New UK Potty Training Guidance: What Parents Actually Need to Know

Recently, new UK guidance on early toileting and school readiness has been released, backed by the government and leading early years organisations. It marks a noticeable shift in how potty training is being discussed and for many parents, it raises just as many questions as it answers.

The guidance was launched in response to growing concerns that around one in four children are starting school still in nappies, something professionals are now recognising as a wider developmental and systemic issue, not a parenting failure.

You can read the full guide here: The Potty Training Guide

Below, I’ll break down what this guidance actually includes, what it doesn’t mean, and what parents should take from it.

Why Has New Guidance Been Introduced?

For many years, parents have been encouraged to “wait until children are ready” to potty train. In practice, this often meant waiting well into the toddler years, sometimes until 3 or even 4.

However, professionals working in health, early years and education have increasingly raised concerns that expectations around toileting have dropped, with long-term impacts on children’s independence, confidence and school readiness. It also acknowledges the financial, environmental and emotional costs of prolonged nappy use.

What Does the New Guidance Actually Say?

While headlines can feel alarming, the guidance is not telling parents to rush or force potty training. Instead, it focuses on early, gentle exposure and realistic expectations.

Key themes include:

1. Toileting is a Developmental Skill

Children learn to use the toilet in the same way they learn to walk, feed themselves or climb stairs, through opportunity, routine and support, not pressure or rewards.

2. Moving Away From “Waiting for Readiness Signs”

The guidance challenges the idea that parents must wait for a checklist of signs before beginning. Instead, it encourages age-appropriate expectations and early familiarity.

3. Familiarity Matters

Regular opportunities to sit on the toilet — for example at predictable times in the day — help children understand what the toilet is for, without pressure to perform.

4. Dignity and Independence Are Central

Learning to manage toileting is framed as an important part of a child’s dignity, confidence and self-care, particularly as they approach nursery and school environments.

 

 

 

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What the Guidance Does Not Mean

It’s equally important to clarify what this guidance isn’t saying.

It does not mean:

• Children should be forced to use the toilet

• Nappies must be removed early

• Accidents are a failure

• Parents who trained later have “done it wrong”

The emphasis is on supportive, gradual learning, not fast results.

What About Parents Outside the UK?

Although this guidance is UK-based, the principles behind it reflect a wider international shift in early childhood thinking — particularly around independence, realistic expectations and reducing unnecessary delays.

Many parents globally are already questioning whether waiting longer truly makes toileting easier, or simply postpones challenges.

What Should Parents Take From This?

If you’re a parent reading this, the key takeaway isn’t urgency — it’s reassurance.

This guidance gives parents permission to start earlier, gently and calmly, without feeling they’re doing something “too soon” or “wrong”.

It encourages:

• Normalising toileting conversations earlier

• Offering routine opportunities without pressure

• Viewing potty training as a process, not an event

And most importantly, it removes much of the fear around beginning.

If you are looking to gently start introducing the toilet to your toddler, then I've got a free guide to help you begin the toilet training journey gently without pressure in line with the new guidance.