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Introduction
Toilet training is the teaching of a toddler to enable it to identify its body warning signs for urinating and having bowel movement as well as making use of a potty chair (or toilet) properly and at the correct times. Gaining toileting abilities is practically a developmental landmark for toddlers and those overseeing their growth i.e. parents, nannies, nurses, teachers and other child care professionals. A parent, especially the mother (or the person who replaces her) is the initial and most important educator of a child and thus must have acquired the qualities and knowledge necessary for the upbringing of a child (UNESCOUNICEF, 1979:1). According to Michel (1999:240) there is need for guidance for those overseeing the development and growth of children. Such guidance helps in recognizing when a child is ready to start acquiring toileting skills, how to assist the child gain those skills, and how to tackle problems in the course of the toilet teaching process. The challenges that face parents and those involved in the toilet training process include refusal to cooperate, withholding of stool, and constipation (Michel, 1999:240). The existing analyses on toilet training are founded in the physical and psychosocial growth of the child which includes culture diversity. This paper seeks to explain the significance of the toilet training process in child development and growth as well as the components of successful toilet training process.
Determining the Appropriate Age for Toilet Training
Before the onset of toilet training, there are developmental stages through which the child passes in enhancing control over several bodily functions. Toilet training involves some degree of growth, because in a situation where development is hindered the child will be unable to learn and respond as per the parent or instructor’s wishes. Establishing the correct age to begin toilet training is one of the points of consternation for those overseeing the growth and development of toddlers. Tracing the literature back as far as Freud, it is evident that particular psychologists did not feel that toilet training was a natural process. It needs to be cultivated and enhanced among kids. Freud (cited in Stadtler, Gorski & Brazelton (1999:1359) believed that, wrong application of this process occasioned a high possibility for developmental trauma. From the literature reviewed there seems to be an agreement that there is a specific age at which young children ought to be taught the toilet training process. Most childcare practitioners and professionals across different cultures suggest that two years is the most appropriate age to commence toilet training. It emerges that there is most certainly a range of years that needs to be considered by parents and child care professionals in order to maximize the effectiveness of toilet training. It also comes out that toilet training at a certain age is most often a function of social pressures. The society therefore requires the child to learn voluntary control of bladder and bowel in order to void at an acceptable time and place.
It is strongly recommended that parents (or those involved in child care) avoid forcing children into toilet training. It is suggested that the process should begin only when the child is developmentally ready or portrays signs of readiness (Stadtler, et. al, 1999: 1360).
Factors Affecting Toilet Training and Strategies to Respond to these Factors
Zweiback (1998:7) observes that several children have temperamental differences which affect toilet training. She defines temperamental differences as the inborn differences which parents recognize among babies. The temperamental differences which affect toilet training include activity level, regularity or rythmicity, attention and intensity. A more active baby is harder to train than a passive baby. The predictability of a child’s toilet habits also affects the training with a more predictable child creating an enabling environment for training than a child who is not predictable. The attention span of a child also affects toilet training where a child with a longer attention span becomes easier to train than the one with a short attention span. Intensity relates to the way a baby expresses itself. An intense baby is the one that expresses itself passionately and persistently. Such a baby is harder to train than the one which is indifferent (Zweiback, 1998:7-9). Apart from temperamental differences there are other factors which affect toilet training. These include the availability of disposable diapers, the family size and the passion and commitment of the “trainers”.
Toilet training, as a developmental phase, is complicated by the fact that the need for the baby to kowtow to parental and social demands occur concurrently with a child’s growing need for self-actualization and freedom. While the parent wants to have control over the training the child on the other hand struggles to be in control, leading to quarrels and disquiet. Such struggle for supremacy once in place affects (negatively) the parent-child bond which is an essential factor for successful toilet training. This could also result to physical complications such as enuresis, encopresis, and even child abuse. These conditions further derail the course of toilet training in both the short term and in the long run.
To ensure that toilet training is successful in the shortest but practical time possible, child care experts usually recommend a strategy that utilizes praise as a motivator, has little demands from the parents or those involved, and is enjoyable for the baby (Sarah, n.d.). It has been confirmed that, when the toilet learning process begins after a toddler has managed the greatest feasible degree of readiness, the process becomes easier, quicker, and experiences minor lapses. There is also a need to emphasize letting the child proceed at his own pace while being motivated by his/her personal objectives. The toilet training process also needs adjustments to suit children who have special physical or emotional needs or to support a positive experience founded on the child’s temperament.
Conclusion
The different stages in the child’s overall development constitute markers providing parents and child care professionals with essential elements for assessing the child’s progress and providing him/her with the necessary care and motivation. There is a need for those charged with the task of overseeing the growth and development of a child to be flexible, versatile and be informed. They need to be undertaking training in order to relate the specific personal and socio-cultural characteristics under which the child is developing. Such training needs to take into consideration the cultural facets of the environment, meet the demands and ambitions of the family and of the society in which the child lives. The use of praise and encouragement as a motivator when a child cooperates has been a point of consensus among child care practitioners and scholars. Toilet mastery is beyond doubt a developmental high point in a child’s life; as it is a time when children find out and improve their bodily abilities, perception and reaction to relationship dynamics. In this stage they also face and respond to external pressures. However, it is worth noting that with every step accomplished, self-esteem increases.
Reference
Michel, R. S. (1999). Toilet Training, Pediatrics Review. Vol. 20 (7); pp.240-246
Sarah. H. (n.d.). Developmental milestone: Toilet training. 2009. Web.
Stadtler, A. C., Gorski, P. A., & Brazelton, T. B. (1999). Toilet Training Methods, Clinical Interventions, and Recommendations, Pediatrics Review. Vol. 103 (6), pp. 1359-1361.
UNESCO/UNICEF. (1979). The Child and his Development from birth to six Years: Aid to Programming UNICEF Assistance to Education. 2009. Web.
Zweiback, M. (1998). Keys to Toilet Training. Barron’s Educational Series.
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