Is late potty training becoming the norm in society

[Kawaharu]

Does anyone seem to notice how it's increasingly normal for people to be potty trained later, Even noticing how parents are delaying or even not potty training their kids at all? I have seen posts and articles online where parents are delaying potty training or even keeping the kids in diapers a lot longer. Some are saying it's the parent's fault and some parents are blaming COVID for not potty training or keeping the kids in diapers. Even many are saying parents have to work and have no time to potty train them.

I have seen diaper manufacturers lately starting to make diapers for kids who are still in diapers and still not potty trained. It also seems like more and more women are starting to wear diapers and pull-ups for Periods and PostPartum pregnancy.

It seems like these days with the data and articles, Diaper manufacturers have the data to justify creating larger-size kid diapers which to me thinks that kids potty training later or staying in diapers a lot longer is here to stay. I think the trend of potty training later or keeping the kids in diapers longer is here to stay and shows no signs of reversing. Do any of you think the trend is here to stay? Do any of you see the signs that diapers are becoming normalized in society?

Source:

https://www.yourtango.com/entertainment/teacher-says-more-kindergarteners-ever-still-diapers

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1746pov/teachers_are_tired_of_changing_diapers_for/?rdt=41208

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/16rscgn/diaperchanging_stations_at_elementary_school_no/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/14gjze9/sil_says_teachers_are_lazy_and_selfish_for/

 

[Nat]

How parents can stand to change diapers is beyond me. I was happy when mine were out of them and finally using the toilet on their own without me reminding them. 

[Mars.inDiapers]

Honestly, yes, and it's not a good trend. If it keeps on going, it's going to cause a lot of headaches for people in the future. 

A lot more diapers produced and used is a lot more raw materials used up, lot more energy consumed, lot more emissions released, lot more waste dumped or burned, and all there will be to show for it will be lot more profit made by corporations that are already filthy rich enough as it is, and droves of children in diapers who wouldn't have needed to be.

[rusty pins]

I agree!  Lazy parents and the fact when they say,  "Alexa, change Junior's diaper", Alexa doesn't have the ability to do so.  I have noticed for many years now that I see older kids around age 5 and 6 still wearing diapers, and I mean DIAPERS!  not pull ups or training pants.  You can't miss it when in the store and you see older kids with diapers showing out of their pants.   Even at the Secretary Of State renewing my license a few years ago there was a 6 year old girl jumping around with disposable diapers showing out all the way around the waistband of her shorts.  Not good parenting and just lazy all the way around.  I also think diaper manufacturers help add to it by making larger and larger size children diapers and promoting them.  After all, the longer they can get parents to keep a kid in diapers, the more diapers they can sell and the more profits they can make.  I'll also say the longer and older a kid is still in diapers, the less apt they will be on wanting to toilet train and instead just stay in diapers.  Isn't that the way a lot of us started?  It used to be years ago that you couldn't start your child in kindergarten unless they were toilet trained.  I guess that has changed. 

[ValentinesStuff]

There apparently is a Kuwaiti company, Darlings, that sells a size 8 'baby' diaper for those babies that weigh over 35 kg. Pampers Swaddlers size 8 are for babies over 21 kg. According to the CDC height weight charts, a 35 kg 'baby' should be around 11 months years old.

[Kawaharu]

5 hours ago, Mars.inDiapers said:

Honestly, yes, and it's not a good trend. If it keeps on going, it's going to cause a lot of headaches for people in the future. 

That's where we are headed and I do see the signs even in the stores where they are selling diapers marked for kids around ages 5 and up. I think the trend is heading in that direction where parents are delaying potty training or keeping them in diapers until the kid is ready for potty training. We could see a day in the future when it becomes normal for kids to either be potty trained later in life or kept in diapers until they are ready for potty training. At the same time, we are seeing a societal shift where diapers are slowly starting to be normalized and accepted in society. People are slowly becoming more tolerant of people who are delayed in potty training or kept in diapers. It may come a point in the future where being diapered is as normal as wearing adult underwear and shorts. Even where in the not-to-distant future potty training becomes an option in society.

