd never leave my kid alone with that guy!" My daughter thinks he's a hoot, though, so it's cool from her perspective. Also, the editing at the very beginning and end, in which video panels of different potty scenes of kids fly in and out from the top and sides of the screen, made both of us a little queasy.
In spite of these problems, my overall impression of the video is positive. It definitely increased my daughter's enthusiasm for using the potty, and she really enjoys the songs, as do I inspite of the grammatical errors (grrrr).
[Thursday, January 08, 2009]
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Did the impossible
My 2 year old had a severe speech delay. I was told not to worry about her being potty trained until she was older, but with in 6 months she was good to go. She really conected with the songs and watching the infantren sitting on the potty.
[Tuesday, January 06, 2009]
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Great training video
Potty Power is cute and designed to speak right to my infant. At fist glance you think it is a little silly to watch a roll of toilet paper and a woman sing to your infant about going potty, think again my daughter loves it. Very clear instructions that are fun and easy to remember. My daughter was singing all the songs after the first day.
Thank you
[Thursday, December 25, 2008]
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