rassilon-imprimatur:

The term “Time Tot” was introduced to Doctor Who in Douglas Adams’ Shada (therefore existing in every version of that story), where Romana discussing owning a nursery book called Our Planet Story. Just sort of a cute, silly term, typical of Adams’ signature style of making the mythos tease itself. 

We’ve since seen that “Time Tots” most definitely recieve nursery rhymes and such at young ages, and the Tenth Doctor has even mentioned things about “playing in a nursery.” 

Paul Cornell’s Goth Opera takes this further, showing that Time Tots really are treated as humans would treat toddlers… 

“And that is the story of how Rassilon slayed the Great Vampire, and let us
all sleep safely in our beds at night.“ Romana closed the book with the
Great Seal of Rassilon on the cover and smiled at the children that were
sitting around her chair in a rapt circle. “Which is what all of you Time
Toddlers should be doing now.“ 

Nurses led the little Gallifreyans away, oblivious to their protests. Some of
them stopped to thank Romana or ask questions about Rassilon, and she
replied to them all. 

…. as does Ian Potter’s (excellent) “Apocrypha Bidpedium, with several excerpts coming from a children’s book titled Tales of the Matrix– True Stories from TARDIS Logs, Retold for Time Tots by Loom Auntie Flavia. 

And y’know, yeah, all cute and sweet and silly, “Time Tots! Time Toddlers!” It’s cute! 

Until you remember Lungbarrow… 

“They are all born from the Family Loom as full-grown adults. They are like children at first and have to learn like children. Andred calls that time brain-buffing. He says the things they live with in the House are deliberately big, so that they feel as if they have been small.”

…. and Faction Paradox’s Of the City of the Saved… 

“A childe is not a child. Youth is relative, as is biology. It’s doubtful any true childe of the
Houses has been a child, except in appearance.”

… meaning that whenever you read/hear a sweet little Time Tot nursery rhyme, it’s either being read to a) a full grown adult with a baby brain, or b) some sort of Damian-from-The-Omen-esque nightmare genius child. 

Time Lords are weird, I fucking love it.