Late Potty Training

The reasons and how to deal with late potty training revealed and explained

Late potty training may happen for any number of reasons, some of these reasons may be for no fault of anyone and some reasons could have been avoided. Here we take a look at the reasons why potty training may be delayed with some kids and how to best address the issue.

Sometimes, potty training may start late for the simple reason that the parents delayed it; you may be led into a false sense of security that diapers provide and neglect to properly toilet train your child. Before you know it, your kid is four years old and still dependent on diapers. It can be a difficult situation for pre-school and school-going kids that cannot do without diapers because their peers have certainly moved on. In such cases, the best thing to do is to begin toilet training your child, the advantage you will have is that the kid is old enough to speak and understand what you are saying so it will not be very difficult for you to make up for lost time.

Another reason for late potty training could be that the child is a slow learner; if you begin the training at the right age and still find that the child is unable to follow instructions, wait for a month or two and try again. It is perfectly natural that some children may show an interest in potty training later than others. Do not fret and do not force the child. If your child appears to be uninterested in other things as well and takes time to follow instructions, then maybe you need to take it to a child specialist. By observing your child’s general behavior you can tell whether it is displaying resistance only to potty training or is a little slow on the uptake with respect to other things as well. Your course of action will depend upon your observation.

Sometimes, potty training can get delayed for unavoidable reasons. Certain types of medicine and treatment procedures, such as chemotherapy, can lead to constipation and difficulty in passing stool. In such cases, the child tries to avoid and delay the unpleasant experience of sitting for long on the potty and straining hard. It may appear that he is resisting toilet training when in fact he is genuinely inconvenienced and wishes for relief. In such cases, fiber-rich food, enough liquids, and maybe some gentle suppositories may help your child discover that passing motion using a potty or the commode is not meant to be an uncomfortable experience.

Overall, it is fair to say that late potty training is not such a big deal and parents need not stress themselves if the apple of their eye is taking some time to getting used to using the toilet. Just because the neighbor’s kid is on his way to learning how to use the potty, it is no reason for you to push your kid into it. Try by all means but don’t force your child.

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