Toileting in the Community

Now that your child is toilet trained at home and has generalized this skill with other family members, it’s time to prepare your child for toileting in the community. Toileting in unfamiliar environment can be a challenge for your child. The lack of familiarity and predictability can increase your child’s anxiety level. Therefore, it is crucial to prepare your child in advance for the possibility of using community restrooms. Here are some tips:

• Find out the exact location of the restrooms in the community (i.e. shopping malls and restaurant. 

• Make sure that your child has a way to communicate his/her need to use the toilet. This should not be a new skill, instead it should be something that the child is already using in his/her toilet routine at home. 

• Avoid toilets and restroom that are significantly different from what your child is used to (i.e. loud blow dryers, urinals instead of toilet, automatic flushes and busy restroom). These minor differences can create a lot of anxiety and may affect future toileting experiences. 

• Include toileting as part of the community trip and plan ahead. Avoid taking your child to the toilet at the very last minute because this will create unnecessary anxiety.

• Bring some familiarity to the unfamiliar environment. For example, the book or the hand towel that your child normally have access to at home when he/she is using the toilet. 

• Prepare extra clothes in case of accidents. Never reprimand or punish your child. Instead, stay calm and gently bring your child to the nearest toilet. Remember that your child is probably just as anxious as you are, if not, more.

Generalizing toileting in the community can be a challenge for you and your child. However, the time and effort put into this will greatly benefit your child as well as the family. This skill will provide you and your child with positive experiences in the community.

Written by, 

Gan Huey Sien

Senior Consultant, EAP Malaysia.