Chavira Brown isn't the only child to have died because of a dirty diaper.
Potty training — one of the most frustrating events in the lives of parents and children — has been linked to many serious cases of child abuse, including the death of the 18-month-old Wichita girl whose caretaker was found guilty of first-degree murder Monday.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more child abuse occurs during potty training than any other developmental milestone.
"Those frustrating times in a child's development can be triggers, and we need to really... be aware of that as a community," said Vicky Roper, director of Prevent Child Abuse Kansas at the Kansas Children's Service League.
Some recent cases:
* Last summer in Memphis, Tenn., police say a 2-year-old girl was beaten to death by her father over a potty training issue.
* Last month in Sacramento, Calif., a 27-year-old man was arraigned on murder charges for allegedly throwing his girlfriend's 4-year-old son against a wall after the boy urinated in his diaper in the night.
* A husband and wife in Phoenix were accused last month of severely beating their 4-year-old daughter because she had not gone to the bathroom.
* And in Columbia, S.C., a father is in jail after being accused of kicking his 3-year-old daughter in the head and stomach, critically injuring her, over potty training issues.
Prompted by a recent spate of child-abuse-related deaths in Wichita, local officials and the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome recently launched a campaign aimed at teaching parents how best to cope with a crying infant.
Unfortunately, Roper said, parental frustration doesn't end when babies become toddlers and preschoolers — and neither does potential abuse.
"We're really trying to look at all of these cases and what could have been done to prevent the abuse from happening in the first place," Roper said.
"Our goal is to strengthen the protective factors, which might be (increasing parents') knowledge of parenting and child development."
Roper said such initiatives are especially important now, because incidents of child abuse and domestic violence usually increase during times of economic stress.
Wichita recorded eight homicides linked to child abuse or neglect in 2008.
During the trial of Jonell Lloyd, who was convicted Monday of murdering 18-month-old Chavira, a witness testified that Lloyd beat the girl with a belt after she woke up from a nap with wet pants.
Lloyd admitted during testimony that he had "whupped" Chavira hard enough to draw blood on her buttocks, but denied killing the child.
Most parenting experts discourage spanking and other forms of negative punishment during potty training, saying it can actually delay the training process. Nevertheless, soiled clothes, beds or furniture sometimes cause stressed parents to explode in rage.
"Patience, patience, patience — that's what it takes," said Linda Crockett, a Wichita grandmother and longtime child-care provider who has potty-trained many children.
Crockett, who is in the process of helping potty-train a particularly challenging 3-year-old granddaughter, said the Chavira Brown case saddened her.
"I just thought, 'That poor, poor child,' " said Crockett, 60. "I've potty-trained dozens of kids, maybe hundreds, and they all are different.
"There were times I thought, 'Is this kid ever going to get it?' But with a little love and patience, they get it. They always do. All it takes is love and patience and consistency and, yes, a lot of detergent."
Roper, the Prevent Child Abuse director, said her group hopes to ramp up efforts to educate parents and caregivers about potty training and other issues. Starting this month, for instance, Connecting Point will launch a free series of classes designed for parents with children ages 2 to 10.
"Parents who have realistic developmental expectations of their children... are more likely to refrain from child abuse and neglect," she said.
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