5 hours ago, rusty pins said:

I agree!  Lazy parents and the fact when they say,  "Alexa, change Junior's diaper", Alexa doesn't have the ability to do so.  I have noticed for many years now that I see older kids around age 5 and 6 still wearing diapers, and I mean DIAPERS!  not pull ups or training pants.  You can't miss it when in the store and you see older kids with diapers showing out of their pants.   Even at the Secretary Of State renewing my license a few years ago there was a 6 year old girl jumping around with disposable diapers showing out all the way around the waistband of her shorts.  Not good parenting and just lazy all the way around.  I also think diaper manufacturers help add to it by making larger and larger size children diapers and promoting them.  After all, the longer they can get parents to keep a kid in diapers, the more diapers they can sell and the more profits they can make.  I'll also say the longer and older a kid is still in diapers, the less apt they will be on wanting to toilet train and instead just stay in diapers.  Isn't that the way a lot of us started?  It used to be years ago that you couldn't start your child in kindergarten unless they were toilet trained.  I guess that has changed. 

The times are changing and the parents of this generation are keeping kids in diapers longer than previous generations of parents. Maybe that's why parents of this generation are more accepting of delaying potty training or even keeping kids in diapers until the kids are ready for potty training. I also think that society is shifting and shifting towards more acceptance of kids who are delayed in potty training or kept in diapers until they are ready for potty training.

[FretaBWet]

I don't think public schools will stand for kids showing up in diapers nor will the teachers or school nurses. It's one thing when a child is incontinent for medical reasons clearly documented by licensed medical professionals, and another by lazy parents. Parents will change their tune when school boards tell the parents they have to home school their child and take care of all the diaper changing.

Another factor that will reign in any trend to let kids stay in diapers longer will be the cost. Your child is not going to go get a job to pay for their diapers and taxpayers aren't going to pick up the tab for it. Look up the current average cost for raising a baby until normal potty training age. It's not cheap. Everything in life is a balance scale. You might be feeling lazy and not want to cook but if the cost of ordering in and the the cost of delivery is too high it will overcome your lazy impulse and you'll cook something.toilet training wouldn't be any different.

Hugs,

Freta

[Kawaharu]

12 minutes ago, FretaBWet said:

I don't think public schools will stand for kids showing up in diapers nor will the teachers or school nurses. It's one thing when a child is incontinent for medical reasons clearly documented by licensed medical professionals, and another by lazy parents. Parents will change their tune when school boards tell the parents they have to home school their child and take care of all the diaper changing.

Another factor that will reign in any trend to let kids stay in diapers longer will be the cost. Your child is not going to go get a job to pay for their diapers and taxpayers aren't going to pick up the tab for it. Look up the current average cost for raising a baby until normal potty training age. It's not cheap. Everything in life is a balance scale. You might be feeling lazy and not want to cook but if the cost of ordering in and the the cost of delivery is too high it will overcome your lazy impulse and you'll cook something.toilet training wouldn't be any different.

Hugs,

Freta

But then how do account for parents who are delaying potty training or keeping kids in diapers up to High school? Have you seen your local school board lately? parents are pushing things like this in school instead of the other way around. Often many parents are homeschooling their kids and it could be the reason why they are keeping them in diapers longer. On top of that many states have moved the age where kids can start kindergarten or 1st grade. For example, in my state of Connecticut, they made a law that a kid can't start Kindergarten until they are 5 years old. In other states, you can't let a kid go to Kindergarten school until they are 6 or even 7 years old. This means they are more likely to be in diapers around that age before they hit kindergarten or 1st grade. This means parents are likely delaying or keeping kids in diapers until they hit kindergarten or 1st grade.

Source;

https://ctmirror.org/2015/09/03/put-off-kindergarten-a-year-officials-want-to-end-redshirting/

[spark]

12 minutes ago, FretaBWet said:

I don't think public schools will stand for kids showing up in diapers nor will the teachers or school nurses. It's one thing when a child is incontinent for medical reasons clearly documented by licensed medical professionals, and another by lazy parents. Parents will change their tune when school boards tell the parents they have to home school their child and take care of all the diaper changing.

Hugs,

Freta

I teach special education and I'm familiar with IDEA.  IDEA requires public school districts to educate every child between 6 and 18 years (22 if they have an IEP) with a Free and Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment.   That is the exact line that we use.  That means that a child who is over six years old can not be denied a public school education for any reason, and that education must be provided in the closest to the general education setting.

