A teacher recently expressed on social media, her astonishment at the number of children starting kindergarten while still in diapers.
Brenda Capone Kingston, known as @Ms3rdGrade on TikTok, has a following of 43.7K on the platform and frequently shares insights from her teaching experience.
Last week, Kingston posted a now-deleted video where she voiced her surprise about how many kindergartners are arriving at school still in diapers. “Diapers in kindergarten—this has been a topic of discussion with fellow teachers over the past few weeks,” she said. “The number of kids in diapers in kindergarten—I had no idea. The more I talk to some kindergarten friends, and they tell me how many they have.”
In the video, which she recorded in her classroom, Kingston clarified that her remarks did not pertain to children with special needs. Reflecting on her own parenting, she mentioned, “I remember when my kids went to school… your child had to be potty-trained before you could send them to kindergarten,” noting that her daughter is turning 24 in November and her son 22 next month.
“I don’t feel like I imagined that,” she continued. “I am in the state of Arkansas, and I learned last night that in Arkansas, it’s not required, and I’m like, ‘Why?’ Why do we have so many five- and six-year-olds still in diapers?” Ms3rdGrade questioned. “You kindergarten teachers who are dealing with this, bless your heart because I don’t think I could,” she added, shaking her head.
She widened her eyes as she commented, “If you have two or three kids in diapers… woooh,” before asking if other teachers were experiencing the same situation. “Am I alone on this? Do you have a lot of diapers in your school right now?” she concluded.
Kingston later removed the video after receiving negative feedback but followed up with another clip, thanking those who had shown her support. “Let’s address the elephant in the room,” she started. “First, let me say thank you to the overwhelming number of people, especially teachers, who have reached out to me.”
“[It] was so sad that somebody took something innocent and turned it into something harmful. And it didn’t need to be that way,” she continued. “If you know me, have followed me long enough, you know that was never my intention. I really try to keep my page upbeat and positive, and I try to spread joy.”
In March, Utah passed legislation requiring children to be potty-trained before enrolling in kindergarten, a response to the increasing number of students starting school without being fully potty-trained, according to the Daily Mail. Kingston teaches in Arkansas, where no such law exists.
According to the Mayo Clinic, most children show signs of readiness for potty training between 18-24 months, although some may take longer, up to around three years old.
