Barriers to early potty training evidence base

We know that 1.5 million children in the UK are currently living with a bowel or bladder condition; that’s higher than the incidence of asthma. The prevention work against this starts from the moment a child is born, and in the advice and support parents and carers are given during those early years. For over 35 years, ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity has supported families whose children have struggled with continence issues, right the way through from potty training, to school, and to more complex cases. A high proportion of the calls we are receiving today are as a result of delayed potty training.

It can cause all sorts of issues for children – both physical and emotional, and have lasting, long-term impact. We’ve all seen the statistics around 1 in 4 children starting school not toilet trained, and 2.4 hours of teacher time being lost each day to supporting children who are not school-ready. We know that the first 1001 days of a child’s life – from pregnancy to age two - are when the building blocks for lifelong emotional and physical wellbeing are laid down. We believe there is a significant opportunity for earlier, evidence-based intervention that would improve outcomes for children.

It’s clear that there needs to be more support available for parents, particularly those without familial networks to rely on, those who are working and struggling to balance caring for their children, those whose children have additional needs, or those who may have an undiagnosed bowel or bladder condition. Toilet training needs to be viewed as a process rather than an event, and parents can start helping their child learn potty skills from the time they can sit up – usually around 6 – 9 months. There needs to be a cultural shift in the UK to ensure that everyone understands just how important it is for children to be out of nappies by 18 – 30 months. This is possible for the majority of children. Children’s needs are front and centre at ERIC, and we are well positioned to work in partnership with education, health and social care professionals to support interventions to make sure children are properly toilet trained before starting school.

It is against this backdrop that ERIC has published a new document analysing the evidence around this. We are calling for a more collaborative, compassionate approach to getting children potty trained. Enter your details below to download our analysis and recommendations.

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