Toilet age?

[Backroads]

Whilst browsing, I came across an article that said most children are able to use the toilet at age 6 or 7 by themselves.

I'm having trouble imagining these children.

I know I'm only a pre-mom, but... that seems a little low on expectations.

[Bini]

★☆

Every child will be different but these go on "averages".

I know that it's not uncommon for kids around that age (6 ish) to still have "accidents" even though they are potty-trained. So maybe they're taking that into account, and not necessarily, being able to walk into a restroom and relieve themselves independently. According to my parents, I was potty-trained as a toddler, I knew where the potty was and I would go to it, and didn't need to wear diapers. As a reward, I got to wear "frilly bums", which are frilly under panties. I guess I really liked those back in the day.. But potty-trained doesn't equate to NO accidents. I'll read that article now.

[Gwen]

I would think they are talking about everything not just going in the toilet; wiping cleanly after a bm, wash hands, totally fix their clothes (like those pesky pants buttons), etc.

edit: lol should have read the article first. Public restrooms I totally agree on that age. There is a safety issue. However, public restrooms are more troublesome; have to wipe the seat well, don't want your clothes to touch the floor, small kids will need to be lifted on and off the seat so as not to have to wipe their bare bottoms all over the nasty toilet getting up and down..... etc.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Gwen

[Backroads]

Yeah, I think every parent should use some sense with public restrooms (though I've heard parents who say you should be in the stall with your twelve-year-old--just in case), but it was that initial sentence that got me. It made it sound like a parent should be in the home bathroom with their first grader explaining the ins and outs of potties.

[Vort]

Whilst browsing, I came across an article that said most children are able to use the toilet at age 6 or 7 by themselves.

I'm having trouble imagining these children.

I know I'm only a pre-mom, but... that seems a little low on expectations.

That's putting it politely.

In my mother's parenting generation, the children -- that is, people my age -- were typically potty trained in their third year (i.e. at two years old), sometimes a bit earlier. In America, that age crept up in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, maybe even in the last decade, until now, some kids who are FOUR YEARS OLD still wear diapers around.

I don't quite get it. Diminished expectations are everywhere, but for how to use the toilet?

If two years old seems early to potty train, wait until they're three. But the vast majority of three-year-olds are potty-trainable, and certainly for urination. (Self-wiping of bottoms sometimes takes longer to master.) For more information, consult Toilet Training in Less Than a Day.

[applepansy]

Girls are usually ready to be toilet trained between age 2-3 and boys between 3-4. Night time training varies and maybe that is what they are talking about. I had a son who slept so soundly that he didn't wake up. I would find him at age 3 laying on the bathroom floor, pajamas and underwear around his ankles. He got up to pee and laid down. I made the mistake of telling him he had to go back to bed after he went to the bathroom. We later learned he is prone to sleep walking. He was almost 12 before he stopped peeing in his sleep.

Public restrooms ...well, some kids get is faster than others.

Edited August 30, 2012 by applepansy

[Misshalfway]

I think my boys know where the toilet is.

We're still working on the aim, though.

[applepansy]

:mad:I beginning to wonder if boys really ever learn how to aim.

[shdwlkr]

Well I have a 5 year old daughter and a 6 year old son that still have accidents and in my house yes I am divorced, they are learning to wake dad and we take a bath, get clean cloths take stuff off the bed and wash it. That is all now when they are with the ex and her new man shall we say it doesn't go so easy for them so they are confused a lot.

Punishment is way different in my house also way different when they are with the ex and her man, at dad's house they sometime mess up just to get it in dad's house you see because it is tickle time. Yep is easier on me and the kids and you know they seem to like dad a whole lot because of it.

When you talk about boys and aim you do realize there is and age when it is fun to see what can be done with that thing don't you? and just how far can it go?

I am not sure there is a real age that is right for every kid on this earth but most are at the tail end of diapers by age 4-5 just because school seems to be the place where diapers are not a good thing to need.

[Backroads]

:mad:I beginning to wonder if boys really ever learn how to aim.

My husband believes he's getting worse with age... he's only 28... this doesn't bode well for the future.

[Misshalfway]

My husband believes he's getting worse with age... he's only 28... this doesn't bode well for the future.

How is it they can shoot guns, and cannons, and bows & arrows, and slingshots, and space invaders on a tiny screen.....but they can't hit a tiny pool of water that is inches away?

Well...I hope you've decided he is cleaning the bathrooms.

[Backroads]

I think that will be the plan. Right now he's fine, but now he's got me fearing for a big mess one day.

[applepansy]

My husband believes he's getting worse with age... he's only 28... this doesn't bode well for the future.

I have a 54 yo, a 27yo and a 4yo who all can't aim. With the two oldest/tallest its more like a water fall effect.

I have a friend whose husband starting sitting down when he realized what the water fall effect did to a bathroom. In their new house he put a urinal in the master bath. LOL

[Anddenex]

My husband believes he's getting worse with age... he's only 28... this doesn't bode well for the future.

