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A Hard Habit to Break
Part Two From Diaper Donned to Toilet Trained
By April E. Clark
nd parents a much-needed progress scale to follow during the potty training process.
"Parents often ask for assurance that their child is progressing appropriately through the toilet training process, so it is truly exciting for pediatricians to be able to objectively measure toilet training progress and completion and share that information with parents," says Dr. Schum. "Parents should be comforted to know that our study showed that 64 percent of children were in the slow or intermediate group of the toilet training progress phase."
During the study, which enrolled more than 250 toddlers between the ages of 15 and 42 months, parents reported that the most common recipe for success was praise, reminders and use of a "potty" chair. The study also found that encouraging a child to be a "big kid" and allowing decision on the child's part were productive potty training approaches.
Nicholson agrees that a positive, encouraging environment works for most toddlers. "Your goal is to get your child interested in toileting and to have him totally independent when he toilets," says Nicholson. "Make it a family event if possible and encourage all your family members to help you work on toileting. Buy some special underwear – if your child has a special cartoon character that he enjoys, splurge on some special undies."
Dr. Schum, also a practicing pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, agrees that the evolution from diapers into training pants or underwear is a key step in the process. "We found that once a child shows signs of readiness and the parent determines the child is ready, moving a child out of diapers and into disposable training pants, cloth training pants or underwear is one of the most effective techniques for rapid toilet training progress," he says. "It sends a message to the child that toilet training has begun."
One of the biggest questions that parents often ponder is whether or not it is time to officially start the potty training process. As part of the Fundamentals of Toilet Training Study's "3-Step Parent-Coached Approach," if a child shows signs of readiness – typically around age 2 – then let the potty training begin. The study also presented findings that show the average time for toilet training can range anywhere from eight to 12 months.
