How To Toilet Train Healthy Children? A Review Of The Literature

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 19 Jun 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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UroToday.com - A study out of Belgium addressed toilet training healthy children.

The group reviewed the literature on toilet training. They coalesced all the data on developmental signs of readiness for toilet training, toilet training methods, definitions of being toilet trained, problems encountered with toilet training and predictive factors for success. They found that specific studies on this topic were scant in the literature. There were 2 main methods for toilet training. One was a gradual child-oriented training and the second was a structured, endpoint-oriented training.

The child-oriented training centered on the child's signals of toileting" readiness" along with parental response to these signaling. The structured endpoint-oriented training consisted of actively teaching the child several independent toilet training behaviors. Again the scant data did not allow a comparison between the 2 methods. The group found there was no overall consensus to the optimal age for starting to toilet train. There was also no consensus on the expected mean of age of completed toilet training. The literature review showed that most children start to train between 2-3 years of age.

The group concluded that standardization of the terminology used and critical evaluation of the two currently described techniques in a large cohort is imperative. It is true that some follow more structured end-point oriented training with a timed voiding regimen while others advocate to not potty train the child until he/she literally says, "I am ready to go potty on the potty." It seems that a fusion of both of these would make the most sense that when a child does show awareness and readiness for potty training, that a timed voiding regiment along with increasing fluid intake during that time with positive reinforcement might potentially have the best outcome for these children to help prevent dysfunctional voiding. The last thing we want to do is teach our children holding habits, instead of teaching them proper emptying habits.

Vermandel A, Van Kampen M, Van Gorp C, Wyndaele JJ
Neurourol Urodyn. 2008;27(3):162-6
doi:10.1002/nau.20490

Reported by UroToday.com Medical Editor Pasquale Casale, MD

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