Baby blog - Toilet training success

Finally Ben has conquered the toilet! We attempted potty training a good six months ago, when he'd just turned three, but he wasn't keen (to say the least). We tried everything we could think of, including special Thomas the Tank Engine pants, various potty training books, bribery, etc.

On several occasions we decided "this is it now, no more nappies" then the sheer number of accidents drove us back. It also had a negative effect on Ben, as was aware he was doing something wrong, and it became the main focus.

But amazingly, he's just decided that using the toilet is what he wants to do, and hasn't had an accident for nearly a week! I'm over the moon, as all of his friends had been in pants for months and I was getting concerned there was something wrong.

One thing that preschool suggested as a possible cause for the delay was "sensory processing disorder". This is an umbrella term for a range of problems taking in, integrating, or making use of information from the senses. The form that Ben might have had was difficulty noticing or processing, and acting on, signals from his own body - including the need to use the toilet. This was a worry, because he also rarely tells me he's hungry or hot/cold.

Other forms of sensory processing disorder affect the usual five senses, either just one, for example being under or over responsive to touch or light, or multiple senses. Sometimes it impacts the processing of messages from muscles and joints, leading to issues with posture and motor skills.

Treatments are available for the condition, and are usually based on occupational therapy, but I'm very relieved that Ben is now "tuned in", and it was probably just him being too preoccupied or not motivated to act on the signals until now.

by Kate Richards

www.webmd.boots.com/children/guide/sensory-processing-disorder