This idea that a school will not accept a child who isn't potty without an underlying medical issue is BS.  Also, a child must have an IEP to receive special education service, which you can't qualify for without a qualifying disability.  The criteria for a qualifying disability is specific and the ability to toilet yourself independently is not one of the criteria.  An otherwise non-disabled who isn't potty trained wouldn't qualify for an IEP.   However- a 6-year-old who isn't potty trained likely meets the criteria for one of the qualifying, but their toileting couldn't be exclusively used to determine FAPE.  However, dealing with diapers would count.

It's far too complex to figure out how a district handles individual situations, and districts would handle it very differently.  

Most of the articles sourced are clickbait.  One of them said that most Kindergarteners aren't potty trained in the headline but the article paints it as unusual but not rare  At some point, peer pressure forces things and we are a long way from having 1st graders being accepting of peers in diapers.

[Nat]

I find it ironic how so many of us had trauma or bad memories of being potty trained because we were pushed into it before we were even ready. Now here we are judging parents for having late kids in diapers. I wonder how long before this stops being seen a sa fetish when more and more people are in diapers due to late potty training? 

Failure to potty train is bound for incontinent issues in life due to lack of muscle development down there because the kid never used it. 

I can also see prices on diapers going up due to supply and demand and parents will not be happy about it. Well that might motivate them to potty train them. 

[spark]

7 minutes ago, Kawaharu said:

But then how do account for parents who are delaying potty training or keeping kids in diapers up to High school? Have you seen your local school board lately? parents are pushing things like this in school instead of the other way around. Often many parents are homeschooling their kids and it could be the reason why they are keeping them in diapers longer. On top of that many states have moved the age where kids can start kindergarten or 1st grade. For example, in my state of Connecticut, they made a law that a kid can't start Kindergarten until they are 5 years old. In other states, you can't let a kid go to Kindergarten school until they are 6 or even 7 years old. This means they are more likely to be in diapers around that age before they hit kindergarten or 1st grade. This means parents are likely delaying or keeping kids in diapers until they hit kindergarten or 1st grade.

Source;

https://ctmirror.org/2015/09/03/put-off-kindergarten-a-year-officials-want-to-end-redshirting/

I strongly with the advice on the article you posted.   

In my case, I'm born in early September.  School started a day after my 5th birthday, I was barely out of diapers and very immature.  My parents decided to redshirt me and start on my sixth birthday (literally- that's the day I started).  I was the oldest, but close to the median of my peers in emotional age.   I matured slower than my peers, so by the time I was 10, I was behind the rest of my class.    I didn't catch up with them until I was 17. 

I think parents only consider what it is like for the 4-year-old in Kindergarten, but the effect continues.   The cutoff in California is November 30 and our semester starts in early August.  That means a kid is 13 years old for the first 4 months of high school.   As a High School teacher, my cutoff would be June 1, which means every single kid would graduate as an adult, and if you're early- you get a dress rehearsal as an adult.

[Kawaharu]

15 minutes ago, spark said:

I strongly with the advice on the article you posted.   

In my case, I'm born in early September.  School started a day after my 5th birthday, I was barely out of diapers and very immature.  My parents decided to redshirt me and start on my sixth birthday (literally- that's the day I started).  I was the oldest, but close to the median of my peers in emotional age.   I matured slower than my peers, so by the time I was 10, I was behind the rest of my class.    I didn't catch up with them until I was 17. 

I think parents only consider what it is like for the 4-year-old in Kindergarten, but the effect continues.   The cutoff in California is November 30 and our semester starts in early August.  That means a kid is 13 years old for the first 4 months of high school.   As a High School teacher, my cutoff would be June 1, which means every single kid would graduate as an adult, and if you're early- you get a dress rehearsal as an adult.

I think because states are delaying the age where a kid can start kindergarten, thus resulting parents delaying potty training and keeping kids in diapers before they start school. It’s why your seeing a trend where parents are keeping their kids in diapers longer and diaper manufacturers are making diapers to accommodate those kids.

That’s why we’re seeing a trend where kids are kept in diapers longer and potty training is much later in the game. It wouldn’t surprise me if parents are sending their kids to school in pull up’s and diapers at home. It’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if delaying potty training becomes the norm all becomes schools and states are upping the ages where a kids is allowed to attend kindergarten or 1st grade.

