Sometimes it can seem as though being a parent – especially the first time round – consists of lurching from one set of challenges to the next. You felt that you had just got breastfeeding under control when colic struck. You dealt with the colic months, had a bit of a breather and introduced solids. You blinked your eyes and your baby was starting to crawl – cruise – walk – run – climb – talk in almost-sentences… And now here you are in a baby shop somewhere, staring at a potty or toilet training seat and thinking: “Am I really ready for this?”
PHYSICAL READINESS
Childcare expert Marina Petropolus says that potty training readiness begins with the appropriate physical maturity: a child must have developed enough control over the muscles that control the bladder and bowels. This enables him to hold onto waste matter until the bladder or colon is full, and then release at will. Like all developmental milestones in a child’s life, this requires time.
Much of the information about potty training really just boils down to common sense
