Nursery schools complain about non-toilet-trained toddlers
Politicians heard this week from a teacher in Antwerp province that nursery school teachers are taking too much time away from educational activities to help children go to the toilet
Psychologists say kids shouldn’t be pressured to learn too early
“We used to be able to tell parents that they should leave their child in the crèche [until they are toilet trained],” says teacher Carine Mestdagh of the Sint-Filippus school in Schoten. “But now we can’t legally refuse children anymore, and parents know that.” There are also child minders working at the schools, but only part time. Mestdagh feels that full-time child minders could solve the problem.
Expert Alexandra Vermandel of Antwerp University confirms that children are toilet-trained up to a year later than in the past and says that dual earners lack the time to train their children.
Clinical psychologist Koen Lowet of the MultiDisciplinary Centre for Development (Mudico), however, said that it’s normal that many toddlers are not ready to be toilet-trained when they start nursery school. He fears that the demands of nursery school teachers will cause parents to put more pressure on their children, resulting in anxiety that further impedes toilet training.
