The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics. In addition to assessing the ages at which most children now train, Dr. Taubman found that boys trained later than girls on average and that the average age at which parents introduced toilet training was 23 months. There is no relationship, Dr. Taubman found, between when a child is trained and the mother's work status, the presence of siblings, the child's scores on measures of behavior, or whether the child is in day care. About 13 percent of the children in the study had trouble with toilet training, withholding stool or refusing to use the toilet. T. Berry Brazelton, advocate of flexible training, in a Pampers ad for large diapers .
Rivals see a conflict.