There are some aspects of parenthood that are just plain pain in the neck to me.  Night waking is one of them.  Toilet training is another.  Nevertheless, we all  have to go through it so the faster we get it over with, the better it is for everyone.

The only books I have read on toilet training are :

1. Infant Potty Training: A Gentle and Primeval Method Adapted to Modern Living
2. Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene
3. Potty Training Your Baby: A Practical Guide for Easier Toilet Training

Out of these 3 books, 2 are on Infant Potty Training (IPT).  Not quite relevant to potty training a toddler.  Nevertheless, the basic principles remain the same.  It all boils down to the awareness of the need to 'go'.  According to IPT theory, all babies are born with this awareness, ie. they are aware when they pee/poo.  However, parents conditioned them to lose the awareness by diapering them and 'training' them to pee/poo in the diaper and in the process, get used to the feeling of sitting in their waste.

Having observed my own babies when they were newborn, I must say that there is some truth to this.  If you carefully observe your baby, you will notice that his expression changes when he is about to do his business or while he is doing it. If you practise IPT, you actually catch him when he is about to 'go' and bring him to the potty (or bring the potty to him) and let him go in the potty instead of letting him go in this diaper.

As I mentioned earlier, I did not read up much on toilet training.  But I am vaguely aware of the guidelines.  While some of them are common sense, I totally disagree with the main guideline of not starting toilet training until the child is at least 2.5 - 3 years old.  And this recommended start age gets progressively later and later over the years.  It comes as no surprise that some of these readiness researches were done in collaboration with diaper companies.  One cannot help but question the agenda of keeping the children in diapers longer.  XL used to be the largest diaper size you can find.  Now, you can find XXL diapers for bigger kids.

Generations of parents in Asia have toilet-trained their babies from birth (IPT).  In case you are wondering what this IPT is about, just remember how old folks used to bring the babies to the sink to 'shee shee' every now and then.  Even if they did not practise IPT, some old folks would be appalled if a child has not started toilet training when he is 1.5- 2 yrs old.  (The keyword here is 'started'.  The length of time taken varies from child to child.)

I may not be medically trained but looking at real life examples of children being toilet-trained successfully before the 'recommended age', I really question the claim that young children have no control over the relevant muscles.

Another so-called sign of readiness is this : the child is unwilling to stay in a dirty diaper.  Well, as far as my children are concerned, if I were to wait until they show signs of unwillingness to stay in a dirty diaper, I probably would have a long, long wait and my (now) 4 year old would still not be toilet trained.  Some kids just don't mind staying in a dirty diaper.  It does not matter whether they are in disposable diaper or cloth nappy.

So for me, a child is 'ready' when he is able to understand pee/poo = go potty = treats!  Simple as that.  It can be as early as 18 months, depending on the child.  For me, I started toilet training my 2 older boys when they turned 2 years old.  At the time of writing this article, my youngest (21 months) can already go to the potty on his own.  There are still some accidents, but considering we are only in the first week of toilet training, it is still pretty good.  He is not even 2 years old yet.

As I said, I only read 1 book on toilet training and it was a very thin and small book.  My toilet training method is basically some common-sensical things to do.