Toilet training is one of the big steps parents take as they help their toddlers grow into young children. A little bit of knowledge and some patience could pave the way for it to be far less harrowing than anticipated.
Five facts about toddlers and their toilet training
- There is no point in attempting toilet training until the child him-/herself becomes interested in doing a wee and a pooh in the loo. The toddler has to be aware of and have at least partial control of his/her bowel and bladder movements for any hope of success.
- Kids develop control of their movements generally between the ages of 18 and 24 months, but each child is different. When they start asking questions about going to the toilet and what happens when people use it, they are probably ready to have a go.
- There is no set timeframe for teaching any individual child to use the toilet successfully; it can happen within days, take many months, or seem to go very well and then suddenly go backwards. Every child is different.
- Fear of passing a motion in the potty or toilet is a very common toilet training situation. The child may be reluctant to defecate because of initial constipation, or may suffer constipation simply because he/she is reluctant to defecate. Ensuring that the child gets enough fluids and fibre is the first step, and your GP might prescribe a stool softener to help with possible constipation.
- Very few children do not wet their beds, even among older children. Bedwetting can continue long after a child has achieved dry days and as much as 10% of children are still wetting the bed at night by the age of 7. They can’t sleep dry until their bodies start producing a hormone that signals the body to stop making urine at night, and there is no specific or minimum age at which this happens.
Sources
Cooke, K. 2003. Kid-wrangling. Penguin
Reader’s Digest Good Health Fact Book. 1996. Reader’s Digest
www.kidspot.com.au
www.webmd.com