Parents' and Child Care Professionals' Toilet Training Attitudes and Practices: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Increasingly, toilet training as a developmental milestone is being negotiated by both parents and child care professionals. This study examines the differences in attitudes and practices of 89 parents and 97 child care professionals from San Diego County regarding toilet training. The results indicate that parents and child care professionals hold significantly different beliefs about when to initiate training, readiness cues, toileting practices, and response to accidents. Professionals sought guidance from books, other staff members, and children's parents when difficulties in training arose. Parents, alternatively, sought toileting advice from family members and friends. Recommendations focus on encouraging partnership building among professionals, parents, and children to create individually tailored and culturally sensitive toilet training plans.