Toilet training of kids is a rite of passage towards eventual independence. During this time, parents are tasked to look for the signs that will tell them that their young children are ready. This is an experience that should be maintained with a positive attitude since any negativity will just tend to prolong the training.
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| Photo credit: jbird |
When Does Toilet Training of Kids Start?
Toilet training should start when a child is ready, not earlier nor later. Training kids to use the potty too early results to resistance while doing it too late may result to unchecked bad toilet habits. Translated to numbers, readiness is expected to occur sometime between 22 to 30 months of age.
It is possible however that a child may still not be emotionally ready to potty train even if he or she has become of age. By experience, girls are easier to toilet train than boys. While the former average at 36 months of age to be fully potty-trained, the latter average a little over at 38 months.
How to Determine Readiness of Kids for Toilet Training
Kids can be considered ready for potty training when they are able to control their bladder and bowel muscles. Some signs of this are regular bowel movement, retaining a dry diaper even after a nap, and having no bowel movements during the night while sleeping. It is also highly ideal that kids are able to perform basic motor skills before toilet training commences.
Children up to 5 or 6 years old will still require assistance in wiping and washing themselves even if they have been sufficiently toilet-trained. This would involve teaching them proper hygiene practices. Parents of young children should consider checking on their children once in a while to see if they require any further assistance.
Why Toilet Training Should Be Fun
Toilet training should not be stressful especially for the children. In fact, it should be fun to make it easier for everyone. Parents should tap on their creativity to do this.
Some of the suggested ways is to create a fun bathroom atmosphere. There are many attractively-designed potties for children available in the market. It would help if parents can make the regular toilet look as friendly as possible in the eyes of a child. This is easily achieved by using a variety of colourful toilet seats that will facilitate ease of transition from children's potty to regular toilet.
My Say
Toilet training of children starts when the child is ready and not when parents deem it convenient for them. Every phase of child development has its time and it will not always be the same for all. The last thing parents should do, if at all, is to force their children to do something just because the other children his or her age are already doing it.
That said, any form of child training will require patience and persistence from parents. Parents need to find that style that will tend to encourage their children to follow instead of forcing them out of fear. This is not only true in toilet training of kids but in other aspects as well which are expected to be faced by parents and children together.
