It is not very common that a child by 4 years is not yet toilet trained, but it does happen that some children are still somewhat incontinent. And what do you do when your child goes to school? Becoming potty trained is more difficult for some children than for others. But if your child goes to primary school and he or she is not yet toilet trained, you will have another problem.
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When your child goes to primary school, it should actually be potty trained. In fact, a school may refuse your child if he or she is not potty trained by 4 years because a teacher is meant to teach, not to change diapers. But children and incontinence still occur at that age.
The majority of children are toilet trained by 4 years, at least during the day. These children can have an accident at night, but during the day they are dry.
But that may be easier said than done for you. You've probably tried everything to potty train your baby, but it hasn't worked yet. The potty training you have applied will not fully work with your little one. This can have various causes.
Some children are quick to potty train and others are not. That depends not only on the child, but sometimes also on the parents. After all, a child does not just become toilet trained by itself, but must be guided in this. As indicated above, not being toilet trained can have various causes. If you've tried everything and your child still has an incontinence problem, check out the following.
It may be that your child no longer pees in his or her pants, but that pooping is still a problem. There are children who have a great fear of defecating on the potty or on the toilet. They prefer to withdraw -with diaper on- to quietly defecate in a corner. That could be a mental problem, but it could also be a physical problem. If your child is not potty trained by the age of 4, always discuss this with your doctor or the consultation office. They may be able to provide you with tips.
It is of course possible that your child is not yet toilet trained at night. That's not a problem, there are more children who suffer from it. If your child is potty trained during the day (even with pooping), but not yet at night, going to primary school is not an issue. But of course you want your child to be toilet trained at night when they are 4 years old. You can help them with this:
It is of course possible that your 4-year-old child is not completely toilet trained because he or she is experiencing a period of relapse. That also happens. Your child may seem toilet trained at first, but eventually there will be (more) accidents. Not every child suffers from this, but assume that a relapse or accidents are part of it. Your child may suddenly lose interest in potty training and become potty trained, making an accident a little easier.
Stay sweet and patient and just pick up the training again. Do not punish, but state that there has been an accident and that your child has to defecate and pee in the toilet. Rewarding works!
These training stickers are a good reward idea.
Finally, it may be the case that your child becomes temporarily incontinent again because the interests in other things take over. For example, during a play session, make sure to remind your child to go to the bathroom. They can sometimes just forget and be late. A reminder can be enough to raise awareness.
If your child is almost potty trained, but not quite yet, incontinence pants are a good idea. Your child's sense of safety is paramount and in this way he or she can go to school, but unpleasant experiences such as peeing your pants are avoided.
