Why bother potty-training? Doesn’t it come naturally?
You would think it is a no-brainer for everyone that the earlier a child is exposed to the routine of potty training, the sooner they will achieve self-toileting ability than the child who starts later. But it is not so. Many people think that older children (4 years +) potty- train faster than those who are trained at a younger age (1 - 3 years). Common assumptions in the medical profession, contemporary child care, or in the community are:
• Children cannot achieve independent toileting until the “myelisation of the sphincters” takes place – and attempts to toilet train before this time will be futile; • That “All children end up getting toilet trained anyway - did you ever see an adult who is not toilet trained?”
• “Children toilet-train themselves eventually by the time they are four years old;”
• “No one graduates from high school in diapers...”

It’s true there are children who “train themselves.” These are usually children who grew up in a home environment where parents involved them by example and made available potty or toilet facilities to their children from birth, while not consciously calling it “training.” …show more content…
Learning how to relieve ourselves is one of the fundamental prerequisites for lifelong health. The functions in our body come naturally, but like all muscular skill, and functions where body meets machinery, basic training is needed. We get excited about our baby’s first word, his first tooth, first steps (tears of joy!), but cringe at the thought of cleaning up messes to help our child learn self-cleanliness. Diapers, pull-ups, padded trainer pants, and similar materials keep urine (pee/pee) and bowel movement (poop) out of sight for the longest time. Plus, with our 24-7 schedules, we don’t have to deal with any of it, and miss this important