Tell him to sit on the toilet. He will never miss this way, unless he has really big issues about peeing through the crevice between the seat and the main toilet.

All of my children have been potty trained before they were three. Only have one left, however, cleaning the bums, has been another story. They usually want are finished by 4 years old. My iPad worked wonders in potty training our 4th child. He wanted to play on the iPad one night, we told him, "No, unless you go potty in the toilet." I kid you not, he got out of bed, and went potty. Despite, minor accidents, every so often, he was potty trained really quickly. Yes, there is more than one use for a tablet mobile device. :)

Our youngest to be potty trained was 18-22 months. Our little girl didn't like going number 2, and when we talked to the Doctor (mind you she was 14 months at this time) he said to start potty training her, because she already knew when she was going and how to hold it.

Edited September 5, 2012 by Anddenex

[wilbur1975]

:mad:I beginning to wonder if boys really ever learn how to aim.

Aim? I'm supposed to aim?

[Guest DeborahC]

I'm having visions of my middle son, at about age 5, sitting on the toilet yelling, "MOOOOMMMM! Come wipe me!" That lasted about 2 times, and we got it fixed.

[Backroads]

Resurrecting this with a related question...

I saw on a blog an incident with a woman taking her 13-year-old son into a women's public restroom. Debate was over whether it was safer for the boy or just uncomfortable for everyone involved.

What's the age you stop bringing kids into the opposite-gender bathroom? (barring some special circumstances?)

[Jennarator]

I let my kids on their own in a public restroom by about 6. But I do know of some scary touching that happened in sSan Diego just before I moved away. It happened to a 10 or 12 year old if I remembered correctly. It was all over the news.

[Jennarator]

So I guess it's weird, but I don't blame the mom. Better yet are the family restrooms that are popping up all over the place.

[Backroads]

So I guess it's weird, but I don't blame the mom. Better yet are the family restrooms that are popping up all over the place.

I think the family restrooms are a great idea.

If the mom is legitimately scared, I guess I can't blame her, either.

But I'd also be concerned if I had a young daughter in the women's restroom and a teenaged boy walked in.

[Bini]

Resurrecting this with a related question...

I saw on a blog an incident with a woman taking her 13-year-old son into a women's public restroom. Debate was over whether it was safer for the boy or just uncomfortable for everyone involved.

What's the age you stop bringing kids into the opposite-gender bathroom? (barring some special circumstances?)

Unless your child has a disability, I believe that once he or she reaches double digits in age (such as aged 10), they are old enough to use the appropriate restroom. A part of parenthood is teaching kids the tools they need to become independent and succeed on their own, without mummy or daddy having to hold their hand.

[john doe]

I have one that's 4 years old and one that's 6. The 4-year old is standard height, but the older one sits about 3-4 inches higher making it easier to stand up after using it.

[Guest DeborahC]

Potty training is one thing.

Wetting the bed is a total other thing.

My kids are now in their 30s and 40s.

When they were little they were "potty trained" by age 3.

This meant they could tell me they had to go, I could help them onto the toilet, and they'd use it instead of their pants.

Slowly, they became more independent.

One 6 year old would still sit on the pot and yell "MOM... COME WIPE ME!" until I strongly encouraged him to learn it himself.

I had one bed-wetter.

Doctors said he was just a sound sleeper.

His dad was also a bed-wetter.

At age 12 he was STILL wetting the bed on occasion.

By age 8, I had taught him to change his own bedding, washing & dry it, because I was absolutely exhausted doing it myself every night. This helped a LOT and it was actually good for him because he didn't have to be embarrassed by asking me to do it for him. It also gave him some encouragement to try harder.

I think each kid is different.

I babysat for a little boy who was 5 and still pooped his pants, but I'm sure he had emotional problems. I still remember him. His name was Gus and I felt so sorry for him. His mother was cruel, and would treat him like a puppy, scolding him and even rubbing his nose in the pants. Today they would probably jail her for abuse.

Sometimes kids get constipated and refuse to go because it hurts them; then they regress a bit and may have accidents when they can no longer hold it.

I guess the bottom line is each child is different but if a kid isn't trained by 4, I'd be taking them to a doctor and asking why? Could be lazy parents...or something more serious.

[shdwlkr]

Interesting question

I know my daughter who is 5 prefers to use the lady restroom and yes dad stands outside so no one gets to take her for a walk and no I don't think it is wrong for her to do so.

My son who is 6 also goes to the men restroom on his own sometimes

It is all about what they are comfortable with and if it is a safe place for them to do so if not they get to go with dad and at 6 foot 2 inches and a few hundred pounds we don't get much in the way of negative comments.

I am a single non custodial parent and yes it is important to not instill fear in your kids that is not justified and going to the bathroom in the right gender bathroom is something we each at to decide what is and is not the right time to allow this.