What is a good age to start toilet training a baby or toddler? When should a child be completely toilet trained? Should new parents just practice elimination communication instead? What are the more sustainable ways to do toilet training? Here, we explore these questions.

There is plenty of information out there for parents who are toilet training their young ones. But does elimination communication get enough attention? What is that? RealDiapers.org explains how parents give attention to the “timing, signals, intuition, and cues… The goal of elimination training is to make potty training unnecessary.” This method could save lots of time and effort that would have been dedicated to more nappies.

For those who skip traditional toilet training

Should everyone do elimination communication? Or should plenty of people use nappies and then toilet train? In my personal opinion as a parent, EC might not be for everyone. The parents would both need to be supportive of the strategy. They would also both need to be very in-tune with the baby’s version of reality. Most of all, I can imagine how EC could get messy. But it can work. Do what feels right.

For those who do potty train

For those who chose nappies and then need to toilet train a child, there are plenty of questions. We ideally want to avoid stress and confusion. We would hope to use sustainable supplies in the process.

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When to toilet train

This is such a personal choice and it depends on the individual. The Continence Foundation of Australia shares, “Some research suggests between 18 and 24 months of age while some recommend between 24 and 27 months. Most health professionals recommend toilet training a toddler between 2-3 years of age.” So depending on who you ask, the right time could be from two years old. If you want to teach your child about the bathroom earlier than that, use your instinct as a parent and do what feels right.

What you might need for toilet training

A few supplies will be needed to help a child’s journey away from nappies. Most of these things can be found second-hand to reduce the amount of materials and other resources that impact the planet.

Reusable training nappies

Training pants are important. There are great eco reusable alternatives to the disposables which you may have seen at the supermarket. The Designer Bums brand has reusable toilet training underpants. I am now realising this Australian brand does more than pretty prints. The DB web site describes how their cloth reusable pull-up pants are, “made from luxurious GOTS certified organic cotton jersey… lined inside with six layers of highly-absorbent organic cotton muslin in the gusset area which is manufactured to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 to ensure the exclusion of harmful ingredients, meaning they are safe for delicate skin and kind to the environment.”

Here’s the reason why these pants are so much better than other reusables. The natural organic materials are something other brands might not have. Meanwhile, DB pieces are, “mindfully manufactured offshore in a small family-owned factory.” This means you can support fair working conditions of the people who make these wearables. We need to nurture the planet and humanity whenever possible.

A small step seat

In the spirit of avoiding the word “stool” for this section, we can say a small step could help the child to more easily access the toilet. There are varieties of this. You could find a good old fashioned step seat. Or there are potties that can also be used as a step. Then there’s a small ladder that is attached to a child-friendly toilet seat, that would go over the actual toilet. Look around and see what varieties you can find. I really would go second-hand for these because they are sturdy solid (usually plastic) equipment, so easily to reuse and clean. If you definitely want to buy a new step stool or toilet seat, look for ones that are made from sustainable materials. The Growing Up Green bamboo step stool seems to be the best option.

toilet with potty training seat and step stool — Find a step stool and child-friendly toilet seat that can suit your family’s needs. Image: iStock/Getty

Books about toilet training

I personally believe we should balance our intuition with suggestions from trusted books. Parenting is such a unique experience. Every child is different. That being said, the books could offer some insight about what to expect. I am curious about Toilet Time: A Training Kit for Girls by Janet Hall. The author also wrote Toilet Time: A Training Kit for Boys, for those who would find more relevant from that book. I found another book that looks interesting. It’s the On My Potty Board Book by Leslie Patricelli.

I am sharing my routine with reusable washable cloth nappies to show how anyone can use this sustainable resource. It becomes a normal part of household maintenance, ideally every day or two. Most steps don't take much time for keeping the cloth nappies organised and clean. I will also list the supplies that are used in my cloth nappy collection.

Parenting: when to start eco toilet training (and alternatives)

For those who skip traditional toilet training

For those who do potty train

When to toilet train