20 minutes ago, Nat said:

I find it ironic how so many of us had trauma or bad memories of being potty trained because we were pushed into it before we were even ready. Now here we are judging parents for having late kids in diapers. I wonder how long before this stops being seen a sa fetish when more and more people are in diapers due to late potty training? 

It’s because states have changed the rules for when a kid can start kindergarten or 1st grade. In most states, they don’t allow a kid in kindergarten until they are 5 years old and the oldest they allow 1st grade is between 6 & 7 years old. It varies from State to states. Because of that, parents are delaying potty training until the kid is in kindergarten at 5 years old.

Which why the trend is moving in a direction where potty training is delayed and kids are in diapers much longer before they start kindergarten. It wouldn’t surprise me, if parents are pushing the trend to keep kids in diapers until they are ready for potty training. I wouldn’t be surprised if this generation is the ones that are pushing to delay potty training and keeping kids in diapers longer than previous generations. 

[Little Matt]

I see a lot of hearsay and click-bait articles, but not a lot of solid data that the average toilet-training age has shifted more than a year or so since disposables became the norm. A few brands have introduced larger sizes but anything larger than size 6 is still markedly less commonly available. If anything I suspect the use case for some products has shifted a bit. I certainly remember a few kids in the early grades who had very regular accidents. Maybe those kids just wear Pull-Ups these days and get counted among those "going to school in diapers."

[Kawaharu]

34 minutes ago, Little Matt said:

I see a lot of hearsay and click-bait articles, but not a lot of solid data that the average toilet-training age has shifted more than a year or so since disposables became the norm. A few brands have introduced larger sizes but anything larger than size 6 is still markedly less commonly available. If anything I suspect the use case for some products has shifted a bit. I certainly remember a few kids in the early grades who had very regular accidents. Maybe those kids just wear Pull-Ups these days and get counted among those "going to school in diapers."

I think the trend is moving in the direction where potty training is delayed and parents are kept in diapers a lot longer. I suspect that the parents are growing accustomed to diapers getting bigger.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

That started with our (boomer) parents who lived through the Depression and wanted to make life easier and better as well as show that, since we were not poor, could afford to be more easygoing with us. It just got more of the same. Though, to my knowledge I was out of diapers by 3-3/4, even at night and definitely by age 4

[Snugglebear_69]

To the OP, there really isn't any solid evidence provided to support your assertion. You keep repeating your assertion without any additional support, data or proof and what has been provided certainly demonstrates a distinct lack of scientific or statistical process or methodology.

Honestly, it just feels like you are presenting things to try and support and reinforce your own desires and lifestyle choices. If you have any solid statistical data it would be interesting to review but otherwise it just feels like a repeated projection of personal desires.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

9 minutes ago, Snugglebear_69 said:

To the OP, there really isn't any solid evidence provided to support your assertion. You keep repeating your assertion without any additional support, data or proof and what has been provided certainly demonstrates a distinct lack of scientific or statistical process or methodology.

Honestly, it just feels like you are presenting things to try and support and reinforce your own desires and lifestyle choices. If you have any solid statistical data it would be interesting to review but otherwise it just feels like a repeated projection of personal desires.

What if no studies have been done, then there are none to quote. In that case all we have to rely on is what we hear or see directly. I have heard this talk, even in the media, which may be the closest we have to reliable, for about 5 decades. So there is at least the perception of it and if they are making a size 8, that provides some credibility to the idea since the companes find such a thing profitable, meaning there is a market for it. One could reasonably presume they have done some kind of studies before investing the capital for it. At this point, given all the above, there is a tenable hypothesis

[Kawaharu]

48 minutes ago, Snugglebear_69 said:

To the OP, there really isn't any solid evidence provided to support your assertion. You keep repeating your assertion without any additional support, data or proof and what has been provided certainly demonstrates a distinct lack of scientific or statistical process or methodology.

Honestly, it just feels like you are presenting things to try and support and reinforce your own desires and lifestyle choices. If you have any solid statistical data it would be interesting to review but otherwise it just feels like a repeated projection of personal desires.

Honestly, I feel your not presenting any facts or sources here and are just picking on me

[Nat]

Back in the days, mothers did elimination communication. Then something changed sometime in the 1900s and moms stopped doing it with their kids and started to just have them go in their diaper. Diapers were originally intended for accidents and used for just in case pants. Then as years went by, more and more moms started to delay toilet raining to a year old and then two years of age. My mom started us at age 2 and I was the only one that failed it until I decided to give them up on my own when I was 3 after my brother was born. There was also the "wait until your kid is ready" back then too. I was the only one my mom gave up on after figuring I wasn't ready because I had it figured out wrong and I was also developmental delayed. 

