A quick think about toilets and potties

[ailbhe]

We bought Linnea a potty this weekend, a traditional old-fashioned one like this (though not a Brand Name one like that, of course), and I was looking at it while using the loo earlier.

And I thought, "That potty means she can squat, just like she does anyway. That's so sensible! And I've heard that French loos allow squatting, too."

I rapidly descended into slightly incoherent rage at the person or persons who decided that squatting wasn't sufficiently civilised and condemned me to a lifetime of using toilets that are a fraction too high for my short legs, and anyway enforce a sitting position, not an effective elimination position.

And now I want to know whose bright idea it was, anyway, to raise the whole thing above ground level, and why it caught on. I acknowledge that my perspective on this has changed considerably since the whole being-tirn-up-like-a-wet-paper-bag even we refer to in polite society as "the birth", but I suspect that it's a reasonable query even for hale and hearty people with no, ah, bathroom issues, shall we say.

And now I'm going to bed. Linnea went at 21:05 and only woke for about 20-30 minutes since. I lay down with her for a feed, and when she was asleep came down to write this entry. Be suitably grateful!