Potty Training Your Baby: A Practical Guide for Easier Toilet Training

by Katie Warren

*** OVER 500,000 COPIES SOLD ***

Contrary to traditional belief, the transition from diaper to potty can be started even before your child’s first birthday―and completed by the second! In Potty Training Your Baby, Katie Warren provides information on everything from where to buy a potty to dealing with those inevitable little “accidents.” Perhaps most important, she shows how you can turn this often dreaded and frustrating task into a time of growth and learning for both you and your child.

Genres: Parenting

104 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2005

Reviews

[Nanuska_153 · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most difficult things about being a parent is that apparently there's not a single decision that you can make that won't end up scarring your baby for life. I read this hoping to get some practical ideas to be prepared when potty training time comes.I got absolutely nothing from this, except the many ways that I can traumatise my baby, like apparently by telling her that her farts smell. Well, that ship sailed long ago Katie xDD

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good, really practical book. The author isn't some "expert" she's a mom whose family has passed down smart potty training techniques from generation to generation. Her methods are a good happy medium between EC and the modern, don't train them until they're three stuff.

Some helpful tips from this book:
- potty toys (don't expect a young toddler to want to sit on the potty just for fun all of the time, make it a fun place to be)
- it takes time
- just relax (it's only stressful if you make it that way, thanks to the tips in this book, potty training has been a bonding experience for us)
- don't put pressure on your kid, learning to control those muscles is hard
- go gradually (it gives a pretty clear step by step approach)

Some things I ignored from the book:
- don't make them wash their hands every time (gross, kids should be taught from day one to make hand washing part of their bathroom routine, if they refuse then use hand sanitizer and tell them they are washing their hands)
- teach kids to pee outside once in a while (I just thought that was weird)
Overall, a really good book.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read, not too long. I read it to get ideas for motivating my EC'd child to graduate out of diapers. I like the author's philosophy that you can begin potty training before age 1 and be finished before 2. I actually wish I had read this sooner (my son is 23 months old). The potty training described in this book is gentle and respectful and realistic. It has sections by age, including some info on training older toddlers. Just like with elimination communication (EC) the author reminds parents to always be neutral or positive with a child's elimination, even as small babies in diapers. The author focuses on intrinsic motivation. I think this book has good ideas for parents who want to start potty training earlier than age two, and could be a nice complimentary guide to parents practicing EC.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Practical, short, and fit my parenting style well. I felt less anxious about potty training after this book.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read if you don't want to do elimination communication (or it's kind of late to start) but you also don't want to wait until two years old, either.