Charity calls for children's toilet training to happen a year earlier

‘Wee and poo is the funniest topic in nursery classrooms up and down the country—and it is funny, right up until the point that it is not.’

During a recent parliamentary roundtable discussion, ERIC, the Bowel and Bladder Charity, discussed the significant impact of delayed toilet training on children.

It called for clear national guidance for families and professionals who support children in early years and urged policymakers to provide support to help families meet the toilet training milestones. 

Impact of delayed toilet training in school

According to ERIC, the average age in the UK for children to be toilet trained is currently three to four years old, which has risen over the last two generations, when the average age was 12-18 months.

The charity highlighted that later toilet training can heighten the risk of children having soiling and wetting issues later on. 

It described the impact on education as ‘profound’. 

Read: Surge in calls to charity from parents of children starting school but who aren’t yet fully toilet trained

The charity also alluded to figures highlighting the impact of delayed toilet training on education, including educators spending 2.4 hours daily supporting children who aren’t toilet-ready for school. 

1 in 4 children starting school are not able to use the toilet independently and  90% of educators have at least one child in their class who isn’t toilet-trained.

ERIC emphasised that if educators didn’t have to manage children not being toilet trained, it would save them an average of 456 hours, equivalent to ten days of extra teaching time.

It stressed that toilet training a year earlier would not only improve children’s outcomes but also have a positive impact on education and health.

Support for early years professionals

Kindred Square and Labour MP, Jodie Gosling, supported the charity’s call.

Gosling highlighted the need for clear national guidance and support for early years professionals through improved training.

She also raised the importance of having a shared government commitment to support families in reaching the milestone [of children being toilet trained] sooner. 

Getting toileting right from the start

On the same day as the discussion, Gosling spoke as part of a parliamentary debate on incontinence during which ministers highlighted the country’s lack of continence services available for children. 

Gosling emphasised the importance of getting toileting right from the start.

She highlighted: ‘So many simple things can be done to protect the dignity and independence and improve the quality of life of people with incontinence issues.

‘Wee and poo is the funniest topic in nursery classrooms up and down the country — and it is funny, right up until the point that it is not.

‘For the 14 million people with incontinence, the issue of wee and poo is not a funny topic.’

Alison Morton, CEO of the Institute of Health Visiting, said: ‘Getting this right is not really a choice, it is fundamental for children’s dignity, safety and quality of life.’ 

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