Toilet training, or potty training, is the process of training a young child to use the toilet for urination and defecation, though training may start with a smaller toilet bowl-shaped device (often known as a potty). Cultural factors play a large part in what age is deemed appropriate, with the expectation for being potty trained ranging from 12 months for some tribes in Africa[1] to 36 months in the modern United States.[2] Most children can control their bowel before their bladder, boys typically start and finish later than girls, and it usually takes longer to learn to stay dry throughout the night.[3]
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Most people advise that toilet training is a mutual task, requiring cooperation, agreement and understanding between child and the caregiver, and the best potty training techniques emphasize consistency and positive reinforcement over punishment - making it fun for the child. There are articles suggesting that it is easier to toilet train a child when he/she is at least 18 months old, and for boys it is better to wait even longer since they usually lack the necessary language and fine motor skills. This time frame is much easier to use because of the child wanting to please his/her parents.[4][5][6] A recent trend on the rise in the United States is to begin soon after birth using the practice of EC or Elimination communication. (EC) is a toilet training practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant's need to eliminate waste and reduce the use of diapers.[7]
Until the mid-1900s, the vast majority of babies finished toilet training by 2 years, and achieved nighttime dryness by 3 years.[8] Since then, the age for toilet training has increased dramatically. The US Department of Labor Children’s Bureau put out a series of publications called Infant Care starting in 1914, and recommended toilet training to be started in the first year until the 1951 edition. In 1914, parents were advised to start toilet training by the third month "with the utmost gentleness". A somewhat harsh method that used suppositories to put the baby on a strict schedule of bowel movements was advocated in 1929 and 1935. In 1938, parents were advised to start bowel training "as early as the sixth month". By 1951, fears of psychological ramifications of early training surfaced and parents were advised to wait "between one and a half to two years" to commence training.[9] However, in 1957, the average age of starting toilet training was still under one year, at 11 months, and 90% of children were dry during the day by 2 years.[8] In 2002, the average age that parents recognized their child "showing an interest in using the potty" was 24–25 months, and daytime dryness was achieved on average at almost 3 years of age.[3] Nighttime accidents are now considered normal until 5 or 6 years of age.[10]