Linger and Simmer

A friend once recommended that I speak more slowly - she said that one of Michael Jackson's mantras was to "let it simmer," that is, to take one's time. This is important when potty training your child. There have been numerous times that I've placed DS on the potty and when there were no results within a minute or so, I'd take him off and then he would pee or even worse, poo, on the floor. So it's good to use distractions to keep your child on the pot for a few minutes, e.g., read a book or give her a toy, so that she will linger a while and let nature take its course. Also, as a parent who is practicing EC, you should trust your instincts. If you think your child needs to eliminate, he probably does, so give him a chance to work it out. How long should you wait? At least three minutes, which is actually quite a long time to keep a child still. Many songs--albeit not kiddie ones unless you sing "Old McDonald" for a few rounds--are three to four minutes in length. So you could try singing or humming a tune. Like Michael Jackson's "Rock with You," which is 3 minutes and 39 seconds long.