Toilet training occurring later When you're facing down a 3- year-old who has not yet caught on to potty training, you may feel like yours is the only child in the world who hasn't mastered this stage of development. But rest assured that you are not the only parent with these concerns. Diaper company market research indicates that toddlers are being trained later than in the past.There may be a number of factors contributing to this. Parents are more informed than ever, with instant access to information on popular parenting topics through Web sites.They may realize they don't need to be so regimented with the potty training process. Plus, the media is focusing on common family topics, like potty training,more so now than in the past.Also, many households today are two-income households. It stands that Mom or Dad cannot stay at home all day to have a potty training boot camp. So the process just takes a little longer. While many toddlers are trained by age 3, there are plenty of others who are still in diapers past their third birthdays. It's important to realize,"children learn to use the toilet the same way they learn to walk and talk: by imitating their caregivers — and when the appropriate nerves and muscles are mature enough to be coordinated," according to Dr. Bill Sears, M.D. and wife Martha Sears, R.N., renowned for pediatric medicine, parents to eight children, and pediatric development experts."For these reasons, the time of training will vary from home to home and child to child." Dos and don'ts of potty training There are a number of techniques that work for some, but not others.Remember, there are no hard-fast rules for toilet training, but there are suggestions that can make the process go more smoothly. Don't expect potty training to be an overnight process. It can take weeks to months for a child to be dry consistently out of diapers. If rushed, there is the propensity for accidents or regression as the child ages. Do show a lot of support for your child. Positive reinforcement is the way to go. Give lots of praise when your child meets a milestone, whether just sitting on a potty chair or actually going in said chair. Don't yell or embarrass a child for accidents. You wouldn't chastise a child for falling down while learning to walk, so you shouldn't reprimand him or her for having an accident. Children all have different levels of emotional and physical readiness when it comes to potty training.He or she may be resisting for reasons unknown to you. Do involve your child in the process of picking out a potty chair or seat adapter, and underwear.A child may be more inclined to use and grow excited about toilet training when involved in decision making. Don't compare your child to that of a friend or relative.And don't feel pressured by family to push your child to learn potty training. Do it according to what feels comfortable for your child and you. Do know that there is someone, somewhere who has experienced the same hurdles as you have in your potty training regimen. Potty training early is not a sign that one parent is better than another.