Lesson 1: Nature’s Design

To those who have spent time with a young toddler running around who seems oblivious to a dirty nappy, the idea that newborn babies have an instinct not to soil themselves seems insane. Nappies are the ultimate symbol of babyhood and we believe that being sprayed with newborn wee is a rite of passage. But we fail to see that we have been conditioned to think these are normal, not to mention the fact we are also conditioning our babies to use the nappy as a toilet.

When you think about it, why would babies evolve to communicate only their hunger and tiredness, but not their hygiene needs? 

Babies are in fact born with an awareness of their bodily functions and the desire to stay clean and dry. Just as babies naturally learn to walk and talk through exposure and practice, toileting is another developmental process, with many skills required for full mastery.

As Jean Liedloff explains in her book “The Continuum Concept”, human beings are born with an expectation of how they will be cared for, shaped by hundreds of thousands of years of life in small, close-knit tribal communities. While staying with a South American tribe, she noticed that babies rarely soiled themselves or their parents.

If you take account that:

1. A study found observable elimination signals in over 90% of babies,

2. babies commonly wee as soon as a nappy is removed, and

3. when held in a supported squat, young babies often wee or poo immediately

It strongly suggests that babies expect their toileting needs to be taken care of outside of the nappy.

In 1958 in Britain, 47% of babies were out of nappies by 12 months, and 83% by 18 months. Now the average is 3–4 years old. So what changed? 

Since disposable nappies became mainstream in the 1970s, our culture around toileting habits have rapidly changed.

Around the world, many cultures still practice baby pottying, particularly in parts of Asia and Africa.

• In Kenya, the Digo people begin toilet learning in the first couple of weeks of life, and babies are usually dry day and night by 5 months old.

• In Thailand, a study from 2011 showed that most babies begin potty learning between 4 and 12 months, with around half of them completely trained by 12 months. 

• In Vietnam, a study from 2012 showed that nappies were used rarely and that babies used the potty by 9 months old. By 2 years old, they were expected to use the toilet independently.

1. Rugolotto S, Sun M, Boucke L, Calò DG, Tatò L. Toilet training started during the first year of life: a report on elimination signals, stool toileting refusal and completion age. Minerva Pediatr. 2008 Feb;60(1):27-35. PMID: 18277362.

2. Douglas, J.W.B. and Blomfield, J.M., 1958. Children Under Five: The Growth, Health and Behaviour of Breasted and Bottle-fed Children. London: Allen & Unwin.

3. Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, 2025. Toilet training – Parents and carers: Continence support (under 5 years). Available at: https://www.wchc.nhs.uk/children-young-people/parents-carers/continence-support-under-5-years/toilet-training/ (Accessed: 29/01/2026).

4. deVries, M.W. & deVries, M.R., 1977. Cultural relativity of toilet training readiness: A perspective from East Africa. Pediatrics, 60, pp.170–177.

5. Benjasuwantep, B. & Ruangdaraganon, N., 2011. Infant toilet training in Thailand: starting and completion age and factors determining them. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 94(12), pp. 1441-1446.

6. Duong, T.H., Jansson, U.-B. & Hellström, A.-L., 2012. Vietnamese mothers’ experiences with potty training procedure for children from birth to 2 years of age. Journal of Pediatric Urology, 9(6 Pt A), pp.808–814. doi:10.1016/j.jpurol.2012.10.023.