Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

i have to say that i was skeptical when i first saw the book - but was so engrossed in it, i read half of it before leaving the bookstore. my son was to start preschool at the end of august 2006 and their criteria was that he had to be 3 and he had to be potty trained. i had known about this since march, but tried to train him (admittedly, half-heartedly) and then decided to wait with the idea that he would want to do it eventually on his own - eventually turned into *never* and by the time august rolled around, i was getting pretty desperate. my son turned 3 in august and i thought that he would wake up one day and just "be ready" to potty train. not so! i read the book, ordered the doll, bought truck-themed underwear, decorated the house with streamers and balloons, bought activity books, paints, crayons, etc., and prepared for a very long day! i got up earlier than he did, straightened my hair, put on makeup and a cute skirt, as if i was going to a party myself. we had the party on a thursday (five days before he was to start preschool) and he was fully trained by saturday. by monday, he was going both poop and pee in the adult toilet (though i did use the child's toilet during the training day - but eventually it was his decision to do it like the rest of us on the big toilet - hooray!). i am so happy that he is truly out of diapers - we do use pull-ups at night (or what we now call "disposable underwear" as teri crane suggests) and i would say that in the last two weeks, maybe two of them have been wet. the first thing he does in the morning is run and use the bathroom. this is such a milestone in a child's life that it's worth it to read the book and make it happen in a FUN, QUICK, POSITIVE way! it will save your sanity and you will not regret it!

First off, how can ANYONE "review" a book if they have not READ it? The negative reviews on this book are just plain silly. Just because you don't like the IDEA? Try putting the IDEA and PLAN into action and then you can honestly give a real review.

I bought this book on a whim. I've been wanting to potty train my 2 1/2 year old son for quite some time. At first I was highly skeptical! I thought, "Maybe for older kids who just need that little push. This will NOT work for my son who is completely oblivious to what's going on in his diaper!" I waited a couple of months to let life settle down. During this time he became more aware of his body and met all of the requirements in Teri's book.

Some reviewers complain about how much money you HAVE to invest and I just have to disagree. You CAN go all out, buy the most expensive doll and buy every single item on the recommended lists..or you can simplify things. I simplified our plan. I purchased a $12 "Lots to Love" doll from Wal~Mart and lots of stickers. We made our own chart up and had a nice supply of underwear on hand. I spent maybe $10 in snacks and had plenty left over to carry on through the week. You don't HAVE to do anything the book suggests, I went with the basic model and idea and we had a blast! My son was thrilled by his new baby, he was thrilled with a few new boardgames (which I would have bought anyways). He loved the attention and the games and all the books I read to him.

I didn't think my son would get into the roleplaying aspect, but he did! He fed his baby and showed his baby the potty and watched videos and read books with his baby. He named him George and he would say "Good Job George!" everytime George was successful. It was a wonderful morning and we celebrated George becoming a big boy by going to McDonalds. We got some strange looks over my SON carrying around a half naked babydoll wearing Thomas the Train underpants..but I didn't care! I proudly looked people in the eye and said "He's learning to be a big boy and is teaching his baby how to use the potty!"

I was VERY nervous about the second half of the day. Again, I was still skeptical. My son, obviously, LOVED having so much juice and treats and really got into racing Mama to the potty! He was successful the first time we tried it! Everytime he'd sit on the potty, he'd make sure George was sitting on his potty too! We went through 3 pairs of underpants that day and had a successful poo-poo in the potty! All the juice actually helped with my son's constipation problems!

We celebrated with just us. We ordered a pizza and gave our son a couple of small presents. He loved them and he loved his small little cake! You don't have to spend tons of money to teach your child simple concepts.

It has been almost 2 weeks since our party. He didn't magically train in one day, but the party kickstarted the process. He has good days and bad days..and the bad days are due to MY attitude and not being as excited about the process as I should be. He has learned so much and makes more and more advances with each passing day! He's gone from waking up in a SOAKING wet diaper, to sleeping in big boy underwear and waking up to go pee in the potty. He has gone from NO awareness to telling me in the middle of a fascinating movie "Mama I have to go pee pee!" We are on day 2 of NO accidents and I couldn't be prouder of my son! I may feel a little silly doing the pee-pee dance in a public restroom, but seeing the satisfied and happy look on my boy's face is worth all of the embarassment in the world!

The best part is the personal attention and assistance I received from Teri. I had emailed her, asking for advice on using public potties. My son was NOT interested. Imagine my surprise when I received a personal phone call from Teri herself! We had a wonderful conversation and she gave me some very helpful insight and encouragement. I told her I had recommended this book to all of my friends and the internets.

THANK YOU Teri for all of your help! I look forward to implementing your advice and am excited about my Big Boy! He is so proud of himself and I owe it all to Teri Crane!

