Child's Age | Physiological and Motor Skills | Cognitive and Verbal Development | Emotional and Social Awareness |
0 - 12 months | | Begins to associate between cause and effect | Develops to enjoy praise and approval |
12 - 18 months | Becomes aware of need to go potty | Begins to associate fullness with eliminations that follows | Emerging desire t mimic other children's behavior |
| May begin walking | May begin communicating verbally | Takes pleasure in doing it him/herself. |
18-24 months | Early ability to briefly control sphincter muscles | Improves ability to picture a goal (using potty) and remember it long enough to complete the act | Increased urge toward self mastery |
| Better able to sit still | Increased ability to understand verbal explanations | Increased desire to please parents and win praise |
24-36 months | Able to manage simple clothing | Improved memory helps child maintain potty routine | Takes great pleasure in increasing competence |
| | Improved imagination allows for learning through play (dolls, role playing) | Gender awareness encourages imitation of same sex parent's bathroom behavior |
3+ | Gradually maturing of digestive system eventually leads to decrease of accidents and bedwetting by around age 5 or 6 | Improved ability to break focus to go to the toilet and to resist distraction while getting there | Peer pressure encourages toilet use. Enjoys completing sticker charts and working to earn rewards |
