There is no magic number of bowel movements your child should have and no reason to be concerned if he fails to have at least one every day. If your child seems to be constipated, look for the cause in his diet and see a doctor only if the constipation is accompanied by pain or bleeding. As for toilet training, pay no attention to medical advice, because your pediatrician doesn t know any more about it than you do. It s a family affair. It doesn t make any difference, except in terms of your own convenience, whether you train your child early, late, or neither of the above.
Some children train readily.
What you must remember, when your nerves get frayed, is that they all stem from developmental processes without which your child could never become a functioning adult. Your immediate reaction is likely to be anger when your toddling child jerks the cloth from a table and smashes your most cherished vase. A more appropriate response will be to remind yourself that the child isn t being deliberately naughty. He s simply exercising the normal curiosity that will enable him to learn, and trying out his newfound motor skills. Then put the rest of your cherished objects out of reach.