![Baby puts everything away, sweeps the broom: is he a future maniac? Baby puts everything away, sweeps the broom: is he a future maniac?](https://img-3.journaldesfemmes.fr/kJ_8OJ9nV2WWFmDLbCoA8O5K7Ok=/1500x/smart/d9da696bea224f44bbb380de4c2a1ecd/ccmcms-jdf/39967866.jpg)
For some children, potty training seems to turn into an obsession. Is this normal? We asked the question to a psychologist.
“My son likes when everything is tidy. He closes all the doors, has an obsession with trash cans, sweeps and mops, even under the bed, he helps me hang out the laundry by handing me the clothes , to start the washing machine, to put away the dishwasher”, tells us Aurore, mother of a little Gaspard aged 19 months. Like this little boy, many children cannot tolerate disorder or dirt from a very young age. They scrub stains, pick up crumbs, align objects… So much so that it can sometimes seem obsessive. But what does this behavior mean? Are babies who tidy up future maniacs, or is it just a normal phase of childhood development?
You should know that around 18 months, the symbolic play phase begins. The child begins to reproduce behaviors, outside of their context. He imitates any behavior he sees that piques his interest. At this age, play is a way of assimilating what is good and what is bad. “Baby cooks, scolds his dolls, mows the lawn, makes the phone, does the cleaning… And that’s perfectly normal!” explains Véronica Olivieri-Daniel, clinical psychologist.
According to psychoanalytic theory, the anal stage, which corresponds to toilet training, occurs around 2-3 years of age. The child discovers that holding in his stools or expelling them can give him a certain form of pleasure. According to Véronica Olivieri-Daniel, it is also cleanliness in the broad sense that is at stake. It is therefore completely normal to very often see children engaging in cleaning and housekeeping activities.
“This absolutely does not mean that he is a maniac, only that he is in the process of learning to clean himself and control it. Because cleanliness is not limited to learning to pee or poop on the potty, but also to learning to no longer arouse disgust in your parents. It is a global notion of cleanliness that they apply to all activities. It’s quite healthy to see children cleaning, because it indicates that this notion of modesty and self-cleanliness is being learned.“, argues the specialist.