Potty Training For Dummies

by Diane Stafford

If you could remember your own potty training, you’d probably recall a time filled with anxiety and glee, frustration and a sense of accomplishment, triumphal joy and shamed remorse. You’d remember wanting so much to make mommy and daddy happy, and at the same time to make them pay for being so darned unreasonable. And you’d recall feeling incredibly grown up once you got it right. Maybe if we could remember our own potty training, it wouldn’t be so tough when it came our turn to be the trainers. But as it is, most of us feel like we can use all the expert advice and guidance we can get. Potty Training For Dummies is your total guide to the mother of all toddler challenges. Packed with painless solutions and lots of stress-reducing humor, it helps you help your little pooper make a smooth and trauma-free transition from diapers to potty. You’ll discover how Mother and daughter team, Diane Stafford and Jennifer Shoquist, MD separate potty-training fact from fiction and tell you what to expect, what equipment you’ll need, and how to set the stage for the big event. They offer expert advice on how And they offer this “If your child is still in diapers when he makes the football team or gets her college degree, you can send him or her off to us for a weekend remedial course―and ask for a refund of the cost of this book.”

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2002

About the author

Diane Stafford is an award-winning writer and editor who is known for her lively, upbeat writing style. She has been featured in dozens of articles and broadcasts nationwide. With a two-year bestseller (50,001 Best Baby Names, Sourcebooks), Stafford has fourteen published books and has sold more than a million books.
Stafford lives near the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, California, with her husband, Gregory Munoz, an Orange County superior court judge. Stafford has one daughter, three stepdaughters, and two stepsons.
Some of Stafford's published books include: Migraines For Dummies, Potty Training For Dummies, The Encyclopedia of STDs, No More Panic Attacks, 40,001 Best Baby Names, 50,001 Best Baby Names, 1000 Best Job-Hunting Secrets, Parent's Success Guide to Parenting, The Ultimate Baby Name Book, The Big Book of 60,001 Baby Names, and The Vitamin D Cure (with James E. Dowd, M.D.). Four of these books were co-authored with Stafford's daughter; her job-hunting book co-author was Moritza Day.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was too redundant and tried to be too cutsy.

[Tayler Morrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

We decided to try potty training around Halloween. So, I read this book in hopes of advice in addition to all my friends’ and family’s advice and tips. It was the first “For Dummies” book I’ve ever read and I can tell that I do not like the set up of this series–it’s too crowded, to junk-y.

I did get some good tips, but they tried to be as generic as possible. They also switched back and forth from referring to your toddler as a him or a her and with different names. I know they were trying to appease to both moms of girls and of boys and of different cultures, but it got really annoying. There was also a ton of links to specific brands of training potties or apps, etc. Did they expect me to type the entire URL out after reading the book? Because this book tried to be light-hearted for the series, even though it was “written” by PhD’s and pediatric specialists, I feel that it was ghost written by some intern.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book years ago when I was trying to potty train my oldest, who is now about to turn 11. Since then we’ve gotten two more kids potty trained. The book isn’t magic, just because you read it doesn’t mean your kid will be potty trained in a week. There’s various tips and information about spotting signs of being ready to train. What one parent finds insightful another may not. I think what I got from it was to not stress about potty training (which with my oldest I did, there was an ongoing potty battle for months) and to wait until the child is ready. Potty training my oldest was a huge battle, I fought tooth and nail to try to get him trained because I’d listened to people telling me, “he’s 2 years old, and it is time for him to be trained.” With my other kids I disregarded the idea that at a certain birthday it is time to train and instead watched for signs from them. Potty training my oldest was a huge battle, the others have been easy. I still have one child to train (she’s only 5 months old), but I think I’ve learned from this book so we’ll be ready for her.

[PhilorChelsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haha, right? Well, I need it...I just don't get this whole 'training' business...I liked this book because it doesn't guarantee that your kid will be potty trained in "a day" or even a weekend, or even a year. It just guarantee's that if you are patient, they will eventually be potty trained. I can honestly say this book changed my perspective on potty training (sniffle)...and I see it in a whole new light/attitude! :)
It does teach the "potty training in a day" and other such tactics too if you want that.

