The kind of parents we are (Caroline)

Emma and I went to the baby shop today to buy her her first potty.

When we got there, there was a pair of parents there, with their daughter. They had every single potty lined up on the floor and they were deep in discussion about which one to buy. They were reviewing their priorities. It was important, they decided that it had a soft cushion. They wanted something that looked realistic, as much like a real toilet as possible. Apparently oblivious to the contradiction, they also wanted a potty that made sounds to reward their child for successful attempts.

Meanwhile, their daughter had chosen the simplest and cheapest one and was gleefully pushing it around in circles.

Now, me, I don't feel the strong need that Emma's potty has music. When my kid poos, there's no need for trumpets to sound. I don't need the potty to transform into something else - like a car. I don't need it to turn into a stool when she's older (we have stools for that). And I don't care if it resembles a throne. I just want a potty.

So I grabbed the two simplest/cheapest ones (although they're still more elaborate than they used to be), put them in front of Emma and asked her to choose - green or red. She chose the green one that vaguely looks like a frog (told you they're more elaborate), and we went and paid for it, leaving the poor bewildered couple discussing whether it would be better for their kid's development to have Beethoven or Mozart singing the praises of their child's wee-wee.