Literature Review: Developmental transition of bowel and voiding habits in early childhood

Abstract

 Toilet training is an important developmental task for preschoolers and a milestone in child rearing. However, some caregivers feel that it is too much of a burden to toile train their children. The aim of this literature review was to investigate the current research findings regarding toilet training and to consider the issues involved with nursing intervention. Nineteen studies were analyzed. These studies discussed caregiver assessment of when to best facilitate toilet training with their child. Caregivers have to consider when to introduce and start toilet training, how much time to give the child to successfully void when they are trying to use the toilet or potty, how often to take them to the toilet or potty, and when to and where at to transit their child from a diaper to underwear. The studies took into account the child's age, language skills, and motor development, the child's willingness to learn toileting, the season, the parents' experience, and social expectations. Parents also need to manage any negative feelings when they have conflict with their child and deal with pressure from social expectations. Learning independence in toilet training is the development of self-regulation, in which the child learns to see others' perspectives through reciprocal interaction with their caregivers in daily living. This review suggested that nurses need to support caregiver's ability to deal with and negotiate in order to mitigate conflict with their children in toilet training. More studies are needed to reveal socio-cultural perspectives on toilet training in Japan.