You Can Go to the Potty

This has turned out to be our favorite book for potty-training our daughter. The illustrations are simple but attractive, and the story is easy to read and follows the complete potty training sequence. Of primary importance to me, personally, is that my daughter loves me to read her this book. She asks for it by name and seems genuinely interested in interpreting and understanding what's going on in the story. Unlike other books on this subject that we got to tackle the daunting mission that is potty training, this one combines entertaining and reassuring story for the child, a learning sequence that both parent and child can follow together, and a wealth of research-based information and resources specifically for the parent and/or caregiver. There is advice, explanation for both parent and child, and even a list of resources in the back. In addition to our daughter loving the story, my wife and I referred to the information in this book often. It is informative for the parent, entertaining for the child, and reassuring to both. In addition to covering the basics, the information section also touches on potential problem areas and how to deal with them. Most importantly, it assisted our family through a successful potty-training experience and of all the books we got on this subject, this one is far and away the best. This has been our experience and based on that I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. When searching for good potty training books - we got six, I think, in an attempt to cover bases on what for us was a new and scary experience - we read many reviews. Some of the critical reviews of this book contained what I thought were quibbles that amounted more to personal preference rather than value to the experience or whether the book was effective as a teaching tool. As with most things parenting I have found that there is a broad range of styles and philosophies, and opinions tend to run strong. Based on our experience, I would look at the books before you buy, if you can, or select a few to try to see which ones work best for you. If this is your first time potty training, take a deep breath, be patient, and good luck! Read more

We have purchased many books in this genre :-) and are delighted with this book by childcare experts William and Martha Sears. The book starts with a three-page introduction for parents, discussing readiness and approach. The text for children is comforting and informative -- letting kids know that there was a time that parents did everything for them but now they are growing up, and using the toilet is another aspect of their growth, like dressing or feeding themselves. Cartoon pictures show a little boy using a potty seat and his older siblings using the adult toilet seat. An older boy urinates standing up, and handwashing is shown. Sidebars on most pages address questions that children might ask with suggested answers. The process is emphatically positive though constipation and accidents are also mentioned. The book concludes with a page about attachment parenting. The only thing I didn't like was the use of the terms "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" but that's easy enough to change as you read. The message is comforting at the same time the text is informative for kids, discussing the mechanics of the process as well as the benefits. There is also a pull-out poster that shows the steps involved, and this can be placed on the bathroom wall or maybe in a spot your youngster tends to seek out when s/he feels the need to go potty. Excellent. Read more

This is a really great book. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that our daughter was almost done with potty training but regressed a bit for a few days after reading this (The book says it's ok to have accidents, and she was past this point in her training & got a bit confused). Now we simply skip a few pages & she's doing really well agian. I like that in the book the whole family is involved in the potty training & it's not presented in a silly or embarassing manner. The text is very easy to adapt to our family -- we make it personal to our daughter whenever we read it. The tips for parents at the beginning are a great feature that I haven't seen in other books like this, and there are lots of little extras throughout the story for inquisitive kiddos. Read more

This book is excellent for parents who practice Attachment Parenting. It starts by explaining that when the child was a baby, their parents did everything for them. This shows a mother breastfeeding, parents and baby co-sleeping, and a father "wearing" the baby in a sling. It then talks about diapers and how as children get older, they use the potty like their parents. There are lots of parent tips that appear in the margins, encouraging further discussion and customizing things to suit your family's needs and preferences. As always, Dr. Sears encourages you to follow your instincts. The story itself isn't much different from the one you'd find in The Potty Book or other training books. It follows a child through potty training, buying underwear, etc. The narrative uses language a child can understand, but sometimes it seemed a bit too babyish for me. ("poo-poo goes bye-bye"). I don't think you have to talk down to kids to get them to understand. But, that small complaint aside, the book is informative and positive. It's a wonderful teaching tool, and perfectly suited for Attachment families. Read more