Lottie took her concern over her son's toilet training efforts to her pediatrician. Despite her best efforts to 'train" Brett, who would be three in three months, the boy was still having lots of accidents both during the day and at night. "He's far behind his sister who was completely toilet trained shortly after her second birthday,' Lottie informed the doctor.

The practitioner's response was to tell the concerned mother the first rule of toilet training: Every child is different. Just as some children learn to walk and talk before other children, some toddlers gain control over their bodies at an earlier age. For other children, the control comes later.

Lottie's pediatrician also told her that it was important for parents to relax about the issue of toilet training. Chances were that her anxiety over Brett's "performance" was actually making her son feel frustrated and angry, two emotions which often belay success, whatever the endeavor.

As the doctor went on to explain, the best method of toilet training is to wait for a child to indicate he is ready. That means he's probably already straying dry for several hours, tells you when he is wet and indicates that he is about to urinate.

When that time comes, introduce the child to the potty or toilet, preferably one that has a child friendly seat. When a child succeeds, praise her. If she doesn't, tell her that it's O.K. and that she'll have better luck next time. Or the time after that.

© Algoma Family Services