5 reasons why your child could be scared of toilets at playgroups
For some strange reason, your child refuses to use the toilet at playgroup. You’re baffled but would love to get down to the bottom of this. This article tells you some possible reasons for this behaviour and how to fix it.
Reasons why your child could be scared of toilets at playgroup
The world is a big place for little children—there are many places and spaces that can be daunting. Try to recall your childhood. Were there certain places in the house or school that you just refused to venture to? In this instance, let’s dig deeper into the possible reasons. Let’s try to find out why is your child scared of toilets at playgroup…
1. He’s the only one in his class that is potty trained. Have you started potty training earlier than the other kids? He might not like being the odd one out.
2. An unpleasant incident happened at the toilet. Talk to your child. Ask him simple questions to see why he may be feeling this fear or reluctance. If there is no response then we move on to the next step.
3. Something unpleasant about the toilet. Sniff around—could it be the smell and the condition of the toilets? Is it too dark or dirty? Is it located in a corner that is hardly accessible? Is it too slippery? If this is the case, you should talk to the person in charge at the nursery to rectify the issue as soon as possible.
4. He does not like the toilet routine. Perhaps the whole class goes to the toilet all at once and your child is shy. Perhaps your child needs privacy and would rather not go with others. It could be that your child does not want to invite attention by asking to go without other kids.
5. Your child is just shy. Depending on what the reason is—perhaps your child thinks it is embarrassing to ask to go to the toilet out loud for the others at playgroup to hear the request. In a case like this, make a card with a message on it to let the teacher know that he needs to go. All your child has to do is walk up to the teacher and show the customized card.
In any case talk to other parents and teachers at the playgroup. Who knows, they may be having the same or similar issues and could give you some enlightening insights and solutions.
Above all this, you need to be patient with your child. The grown up world is a scary place and they may need some time to get used to the way the world works and it starts with the smallest things like going to the toilet. So if your child is scared of toilets at playgroup—try out these tips. theAsianparent wishes you best of luck!
