The two-year-old's body is at the centre of their experience. They love to look at themselves in the mirror and are fascinated by what their bodies can do and what they produce. This interest is a good starting point for learning about how to gain control and look after the body in areas such as using the toilet.
A two-year-old's readiness for using the potty or toilet is dependent on several factors and varies according to when these factors coincide in the individual child's life. Being able to go without nappies and to use the toilet or potty means being able to control the necessary muscles. Children need to be physically mature enough to begin this learning.
Readiness can be indicated when nappy changes reveal a dry nappy, showing that the child is able to hold in their urine for longer periods. This can be an opportune time for using a toilet or potty successfully, if the child is willing to sit on one.
The interest resulting from seeing where their urine comes from may motivate a child to try to use the toilet or potty at regular intervals.
This gives them useful practice and also helps children to make connections between the physical sensation of wanting to urinate with the action of doing so. Without this cognitive understanding, successful control is unlikely.
So, physical maturity and cognitive understanding are both necessary for toilet learning, but so, too, is social experience and emotional disposition. Seeing their older peers using the toilet and the independence this gives them will encourage many children to want to do the same.
Two-year-olds are as interested in others' bodies as their own. They will learn from comparing their physical characteristics and abilities with those of others.
To ensure that these are positive and safe learning experiences for all, always respect children's cultural conventions and times when they desire privacy. Be alert to inappropriate and intrusive interactions between children or by other adults. And to support children's development of a positive self-concept, ensure that your responses do not impart discomfort, disgust or other negative messages about children's bodies and bodily products.
If children are coerced into using the toilet or potty, their drive to be self-determining is likely to emerge through unco-operativeness or even defiance. Through being helped to feel proud and in control, children are more likely to succeed in this area of learning.
Good practice
In your teams or networks, discuss:
* your approach to naming and discussing body parts and products and consulting with parents
* your personal reactions to bodily products and how they are conveyed Observe about your key children:
* Which aspects of toilet learning outlined above are relevant to them?
* What is their parents'/carers' view?
Plan an individual child's toilet learning using your observations and discussions with parents/carers for optimum consistency. Carefully negotiate a compromise where views differ.
Plan in as much autonomy and familiarity as possible, that is, flushing the toilet, pulling up their own pants and having an identical potty to one at home.
