While 2-year-old Ginneh Wright was showing signs she was ready to start using the potty, her mom, Stacia Wright, was not feeling up to the challenge of potty training a toddler.
To help her daughter understand the process, and to maintain her own sanity, the Maryland mom made up a catchytune, encouraging Ginneh to, "Tell Mommy when you need to pee. Tell Mommy when you need to poop."
Ginneh loved the song, asking her mom to sing it over and over until Wright had the idea to create a video of she and her daughter singing the song together, so that Ginneh could watch it as often as she'd like. Wright later posted the video to Facebook, where it has been viewed more than one million times by parents who can relate to the toddler-potty-training struggle.
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Wright, who also has a 5-year-old son with husband, Marcel Wright, says since she had already been through potty training once before, she knew of the accidents, repetition and bribery that were involved. The mom of two used the same potty training technique with Ginneh as she had with her son — one that encourages reminding the child to tell a parent when they need to go potty, rather than asking them if they need to go repeatedly.
"It gives them a sense of ownership in the process and helps them start recognizing the sensation of what it feels like when you need to go," Wright told TODAY Parents. "But, you have to repeat the phrase, 'Tell Mommy when you need to go potty,' hundreds of times a day — or at least that's what it feels like."
"We were officially on day one of potty training and about halfway through the day, I felt like a broken record," Wright continued. "In my tiredness, I began repeating the phrase over and over as a tune to her and she got so excited."
In the video version of her song, Wright gives her daughter a part to play in the tune — having her respond to "Gotta pee pee," and "Gotta poo poo," with "In your potty." While her mom sings, Ginneh dances and spins, clearly excited about her potty training plan.
"The song, however, was apparently more appealing than actually doing what the song instructs, because about two minutes after we made the video, she promptly peed on the steps," admitted Wright, adding that she is now several days into potty training, and feels that Ginneh is catching on to the concept thanks to the song and the prizes she receives for being successful.
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Wright says she has heard from other parents who are using the video to potty train their own children. And, the testimonials and support she's received from others gives her hope that Ginneh will soon master using the potty.
"I think people love it so much because it's a common struggle for most parents," said Wright, who has created a fan site for the tune on Facebook. "The process of potty training a child takes nearly every ounce of your patience and energy so you are looking for anything that will help make the process easier — on both the child and you."
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