Teaching children about going to the toilet

Completed toilet training is when a child can get on and off the toilet, manage their clothes, wipe
their bottom, flush the toilet and wash their hands without any adult help or supervision.

It is important your child feels secure when they are sitting on the toilet. Using a toilet step or a
sturdy box under their feet will make them feel safer and therefore concentrate on the task at
hand. A toilet seat insert may also help your child feel safer.

Practice and Patience: As with all new skills, this task will take time to learn, so don’t expect your
child to master it straight away. Break the task down into its separate parts (e.g. managing clothes,
wiping or washing hands etc) and only tackle one part at a time with you offering support with other aspects of the task.

As with any new challenge, the use of a reward chart can be very motivating for a child. Try setting a goal at the beginning of the week, for instance my child will ‘my child will be dry each morning for a week’. If they achieve success with this they receive a sticker for their chart which can be used for a reward at the end of the set time period.

Ask nursery, preschool, grandparents or friends with older children, they will have a lot of information in this area.

There are also resources available from:

• ERIC (The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity) have lots of useful resources around toileting for Parents and Carers, as well as Education and Health Professionals.
• Anxiety UK have produced a document called Toilet Phobia: Breaking the Silence, which states the causes of toilet fear are often caused by anxiety, fear, specific experience/trauma or learnt behaviour from someone close.