New UK guidance, developed by The Institute of Health Visiting in collaboration with ERIC, The Children’s Bladder and Bowel Charity, represents a significant shift away from delay-based, child-led waiting, towards a skills-based, health-focused approach that supports earlier learning in a gentle, responsive way.

If you’ve ever been told to “wait until your child is ready” before starting potty training, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common things that parents hear, but it’s also one of the biggest myths!

In this post, I’ll correct some common misinformation about potty learning and explore what the research really says about babies’ natural abilities, development, and readiness.

When I became a parent, I didn’t think much about nappies beyond which ones would leak the least. But once I started digging into the research, I realised nappies aren’t just about convenience. From textiles, to chemicals, there are issues worth knowing about.

This post isn’t about fear or finger-pointing. It’s about questioning the status quo.