Good Books on "Potty Training" Which Helped YOU

Updated on January 29, 2009
A.K. asks from Sacramento, CA
20 answers

Hi all!
I think that my 2 yr old daughter is ready to be potty trained, but I do not know where to start. I am kind of skeptical about potty training in 1 day or so. DO you know or have your read any practical books on potty training that actually helped you to teach your child to use the potty when needed? Please let me know. I really appreciate it.

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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I was very happy with http://www.3daypottytraining.com/ and actually took the advice in the book and spent 4 days training my daughter. I don't have any other children and my husband went away for the weekend so it worked out great. She was 27 months went I trained her and I never put a pullup on her.

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S.B.

answers from Sacramento on

I bought this book for my daughter the week before potty training and we still read it.

The Potty Book - For Girls by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Book-Alyssa-Satin-Capucilli/d...

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M.K.

answers from Chico on

It's Potty Time For Girls by Smart Kids Publishing illustrated by Chris Sharp and Gary Currant (no authors listed) features a girl on the toilet (not a potty chair), and has a flushing toilet sound button.

If you are not averse to videos, both Go Potty Go and Potty Power have not-so-annoying songs about potty time and washing hands. My daughter likes to watch them over and over (I think she'd watch them end over end if there were no TV limit!). My girl's used the potty a few times, but nothing like on a regular basis. She's 2 and a half.

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S.R.

answers from Modesto on

Not only is there the book "Once Upon A Potty" but there is also a video/dvd (one for boys and one for girls). I have a daycare and when the children are looking ready for potty training I go to the library and check out the video/dvd. I own both books so the children will also look at them and I ready them to the kids as well. The nice thing about the video/dvd is that there is a Potty Song that the kids pick up on and we sing it while sitting on the potty. There is also a Parent's Guide at the end of the video/dvd.

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C.M.

answers from Chico on

"Once Upon a Potty" by Alona Frankel was THE best book! My kids loved it and we read it so much it fell apart. There is a girl's and a boy's version, so make sure to get the rignt one.

Have fun and good luck!

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H.J.

answers from San Francisco on

The potty training in one day does work--but it actually takes a couple or three days. My Mom used to run an at-home day care, and I remember her trying it with a couple of the day care kids, about 20 years ago. By the third day, the kids (a boy & a girl) did have things pretty well figured out. But you are doing NOTHING else for that couple of days except potty training.

My girl will be 2 in the spring, and I am planning to put her in panties at home as soon as it's warm enough to wear dresses and bare legs (my little baby will be a little older & more able to play on his own then, too) & concentrate on potty training. She's in cloth diapers and already often tells me when she's wet/poopy, so I'm figuring she'll train pretty easily.

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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter found the DVD "Potty Power" fun and motivating. Good luck, now's a great time to start!!!

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S.R.

answers from San Francisco on

I took a class at Parents Place (in San Mateo, there is also one in Palo Alto that teaches the same class) called Bye-Bye Diapers. It was better than any book could ever be. The teacher was great, and she tried to problem-solve with each parent who was there as to where their child was in the process and what to expect and do etc. She also is very skeptical of the 1-day method.

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M.T.

answers from Sacramento on

The potty training in less than a day book works. It was developed I think in the 70's by a doctor that worked with mentally challenged. It is very simple for kids to learn and understand. Of couse kids are not perfect and it will take longer for no accidents but overal they will by the end of the day be abel to go potty by themselves. I used it for my son and my Mom used it for me. I had to order at Borders. There are to books. There is a potty train in a day and potty train in less than a day. The less than a day is the one I used.
The book is great and starts by having you teach your child how to teach a doll that wets how to go potty and what to do. Once the child teaches the doll then you work with him or her and fill her with juice and keep practicing until she gets it with rewards along the way.
Hope this helps

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B.R.

answers from Bakersfield on

Hi. When my daughter was about 2yr.2 months I thought she was ready but she wasn't. We had gotten the Elmo's potty time dvd so even though she wasn't ready she would still sit on the potty and watch Elmo's potty time, this went on for about 6 months and she never relaxed enough to let go and potty in the potty. But it was good practice, because about 3 weeks ago she did it. The first day we had several accidents but we also had lots of success. Every time she would go on the potty I would give her a Hershey's kiss. By the third day she was not really having any accidents. By the second week she was going #2 in the potty (2 Hershey's kisses) and by week two she just would go in and go when she had to. We are on week 3 and every once in awhile she has an accident but not very often. She is also dry at naptime but not ready for all night so she wears a pull up at night. Oh and I don't use pull-ups during the day (only at naptime at first, and not anymore and I still use them at night). I use the thick cotton training panties (not the ones with the plastic on the outside) so when she is wet she could feel it and didn't like that. She would tell me I wet my panties and want to go potty and change her clothes right away. Oh and now she hardly ever asks for the Hershey's kisses so that didn't become a habit or problem. Hope this wasn't too much info. We just did this so it's very fresh in my mind. Good luck! When she is ready, it will happen pretty quickly, although the first day might not be so much fun. LOL!

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C.C.

answers from Fresno on

Hi A.,
I found the potty training advice that worked for me in John Rosemond's "Making the Terrible Twos Terrific!" His method is the "Naked and $60" method, which is very simple but very effective. It worked for me twice - took less than 3 days each time!
Good luck!!

