Has your toddler gone through a toilet humor phase?

[Jillian]

If so, how long did it last?

My daughter will be 3 in another month and she is potty trained. This past week or so she talks about her butt all the time and makes little jokes. She also talks about poop all the time and sings songs about it (even off the potty). She will laugh and crack herself up for an hour over poop! My husband and I try to tell her to tone it down, but she thinks it's hilarious.

 

[xfilesfan]

In my experience, it lasts anywhere from 20-70 years. You'd think my friends were all about 5 years old based on the jokes and stories that seem to go around.

Yeah, I'd say it's normal, but that doesn't mean you have to just accept it. A few things to try:

- Ignore it- if she doesn't have an audience, she may stop. (although it sounds like she's doing it mostly for her own amusement, in which case she may or may not care if you're paying attention to her.) And definitely don't laugh at her jokes!

- Explain to her that "we don't joke about poop, butts, etc." Don't make it sound "dirty" or forbidden, but just tell her that it's not polite to joke about it. When she gets into "potty mode", remind her "Sweetie, we don't joke about that."

- Give her some alternatives- tell her other jokes or silly stories. If she has something else to laugh about, she may not latch onto potty jokes quite so much.

- Be patient. In my experience, it's almost impossible to completely eliminate bathroom humor, but you can at least try to minimize it as much as possible.

 

[jay]

it's typical silly behavior by children

girls usually stop thinking this type of humor is funny when they turn twelve or thirteen

boys usually stop thinking this type of humor is funny when they turn thirty

 

[Tenretni]

All kids go through this phase and it gets worse when little kids are around little kids! They will grow to be less intrested in bodily functions over time. My best advise is to ignore it, don't even respond to her jokes or songs. Sometimes it heps to change the subject all together. I do correct my children when we are in public though. Good luck, it will pass.