Toilet training

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Toilet training (or potty training) is the process of weaning a young child off diapers (nappies) and training him or her to use the toilet for urination and defecation. Potty training is usually done between the ages of eighteen-months and four years.

A child is ready to begin toilet training when he or she can signal that his or her diaper is wet, or that they need the toilet. This usually occurs between the ages of 18-24 months, but it is not uncommon for a child to still need diapers until 5 years of age.

According to Sigmund Freud, a child can have problems later in life if the training doesn't go well, or is too strict.^[1] For example, as an adult a person could strive for perfection or excessive cleanliness because they were too harshly trained. The current popular wisdom on this subject is that toilet training is a mutual task, requiring cooperation, agreement and understanding between both the child and the caregiver. It is strongly recommended that coercion and shame are not used as disciplinary instruction tools during this phase of development.

Elimination communication (EC) is a toilet-training method which begins at birth. A caregiver helps an infant address her elimination needs, partially or completely avoiding the use of diapers.