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A.Z.

answers from Modesto on

Hi A.!
I don't know of any great books, but there is a great video out there called, "Potty Power." It is VERY cheesy, but it worked for my oldest son and a friend of mine. It has a fun theme song for kids. It is for boys and girls.

Good Luck!

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L.B.

answers from Sacramento on

I found using potty power viedo work great for my daughter. I have getting really upset that she would pee her pants. she knew wher to go but just pee in her pants. I got rid of the diapers just put panites on her. she peed half of the time. she just needed a boost. well I got potty power and she loved it with in 1 week she was potty trained. she would watch it over and over again. and when she goes to the potty she screams I have potty power no more diapers for me. she has been potty trained now for 5 months. and still sings the song. i got the movie at the liabary. rental for 1 week and it was free.
good Luck
L.

The Mom Team
www.themomteam.com/band

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S.D.

answers from Yuba City on

I didn't read any books on it, got lots of advice instead. I don't recommend the naked method. We tried that and it was a lot of cleanup and not much else. The best method I tried was the 20 min rule. Every 20 min we went to the potty and tried. And I mean on the dot, with a timer, the whole time he was awake. But he was nearly 3, so we fought him to get him on the potty every time, but he was trained in 2 days (not that I was pushing for that since I stay at home with him). We went out in public on day 3 and put on a pull-up, which he wore at home on those days too, and I set my watch a little longer 40 min, so we wouldn't get off track too much. He was asking to go at 30 min without any help from me. No accidents, ever, after that weekend. For poo - we used a sticker chart and candy. The candy was inspiration for the moment and the chart was his choice of a fun trip or activity after every 3-5 successful poos in the potty.

His fav video was "Elmo Goes Potty" and we still sing the song "Accidents Happen" though not for potty accidents anymore! :)

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K.O.

answers from San Francisco on

I did the potty train in a day which worked for me, however, I did not have the expectation that it was going to happen in one day. But I used the technique as a way to introduce potty training to my children.

In addition, I bought books for my sons. They have them out there related to girls as well. And during the potty training process that is all we read at night time. They wanted to read the books each night, asked questions and the books encouraged them to want to go on the potty.

My eldest son was potty trained at 3, my youngest was fully potty trained by 2 1/2.

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C.V.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi A.,
I remember those days very well. Two books I recommend that really helped:
"Everyone Poops", author??, available at local book store. And
"The Potty Train", available at www.DiscoveryToysLink.com/CarolValdon

My pediatrician said that it's all about letting the child have control. I hope that helps.
C.

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T.A.

answers from Salinas on

I didnt use any books, I noticed my daughter was having an interest in it. I would put her on the kid potty while I was on the big toliet. Praise her and get very excited when she would go even if she just sat in the potty for a while. I would make a Big deal of it, give me high 5, Im so proud of you stuff to make her feel Big and Special. When she would go I would give her stickers, stamps, fruit snacks, toy form $ store, put stickers on a sheet and go to chuck E cheese, check their website they have a sheet. Soon she wanted the dora seat on the Big Toliet, being constinant helps, putting her on the toliet often before she asks then she got the hang out it. she was completely potty trained 1 month after she turned 2. I just tried to make it fun and encourge her. Good Luck- T.

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L.M.

answers from Fresno on

A.,

I read a couple of books, none of which I found helpful at all!! The best advice I can give is this. When your daughter is ready it will only take a couple of days to potty train her. Take off her diaper and let her go bottomless. Set her on the potty every 30 min or so. Give her LOTS to drink!! This will make her peepee lots. Don't get upset, just tell her not to peepee on mommy's floor and to peepee in her big girl potty. Make it fun! We always do a peepee dance after we actually go and I always praised even when we tried. We also called daddy to get some praise or grandma or whoever was avaiable. I didn't offer any treats or rewards I know some people do. My sister-in-law gives skittles and her daughter will go "try" just to get a skittle. They are still working on the whole potty training thing and my son doesn't have any accidents even in town now.

If she doesn't show signs of actually potty training then just put away her potty chair and try again in a month or two.

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S.W.

answers from San Francisco on

I found 'potty training for dummies' really helpful. Not because the strategies worked quickly but because of the wealth of information it had on a subject which I knew nothing about as a first time mom. For example it explained the differences in diapers, disposable training pants, and fabric/plastic training pants and how and when to use each. I think there are two schools to potty training; gradual or cold turkey. Cold turkey is more effective closer to the three year mark when they are really really ready. Gradual is the 'getting ready' which starts when they show an interest in the second year; buying a potty together, teaching them how to wipe and wash hands, making a sticker chart to track progress, etc. One day they wake up and 'decide' it's time and then you take off the diaper and go cold turkey. That's when the 'potty training in a day' you hear about occurs; kids learn quick from their accidents. But don't be fooled into thinking it's possible to 'train' like that before they are ready, it comes from the child. That's my experience anyway, good luck!

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C.J.

answers from San Francisco on

I second the recommendation for "Once Upon A Potty" - it was a hit with both my girls (younger daughter with Down syndrome trained pretty much on time even though teachers had discouraged us from expecting her to), and a song from a video called "Baby Songs": 'Today I took my diapers off.'

My kids are older now, but we can all still sing that song! I found that music helped my girls learn in many areas of life.

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