Slowdown In Toilet Training Can Have An Impact On Children's Health

Illustration of toilet training (Freepik)

JAKARTA - Delays in training children to urinate and defecate in toilets or toilet training can trigger various health problems in children.

This was said by dr. Meitha Pingkan Esther T. Sp.A (K), a member of the Development and Development Group of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association of Pediatricians (IDAI).

"Delaying toilet training risks increasing the spread of diseases such as infection, diarrhea, and hepatitis A," he said in the IDAI webinar as quoted by ANTARA.

He also explained that this delay could cause children to refuse to defecate, which ultimately has the potential to trigger constipation and various disturbances in bladder control.

In addition, delays in learning can also cause stress for parents, family members, and caregivers at child care centers and teachers at school. Children who are not skilled in using toilets can also increase the workload of caregivers in child care or playgrounds.

According to dr. Meitha, toilet training aims to train children to be independent in using toilets to urinate or defecate. There are two main objectives of this training, namely helping children recognize the sensation of wanting to urinate and teaching how to use toilets properly.

"For example, when a child feels the desire to urinate, he will go straight to the toilet, sit there, urinate, clean himself, water the toilet, wash his hands, and so on," he explained.

This training aims to make children able to carry out all the necessary steps when using toilets, including wearing clothes back independently after completion.

Parents play an important role in getting children to use toilets. Providing good examples and accompanying children during the training process can accelerate progress.

As a form of motivation, dr. Meitha advises parents to give praise or appreciation every time their children manage to complete the training stages independently. This is important because the skills of using toilets are one of the important milestones in children's development.

In addition to facilitating children's care in daily life, the success of toilet training can also reduce the costs incurred for purchasing diapers.