2torial #0832:
Learn2 Toilet Train a Toddler

Flush with success

Toilet training can be stressful all around. Parents often worry if a child isn't trained by a certain age. Children can become anxious they're doing something wrong--or assert their independence by not cooperating. And family and friends may sound off with a dozen different ideas about the "right" time to start and the "best" way to do it.

But the right time to toilet train is when your child is ready (and they all get there), and the best method is whatever works for the child. Here's how to determine if it's the right time for your child--and what to do then.

Using the toilet is a social skill that every child learns differently--even siblings. First-born children tend to learn later than subsequent children, while girls often learn earlier than boys.

Pediatricians agree that toilet learning should start only when children are ready, and should proceed without undue pressure. Spanking, shaming, and otherwise punishing children prolongs the process, makes parents and child miserable, and may affect the child's health.

So the process might start later or take longer than you'd hoped, but the good news is you're both bound for success--so relax, and enjoy teaching your child this important skill.