I remember I liked sitting in my potty chair but I didn't know I was supposed to pee in it and poo. The chair looked really cool too and I like the bear picture on it too and the little table on it. 

 

I am confused how these are clickbait articles, they are saying kids are shown up in school in diapers and teachers are tired of it, what about the ones who mentioned it on reddit as well, they're sick of it. Are they all just trolls pretending they're teachers and making up stories? 

 

I have two kids of my own and none of them have ever told me about others kids in their school still being in diapers. Unless they are hiding them well of course. I did see other kids in diapers as a kid but this was in special ed and they were special ed kids. I doubt these teachers in the reddit subreddit were sped teachers or they would have specified. 

I also had the impression they were making bigger diapers for kids because of child obesity. They could be catering to bed wetting kids as well or ones with disabilities. 

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

"elimination cmmunication"? As my civics teacher used to say before a test "In ink and in English": I have an MA and I have no idea what that means

[Nat]

6 minutes ago, Little BabyDoll Christine said:

"elimination cmmunication"? As my civics teacher used to say before a test "In ink and in English": I have an MA and I have no idea what that means

I thought I did a typo but nope, I spelled it right, it is infant potty training. Look it up. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

This looks fishy to me from what I understand of developmental psychology, specifically, cranial development. It has a New Age vibe like biorhythm and Holitic medicine, which did not pan out along with a couple of other things that were big in the '70's. Lik R. D. Lang's notions about Schizophrenia. It sounds too subtle for the infantile brain. To see how fake science penetrates a culture google up "npr bmi", 'multitasking", "left-brain right-brain",  "sugar rush" and "today i found out is salt actually bad for you". As my uncle used to say "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see"

[spark]

6 hours ago, Nat said:

I am confused how these are clickbait articles, they are saying kids are shown up in school in diapers and teachers are tired of it, what about the ones who mentioned it on reddit as well, they're sick of it. Are they all just trolls pretending they're teachers and making up stories? 

The headlines are misleading and definitely clickbait

https://www.yourtango.com/entertainment/teacher-says-more-kindergarteners-ever-still-diapers

This is the only article that shares evidence, which is a survey from Kindergarten that says that 15-20% of Kindergartners are not potty trained, but doesn’t define what that means.   After that it shares hearsay stories that are not verifiable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1746pov/teachers_are_tired_of_changing_diapers_for/?rdt=41208

This article is pure hype.  The headline is: Teachers Are Tired of Changing Diapers For 11-Year-Olds; Number Of Older Children Wearing Diapers is Skyrocketing

It doesn’t share any examples of 11-year-olds wearing diapers to school, nor did the main article that it was based on.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/16rscgn/diaperchanging_stations_at_elementary_school_no/

This is a reddit post from a teacher who teaches virtually.   It links to articles about the demands of Kindergarteners and says that parents aren’t teaching them to take care of basic needs.  The entire section about diaper changing tables is:

Quote

 

“We’re seeing some aggression and we’re also seeing kids who aren’t potty trained,” said Jennifer Millett, kindergarten specialist in the Granite School District.

Schools have to bring in diaper changing stations and parents to help.

 

 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/14gjze9/sil_says_teachers_are_lazy_and_selfish_for/

This is just a Reddit post that is complaining about a relative—nothing to see here.

 

We know that delayed potty training is far more common than it used to be.  Nobody would ever think of a five-year-old still needing diapers during the day when I was five.  I came close, but that was extreme in the 70’s.   I suspect the true number was 1 in 500 when I was in kindergarten.  I doubt the 1 in 6 is accurate, but I suspect that 10% of Kindergarteners have issues with toileting during the day.

 

 

[Apache Raccoon]

20 hours ago, Little BabyDoll Christine said:

As my civics teacher used to say.....

Did they just teach about Civics or did they teach about other Honda's to? 

 

 

[ValentinesStuff]

45 minutes ago, Apache Raccoon said:

Did they just teach about Civics or did they teach about other Honda's to? 

 

 

They probably discussed accords too.