It's Saturday morning and I'm enjoying – no relishing- some child-free shopping time.

I have a coffee in one hand and my phone in the other, texting my friend to find out if her soon-to-be five-year-old is still into The Octonauts or if he's moved on to another franchise. It's his birthday party later on and – true to form –I'm doing the last minute present dash. "Story of my life," my friend texts back.

The books make it seem easy. You start toilet training, and within a few weeks, your child is no longer wearing nappies. In reality, things don't always go as planned.

This is what Jodie* discovered when she was toilet training Keira*.