The Wiggles *Finally* Released A Potty Training Song To Help Get It Done

If you've ever struggled to get your child out of diapers, then you've likely tried every go-to potty training trick you can think of. There's no question that toilet training can be seriously frustrating for both kids and parents alike, but now there is another strategy to try. That's because Australian children's supergroup The Wiggles released a potty training song, according to Kinderling, and it is *fantastic*.

Given how many years The Wiggles have been a fixture in toddler entertainment, it's honestly pretty surprising that they haven't already tackled the issue of teaching kids how to use the toilet. But on Thursday, The Wiggles announced that, after "decades" of being asked to write a song to help with toilet training, they finally did. And with a little help from animators at YouTube's Super Simple Songs, the final product is a sweet "toilet challenge" meant to encourage children to sit for the entire duration of the nearly 3 minute video, and simply see what happens.

According to Anthony Field (aka the blue Wiggle), the whole point of the video is to "make toilet training fun for children and be a help to those caring for them." And while those of us with older children may have appreciated it if this video had existed earlier, there's no question that The Wiggles have just done parents everywhere a massive favor.

At the beginning of the video, purple Wiggle Lachy Gillespie asks pint-sized viewers if they "can take the toilet challenge" and "sit on the toilet for this whole song." And really, that's all the toilet challenge acutally consists of: kids aren't urged to actually go, or promised a reward if they do, they literally just have to sit and see what happens.

During the song, the animated boy and girl characters need to take a few tries, during which yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins asks, "Do you feel it coming? Any luck?" When the kids say no, she assures them it's totally fine, and that they can simply stay seated and try again.

A little over halfway through the song though, the boy and girl do manage to do "a wee or a poo" on the toilet, and so The Wiggles also help guide them through clean-up (there's even a countdown to flushing the toilet together).

In addition to the video though, Super Simple Songs also shared a list of helpful potty training tips for parents, and the advice similarly emphasizes patience and not putting any pressure on a potty training child. After all, as the article points out, most children *will* get the hang of it eventually, even if it doesn't happen as quickly as mom and dad may want it to .

From the sounds of it, that's likely a pretty great strategy. Though it's understandably alluring to want to potty train your child in a weekend the way some books and online guides promise, pediatric urologist Dr. Steve Hodges argues that, actually, taking a more relaxed approach to potty training will not only be less stressful, but could avoid some potentially-difficult complications, like chronic constipation, down the line. In a blog post on his website, Hodges noted,

You can’t compel a child to poop or pee in the toilet any more than you can compel her to sleep. Micromanaging the process with goals (or rewards) can backfire in a big way. Step aside and allow your child to own this milestone, on her own timetable.

In other words? While mentally psyching yourself up for a weekend of potty training boot camp may seem like a good way to get this often-frustrating milestone over with, it seems that The Wiggles may have the right idea by simply encouraging little ones to sit on the toilet for a few minutes, and giving them a chance to see what happens. And though it may be unlikely the The Wiggles' new video will magically solve all your potty training woes, it definitely seems like a fun way to get your youngster acquainted with the toilet in a positive way, which can only help the process move along with as little misery as possible.