Book Review: Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day: Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro

 I read Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day: Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro by Teri Crane a few years ago when I was contemplating potty training my daughter and thought I would revisit as I'm hopeful that my son will soon be ready. (According to her quiz he is, but my children tend to be stubborn.) This book has some great pointers and ideas, but it's a little deceptive. You can't actually completely potty train your child in one day. Like any new skill it takes practice. The "one day" is an elaborate party that involves getting really excited about your toddler using the toilet. Not that I'm against getting excited about these developments, I just think that the one day party involves more work than stretching it out.  If you are aching to throw a potty party she does provide lots of ideas. I would say this book is worth reading, but not necessarily worth buying. (Unless you're shopping at B&N.com or Amazon and you need to spend a few more dollars so you get your free shipping, then by all means.)
 Here are some important points found in this book

• Don't try to train your child until they are ready. (Waking up dry, asking to be changed, bowel control at night, showing interest in the toilet are a few signs.)
• Don't potty train before or after any big changes in your child's life. (New siblings, move, change in daycare teachers, etc.)
• Flushable wipes, footstools and foaming hand-soap are your friends and worth the extra money. Trust me.
• NEVER punish a child for having accidents. It will only make the problem worse. (Sometimes I've seen patients who had something physically wrong with them and couldn't control the frequent accidents whose parents tried to punish them into bladder control. So sad.)
• Teach first, then train. Let them watch you use the toilet. Read a few books about using the potty. Model using a doll.
• Play games while on the potty to help make it fun. (Blow bubbles, play I spy, etc.)
• Make sure your child is very well hydrated to increase their chances of success.
• Keep a record of your child's bowel and bladder habits for awhile before training to get an idea of what their normal patterns are.
• Don't make a big deal about accidents, they're just learning. Do make a tremendous deal about successes.
• Enlist the help of others. (Whenever my daughter had a success we called Grandma to tell her. Grandma was very willing to tell her how fantastic that was.)
• Find rewards that are meaningful to them. For my daughter it was new Disney movies and a trip to the zoo. I have a friend who every time he successfully used the potty he got to call "Spiderman". (She would call her husband at work who would disguise his voice.) That was more effective than treats or toys. Years later he still believes that he actually talked to Spiderman.