I bought this book as my last resort. My first child (boy) was trained in ONE DAY using the Dr. Phil method which is a condensed version of this book. Actually, my son hated the doll and would throw it on the ground, but the motivational calls from dump trucks, excavators and cement mixers worked like a charm (calls from Bob the Builder scared him...go figure). That's all it took for him at 3yrs 3m old.

My daughter is 2yrs 9m old and MUST be fully potty-trained by September for preschool. I was down to the wire with her. I tried bribery (M&Ms), I tried the motivational calls that worked so well with my son (she could care less), I tried using the wetting doll like the Dr. Phil method says. NOTHING. I was at wits end. Since I have read books about every other stage (pregnancy, nursing, 1st yr), I gave in and bought this book after reading reviews of all the potty training books. THIS BOOK WORKS! Without it, my daughter would surely still be in diapers. It has been 14 days and she is dry!!!

I followed the book to the letter. It is A LOT of work -- BE PREPARED to be ON for 12 hours. I think, the decoration portion can be modified without any effect to the child. I went with the beach theme and made waves out of blue poster board, blew up a swan and hung fish from the ceiling. She loved it! The tough part was having the doll have a total of 10-12 accidents from 8am to 12pm (lunch). After lunch you are supposed to focus on the child. My daughter was not as interested in the doll having accidents as I had hoped and I thought I was doomed to fail. After lunch she took her nap. BEWARE OF NAPS! She woke up at 3:30pm! You are supposed to focus on the child being a big girl/boy after nap, have a big celebration at 6pm and in between that time, get the child to go succesfully on the potty 4-5 times. Well, it takes a while for fluids to go through your system. She only had 2 successes on potty training day. For the first week after the potty extravaganza, she was averaging 1-2 accidents a day. I had to anticipate when she was going to have to go (I highly recommend doing the BLADDER TIME CHART. It was my saving grace in figuring out when she would probably have to go). I spent most of my time in the bathroom that 1st week. No joke! Also, I continued to make the doll have a few accidents as reinforcement (that also REALLY HELPED and, I hate to say it, but felt good to tell the doll in a firm voice -- since you can't do it to the child -- "NO MORE PEE PEE IN YOUR PANTS!"). Week 2, something clicked!! My daughter started to tell me when she has to go "wee wee" or "poo poo." HALLELULAH!! I am now at day 15 and she is accident free and we both couldn't be happier! :) GOOD LUCK!

I bought this book on a whim at a bookstore when my infant was fussing in the shopping cart. I didn't read the book jacket well enough before buying it and most likely would not have purchased it had I known that the technique only involved throwing a party. Like a previous reviewer said, this method will only work if your child enjoys a party and likes to have a fuss made about them. My son isn't shy, but he gets embarrassed easily. I need to take a more mellow approach to his accomplishments or he refuses to repeat them. This book wasn't for us.

I saw this book on a morning news program and thought it sounded interesting so purchased it. I took notes, purchased a potty training doll for my son, and made plans for his own special "potty party day." He had already shown interest in toilet training and met all of the "prerequisits" listed in the book. I was excited going into the potty party day and spent about a month preparing for it. I also felt like I had reasonable expectations going into this - I did not expect my son to be "completely-on-his-own-toilet-trained" by the end of the day. I had just thought it would be a great "jump start" to potty training! The day of the potty party arrived and my son woke up happy and excited, but it was all down-hill from the moment he opened the box with the doll. As the morning progressed he became jealous of the doll and refused the tasty treats and incentives that were all part of the potty training method in the book. After my watching my son's reaction to opening the present containing the theme underwear, I decided to call it quits. I feel that I had reasonable expectations and had prepared well, but at the end of the day it was a waste of my time and money. I would suggest you borrow this book from a friend or the library and think twice before making purchases or doing a lot of planning. This method just did not work for our son. We are trying a sticker chart now, but he seemed to be "tramatized" after the potty party morning and now has really lost interest. I wish you better luck than we had!

I had the pleasure of attending one of Teri's potty training boot camps a few months ago and bought this book after hearing the method. My husband and I decided that since parties were the most exciting thing to our 3.5 year old son, that this was the way to go. I spent a total of 6 hours with "the boy" on a Saturday... we trained a Buzz Lightyear in the morning... watched a few potty vidoes, read many potty books, colored potty coloring pages, grossed out the boy having Buzz "poop" (rolled up tootsie rolls!) and it clicked! In the afternoon, the boy realized he could do it too! We were under a tight deadline due to the refund of a preschool deposit for fall if he wasn't potty trained. Now he will be ready! He is so incredibly GI-NORMOUSLY proud of himself and we can't thank Teri enough for her insight. BRILLIANT Teri! THANK YOU!!!!!

