Parental Expectations vs Outcome in Toilet Training

Abstract

Sixty-nine follow-up questionnaires were mailed to parents who had completed an earlier questionnaire on toilet training expectations. This follow-up questionnaire examined the reported experiences of parents in training a first-born child. Analysis of these data support the following conclusions: 1. Most children (70%) were not completely toilet trained by age 2. 2. There were no relationships between age of initiating toilet training and subsequent soiling or constipation problems. 3. One third of the parents were planning to change the training techniques with their subsequent children. 4. One third of the parents felt that training their oldest child was begun to early, and planned a later and more relaxed child-centered approach in training their subsequent children. 5. Since most parents do not seek professional advice in this area, the physician or his aide should initiate discussions in this area during the child's visits for the first two to three years of life.