337. 18-month-old grand-daughter can't say she wants to pee pee

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

I was at the pet shop vaccinating a puppy. I saw a big picture of a 3-month-old and a salt and pepper Miniature Schnauzer half hidden. I asked the grandmother at the counter whether her bright-eyed 18-month-old (picture was 3 months old when taken) had been toilet trained.

"Too young, she can't talk and tell us she wants to go to the toilet," she said. "2.5 years old will be the correct age."

"Did the doctor tell you?" I asked.

"No," she said. "She can only talk a few words. So, she is in diapers. Otherwise she will soil every part of the condo."

This age seems to be the recommended age for babies in the Western world. I just read a book "Early Potty Training" from the National Library. It seems that the Chinese population can toilet train their babies at 6 months of age. Put the baby over the wash basin and say "pss..." as part of the training. In no time, the baby is toilet trained. This is because many Chinese families cannot afford to buy diapers.

Reading widely and research is one way of gaining more knowledge of what the other cultures do. I wonder whether the Indians train their babies earlier than 2.5 years too.