Parents of young children often wonder whether their child is developing at the right pace. When asking paediatricians about this, they often hear that it is possible to define certain intervals, when the child should reach certain milestones, but that the development of children can be very different. An aspect that raises doubts among many carers is weaning from the nappy - when can the first efforts be made and how can we ensure that they are not a nightmare for parents and child?