Building self-help skills: toileting

The key to toilet training is toilet readiness. Children must be physically ready, which means they can hold on and let go at will. Children must be mentally ready, which means they know what is expected. Children must be emotionally ready, which means they are willing participants. When children display all three, toilet training will occur naturally.

Toileting should always be supervised to ensure that children who are learning and establishing new skills receive assistance, if required, and that children who are well established in this area are constantly being reinforced with positive guidance and support. Children should always be encouraged to follow appropriate hygiene practices when toileting (no matter how old they are).

In order to develop and establish toileting, the bathroom or toilet area must be suitable so that children have only positive experiences. You must also provide indirect and direct opportunities for all children.

Below are some carers ideas on how to ensure that toileting becomes an opportunity for encouraging self-help skills and autonomy in children.

‘I put a step at one of the toilets so they can sit on the seat without being helped up.’

‘Our toilet area has lots of bright and colourful pictures. The children help to decorate it and they are really careful about keeping it clean.’

‘I keep an eye out for any power struggles around the toilet - they can be so damaging to a child's development. We also sing songs and talk about what's happening.’

‘I make sure I set a relaxed tone around toileting and I encourage everyone to be gentle and understanding about 'accidents'.’

Working with parents

Parents play a vital role in the success of toileting and you should be aware that parents may have differing opinions or beliefs when it comes to their child and toilet training.

Below are some ideas on how to approach parents to ensure a child reaches toileting success.

• Ask parents how they are helping their child to learn to use the toilet at home.
• Share with parents the steps you take to help their child when toileting.
• Find and share resources with parents.
• Discuss their child's progress regularly to ensure consistency between home and child care.
• Help parents to be realistic about their expectations by gently reminding them:
  • all children are different
  • loose, easily removed clothing makes it easier for the child to go to the toilet
  • children sometimes have a lapse in toilet training due to family stresses, a new sibling, etc.