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Home › Articles › Toddlers › A Hard Habit to Break

A Hard Habit to Break

Part Two

From Diaper Donned to Toilet Trained

By April E. Clark

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Parent Coach Diane Nicholson, a mother of five who has earned more than 100 graduate credits in family education, special education and child development, knows from experience that toilet training is no simple task. "Friends will tell you how easy it was to train their child," she says. "But don't believe them. You should be prepared for a strategic battle."

No Easy Task
Nicholson conducts coaching sessions with clients by telephone, offering advice to parents on a range of topics including potty training, adoption and surviving the teenage years. In her experience, she has found that training a child to move from diapers to the toilet can be a major parental undertaking.

"Get mentally prepared because there is no turning back," says Nicholson. "Toddlers can be extremely stubborn. Don't attempt toilet training when you are very stressed. Find a time when your routine is pretty normal and you don't have anything besides toilet training to drive you crazy."

Researchers agree that patience is a virtue of successful potty training. "Toilet training, a common topic of discussion in the pediatrician's office, takes time, understanding and patience," says Dr. Timothy R. Schum, associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). "Toilet training is universal, and the process is often frustrating and stressful for Parent and Child."

Real World Research
According to the Fundamentals of Toilet Training Study led by Dr. Schum and co-investigator Dr. Timothy L. McAuliffe at MCW in Milwaukee, "The most effective methods for rapid toilet training progress resulted from moving a child out of diapers and providing intangible motivators and tangible rewards." Dr. Schum says these results, measured from the most comprehensive toilet training study yet completed, offer pediatricians a
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