What’s difficult right now?

Dido tip: Let your child choose between two Dido episodes, rather than between brushing and not brushing.

1. 1.Pick two episodes: one calm, one funny
2. 2.Ask: “The frog or the bakery dog?”
3. 3.Start the chosen episode and begin the ritual

Why it might help: The choice belongs to your child; only the question has changed. Having a choice can help them feel in control.

Dido tip: Keep Dido episodes for the bathroom to help the connection stay strong.

1. 1.Play Dido only during the bathroom ritual
2. 2.When your child asks for Dido, say: “Of course! Let’s go to the bathroom.”

Why it might help: Keeping it for one place makes the episode a reason to go there. The bathroom becomes a place where something nice happens.

Dido tip: The same opening words, the same order, the same ending: “We did it.”

1. 1.Choose a regular opening phrase, such as “Dido’s already waiting”
2. 2.Follow the same little sequence
3. 3.Finish with the same words: “We did it.”

Why it might help: Repetition can take the negotiation out of the moment. A familiar ritual gives you something steady to follow.