Two quotes that give you a taste of the flavor of this book, and they carry over to many many aspects of child rearing:
"Hard as it is to remember, keep chanting that learning the potty is his challenge, not yours. His, not yours. You already know how." (pg 102)
"Show your child respect in this awesome discovery process, and he will return the favor tenfold." (pg 121)

[Skylar Burris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was just too lazy for this book. It makes potty training seem like a complicated process involving pie graphs and complex systems of rewards and sitting in the bathroom for three hours a day. I gave up reading or applying the book and just adopted a potty training technique at the advice of another parent, the entirety of which can be communicated in one sentence only: "Switch completely to underwear and let them have a lot of accidents for two to three days until they figure it out themselves." There was a lot of clean up, but it worked and worked quickly, and in less than a week she was fully trained during the day. That's my plan with the second, and, if he's not trained in less than a week, then I might give this book another try.

[Marjanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't completely finished this book, though I'm close enough that I think I can make some kind of an assessment. (I am also tired of seeing it sit on my 'currently-reading' pile.) This book has some good ideas. Like easing your child into potty training, some good approaches, and being realistic about how long it will take. However, the 'method' described is very intensive and actually make me feel a little stressed about the whole thing. I actually had to put it down for a few days (and read something else) because it made me feel so overwhelmed. I think in the long run I will take the ideas I like, mix with some others I've read, and add my own intuition. Mostly I just hope she gets it before I go crazy.

[Kristin Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from a friend since I'm starting potty training my little one now. I like how it points out the readiness signs and realize he is ready where my older son wasn't when I started potty training him. I thought it had good advice on always staying so positive, no reprimanding, praising like crazy, not going back to diapers, using sticker charts, and taking your child to the potty every hour or two as well as encouraging your child to tell you if he needs to go. I've been following these ideas for just 2 days now, and my son is doing great. I'm actually not a stressed out mother this time around about potty training!

[Rachel C · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some good information about knowing when your child is ready for training and how to kick start the process. But from there the book seemed pretty useless. The book lacked in addressing the continued and lengthy process, and training problems in general. More specifically, other than a paragraph or two on "stool holders", there was nothing about stubborn munchkins who refuse to go #2 in the potty for months at a time.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good comprehensive guide to potty training that focuses on encouraging independence and autonomy. A bit goofy at time and very repetitive. Several chapters have the exact same information emphasized over and over, but the information is good. Tips for getting started, dealing with set-backs, and figuring out problems. I have a feeling we will be referring back to these guide when Alice is ready to get started.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some helpful information but I think that my daughters problem was that 1. things had to click for her and 2. she had to get excited or want to use the potty. She loved a princess potty video from the library and a princess potty book that came with a crown to put stickers on when she used the potty. So while the book helped and got me started I don't know that I actually used much from it.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have yet to find a book that really gives a good step-by-step potty training plan. I appreciated the "potty training weekend" strategy that this book promotes - it did seem to get my daughter going in the right direction - but I wish it had more "troubleshooting" tips.

The tone of the book was really distracting. Browse this one for free in Barnes & Noble and don't pay $15.

[Whitney]

I have to admit, I mostly skimmed this since it seems I have read EVERY SINGLE BOOK available on this subject. Didn't really see anything too revolutionary, jsut kind of a combo from some of the other methods.

[Phuong · Rating 3 out of 5]

We'll see if it works . . .

[Lia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It gave me some good ideas, but 200+ pages is way too much information on this subject! And yes, she is potty-trained!

[Tiffany Ashcraft · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book is stupid and gives no helpful hints.

[Valarrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

eh...not so impressed...still trying to potty learn the boy!

[Alysia]

Great ideas and tips for potty training.

[P.G.Gallant]

haha hilarious

[Morgan]

A two week dry spell in potty training led me to purchase a used copy of this book. Lord help me. I swore never to read a "For Dummies" book in my life...

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like their approach. Comical, upbeat, seems like a good balance of all the different approaches out there.

[Willa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as content, this was pretty comprehensive. As far as style, you probably have an opinion on "for Dummies" books already, and this one is an exemplar.

[Kersten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. Nothing different. For this subject the format and style didn't work for me, but could see how it would work for someone else.

[Lindsey]

Let you know if it works...easy read though