Get To Know The Signs Of Children Ready To Start Toilet Training Easy

Illustration of toilet training (Freepik)

JAKARTA - The success of children in undergoing toilet training, namely learning to use toilets to urinate and grow independently, is greatly influenced by the right time to start this training.

This was explained by a pediatrician who studied the growth and development of social workers.

In a webinar about toilet training held in Jakarta on Tuesday, dr. Meitha Pingkan Esther T. Sp.A (K) stated, this training should ideally start when the child is between 12 and 36 months old.

At that age, children are in the phase of environmental exploration and anal phase, which is a good time to introduce the concept of body parts and the use of toilets.

According to dr. Meitha, a 24-month-old child generally has the ability to speak, understand communications, and express his wishes. The cognitive and emotional abilities needed for toilet training usually begin to develop when children are 18 to 30 months old.

"Various literature shows that the average age of children without autism to start toilet training is about two and a half years," said dr. Meitha, who is also a member of the Indonesian Pediatrician Social Development Working Group (IDAI).

He added that toilet training during the day tends to be effective if children experience less than four accidents in a week. In the United States, 98 percent of children meet this criterion at the age of three.

However, dr. Meitha emphasized that age is not the only benchmark for starting toilet training, considering that each child has different developments.

According to dr. Meitha, parents need to pay attention to the signs of their child's readiness before starting toilet training. Some of these signs include:

In addition to paying attention to children's development, dr. Meitha reminded parents to also consider their children's emotional condition when starting toilet training.

For example, this training should not be carried out when the child is sick or facing major changes such as moving homes or the presence of new family members.

On the other hand, toilet training should ideally be done when the child feels comfortable and happy, so he is more motivated to study.