Potty Training: The Complete Guide

By Rony Mehta

The most important reason why potty training is necessary and unavoidable is because of its close relation with the health and hygiene of an individual. Now I know a lot of people believe that “It’s not mathematics, it is just potty training, the kids will learn on their own” and they can back their opinion saying that “No one graduates from high school in diapers, so no need to force it on it”. This is exactly where people get it wrong. As parents you are not, and must not force your kids, rather parents must create an environment where the kid is motivated to learn potty training.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rony Mehta
• Release date: Jul 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310821080

Rony Mehta

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Preface

As humans there are a few actions which are a part and parcel of our day to day routine, actions that keep us alive, actions that keep us up and moving. If I ask a bunch of people to name a few such actions, in all likelihood, the most probable answers will be, eating, sleeping, breathing, drinking water, sexual needs for adults etc, but somewhere most of us tend to miss a very important action, excretion. As adults, we often teach our kids good dining habits and lessons on how to behave in front of other people, however; as funny as it may sound, as parents we resist talking about potty training of children, probably because people believe the topic to be an embarrassing and unpleasant one. From the studies that I have down of cultures and people’s behavior all around the globe, there is a huge difference in mentality regarding topics such as toilet training.

Potty training in earlier days

There is no doubt that diaper has always been a controlling material in the toilet training scene, however; the material used for diapers has changed significantly over the course of time. Historically, diapers were made in homes with the help of cloth, preferably cotton or linen material. Since these materials did not soak in fluid, the urgency to get children out of the diaper was of utmost priority. The invention and the escalated use of super soaking plastic diapers have made life easier for parents and kids too to some extent. However; on the flip side of the coin, the use of super soaking diapers has also made potty training lose its importance. Further, children using the plastic diapers, rely on them for a very long time which is not particularly an ideal situation. Still in certain parts of the world, cotton diapers are prioritized over the super soaking ones and potty training in such areas comes automatically.

Potty training in different parts of the world

I believe that if you are a person from Africa or Asia and if you come across people talking about the need of potty training kids, it is highly likely that you will laugh off to the suggestion. The reason is the obvious one, women in Asian and African countries keep their young babies very close to their bodies and often carry them in their arms, therefore, in case of such close proximity the symptoms of babies wanting to relieve themselves come instinctively to them. On the other hand, mothers in countries like United States and Canada tend to carry their young babies in baby carriers and therefore the need and importance of toilet training becomes all the more important. In countries such as Germany, India and other parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, potty training starts from a very early age and the kid does not need diapers by the time he becomes 2-3 years. Particularly in Asia where potty training is an important aspect of personal hygiene, even for young babies, mothers prepare their kids for peeing or for bowel exercise by making noise like Psshhhhhh from their mouths. The kid gets used to the sound after a while and realizes himself that it means that he needs to excrete. Thus, in cultures where parents tend to keep their babies close to their bodies,