ACCESSORIES TO SUPPORT
toilet training
DAVINA RICHARDSON, CHILDREN’S SPECIALIST NURSE FROM CHARITABLE SERVICE BLADDER & BOWEL UK OFFERS A LIFELINE TO PARENTS WHO ARE FINDING TOILET TRAINING CHALLENGING. SHE DISCUSSES WHICH EQUIPMENT MIGHT BE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR A CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON ON THEIR TOILET TRAINING JOURNEY.
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o much about childcare has changed in a relatively short space of time, including how families are advised to approach toilet training. Toilet training is a key developmental skill addressing how and when children learn to pass urine and open their bowels in an appropriate place. Within a couple of generations, the age at which training begins has increased.
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In the 1960s most children were toilet trained between the ages of 18 – 24 months. Now it is not unusual for children with typical development to still be in nappies at three or four years old. It is often assumed that children with additional needs will not be able to learn the necessary skills until they are much older than this. Therefore, their families are often advised to wait to start the
process until their child is much older, in the mistaken belief it will get easier if delayed. There is evidence that having a child who has not attained continence is stressful for families and can have negative impacts for the child. It can result in difficulties finding suitable changing facilities when out and about, in social isolation and for some children will
