Toilet training – it’s all simple
I write this as a mother of three and to our Rogan parents of young children.
I came across a mum while on holidays and came into casual conversation about children, holidays, life in general, as you do.
This particular mum was trying to toilet train a toddler who clearly wasn’t ready for it. Mum was getting more frustrated and angry by the day and the toddler was becoming more anxious and upset by the day.
There are so many instances in child rearing where there is no simple answer. You try lots of different approaches till you find one that works.
For me, however, there is only one way to approach toilet training. If you don’t follow this one rule then there will be all sorts of implications that could last for years.
Never force a child to sit on a potty or toilet and let them go at her or his own pace to learn to control.
All children develop at different paces – it really doesn’t matter if the child is 2 years old or 5 years old when they finally have full control. OK, it’s a bit more washing till then but what does it really matter if you have a happy and well-adjusted child?
There is no ‘toilet trained in 7 days’ magic wand, despite what the books might say.
Sure, bring out the potty now and then, and always praise a child whether they are successful or not. We’ve had more clapping and celebrating around a potty in our house than I can remember.
I guarantee that in 99% of cases if you force a child to sit on a potty or toilet when they don’t want to you will finish up with an anxious child who may still not have bowel control when they go to school – and that is much tougher for them.
So for any parents setting goals for their children I suggest you rethink it all, and go with the flow (literally!) You’ll all be happier and well-adjusted in the long run.
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