I found this book at the bookstore and thought from the cover that it was just what I needed. My 2-year-old (almost 3) daughter had shown little interest in the potty, but I was beginning to get the feeling that we were behind schedule on the potty training, and I wanted to get it done!

I read the book quickly and enjoyed it, and the idea of a "potty party" really appealed to me. Who doesn't like a party?!

I bought the doll, checked out potty training books and DVD's from the library, and then stayed up till 1:30 a.m. the night before our Cinderella Potty Party, preparing the bathroom with a little princess vanity, flowing scarves, and hand-drawn pictures of castles and the door of Cinderella's carriage. The living room was deemed the "Palace Dining Hall," complete with a fancy tablecloth on the coffee table, and all my good china ready for fun snacks.

My little girl was ecstatic from the moment she woke up. Spending all this Mommy-and-Me time was a treat for both of us, since I work from home and often have to give her the "later, sweetheart -- Mommy has to work now" treatment. I took Teri's advice and shut down the computer and the phones for the entire day and focused on my child.

It was a day we will remember for a long time -- dressing up like princesses (make-up and all), dancing on the kitchen floor with our tap shoes on, watching a bunch of potty videos, and eating lots of usually-forbidden foods! My little girl did go pee-pee in the potty four times over the course of the day, and we were very proud and went to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate. It was a great time for the whole family.

The next few days were tough with the potty training, because she had several accidents and it became clear that the only way she would go was if we sat her on the potty for HOURS. I emailed Teri about this and she quickly got back to me with the advice that, even at almost 3, some children don't have the bladder-to-brain connection that makes it possible for them to feel when they need to go. She advised going back to Pull-Ups and trying again in a few months, with another potty party. I'm looking forward to it!

The last few days I've noticed that my daughter has noticed much more when her Pull-Up is wet or dirty, and she has asked to have it changed more frequently. I'm sure that our next potty party will be a big success, because I'll be sure she's ready before I plan it!

All in all, I highly recommend this book! It's a great jump-start to the potty-training process, even if it doesn't all happen in one day, and, most of all, it's a wonderful way to plan a special day for you and your child.

This book has helped us in so many ways! We tried to potty train our son with no success several times. In desperation, I read Teri Crane's book and tried the potty party. Although it initially worked, after the novelty wore off, my son somewhat regressed. I went to the web site and emailed Teri Crane, and she contacted me immediately with many more helpful ideas and suggestions!

In the past year I have found invaluable help from the book, especially the back section with information with the experts, and most of all from Teri Crane. She is an author who believes in her product and is willing to help. She has given me, more than anything, empathy, understanding and peace of mind.

My son was nearly three, but he was just 'too busy' to take the time to use the potty. I was getting really frustrated with the more traditional 'pull ups' and 'just let him be wet' methods.

When I saw Teri promoting the book on Good Morning America, I thought--I'll give it a try. The early sections helped me to understand the signs of readiness, and the things that I was doing that weren't really helping him to be successful.

Honestly, the morning of our potty party, I was worried that my son wouldn't be interested--especially in the doll. To my surprise, he opened the doll, named it, and when the doll 'went' the first time--he was stunned, and ready to show him what to do! Since our potty party, my son has not had one accident--and its been a year!

Others have said this process is expensive--but it doesn't have to be. In my experience, the one day potty party cost about the same amount as one package of diapers.

For the naysayers of the method...just try it. I think you will find this book informative, and the process very successful. I certainly did!

The title of this book is what got my attention. I was very pregnant and extremely exhausted when I found it and I was not looking forward to potty training my very difficult 3 1/2 year old son. I picked up the book thinking I'd use it after the new baby had arrived and things had settled down, but that was not to be. My MIL called wanting to know how the potty training was going and that was it. We knew she wasn't going to let up.

Soooo, I started planning our potty party, fully expecting to fail miserably. We couldn't find the peeing doll, improvised on the dolly underwear by cutting off the toes of my husband's old socks and snipping each corner off for the dolls legs to fit through and we weren't able to get everyone out of the house during the day, but other than that, we stuck to the book as closely as we could.

The day came for my son's Lightning McQueen party and despite my husband's awesome decorating job that he pulled off BY HIMSELF while the rest of us were sleeping, things didn't start off too great. When it came time to pop the videos in, the first couple bombed and I was ready to give up. However it came time to try a video again, we slipped Potty Power - For Boys & Girls into the player and even though my son tried to resist, it was futile. He couldn't stop himself from singing along with the various potty songs which just happened to correspond quite nicely with Teri Crane's book.

By the end of the day, my son was throwing away his diapers and putting forth a real effort to get to the potty on time. Within a week or two he was dry all day.

He did continue to have accidents at night, but once we figured out he had a gluten intolerance and cut dairy, wheat, corn and peanut butter out of his diet, he stopped wetting the bed!

I think this book and Potty Power were the perfect combination for my son's needs.