Vietnamese mothers' experiences with potty training procedure for children from birth to 2 years of age

Abstract

Objective: This study addresses mothers' experiences with potty training in a Vietnamese population.

Subjects and methods: Forty-seven mothers were interviewed and followed from the time that their children were newborns until they were 24-months old. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: According to tradition, diapers were used only rarely. The mothers used a whistling sound at certain times to remind their children to eliminate and frequently checked for signs of need. With this process, all children used the potty by the age of 9 months. At the age of 24 months the potty training was completed, and most of the children managed the whole process independent of help.

Conclusion: This study shows that it is possible to start potty training with good outcomes very early in life. The process described can be achieved through an ongoing communication between parent and child.

Keywords: Children; Communication; Content analysis; Development; Potty training; Signs.