Customer Reviews

Toilet Learning: The Picture Book Technique for Children and Parents

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book immediately became my little boy's favorite book. "Look, Mommy," he said with a big smile. "It's about me!" After a few days of looking at the charming, colorful illustrations in Part 2 (the book's children's section), designed by experts to help children learn about their bodily functions, and of having the book's cute story read to him, he let me know that he was ready to go to the bathroom "just like a grownup." I couldn't believe how soon he was using the toilet by himself. The whole process was amazingly hassle-free. I found Part 1 of the book (the section for parents, which contains complete information about the psychology and physiology of "toilet learning") fascinating. In fact, the relaxed, patient attitude Part 1 recommends has carried over to every other area of my parenting. There's a banner that runs across the upper-right-hand corner of the book's front cover that reads, "The classic bestseller." I can certainly see why.

What's great about this book is that it covers all the basic information in a quick and easy to read format. The combination of having a section for parents and then a section for the child is wonderful. The bottom line message which I think all parents should follow is to let your child give up the diapers when he/she is ready. Otherwise you spend a lot of time and effort on "potty training" when the child is going to do it when they are ready anyway.

My daughter loved this book. She asked for it every day and now she is diaper free. I found the parent section highly informative. IT MADE ME A BETTER PARENT. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

My daughters daycare uses this book in the toddler room to help with potty training. I was at my wits end with all the other books and videos to include Once upon a potty. and the other standards in potty training. The daycare let me take this book home for a weekend and I had to buy my own copy on Monday. My daughter loved the pictures and I got a lot of useful information and tips from it too. By far the best potty book out there!

In the past two years, we have read and/or owned nearly every potty-training book in print. Still, my now 4-year-old refused to use the toilet. He had the ability, but lacked the motivation or desire to do it. Finally, based on a suggestion from the Dr. Sears website, I decided to try this book. The child's section of the book spoke to my son in a way none of the other books had. It has much more mature language than some of the other books geared toward children, and I think he felt that this was all just matter-of-fact; nothing silly or funny about it.

Additionally, this book talks to kids about "holding it." As simple as that sounds, I don't think many other books really talk about it. They talk about accidents and such, but the simple statement of "holding it as hard as you can until you can get to the bathroom" seemed to really speak to him. He also seemed impressed by the book's discussion of how everybody (including animals) go pee and poop and shows that bathrooms are found everywhere (restaurants, airplanes, etc.). It seems like the child's section of this book combines the most effective parts of all the other books in one place. It seems to make up for the out-dated illustrations (which I didn't think he would find interesting...I was wrong)! The day we read this book, he asked to wear underpants...and didn't have a single accident. He just started using the toilet. FINALLY!

It's funny how a book that was written back when my own parents were probably potty-training ME (1978) has turned out to be the most effective book on the subject for us!

I have gotten discouraged by other parents who brag about how well their little ones use the toilet, but Toilet Learning points out that the average age a child is ready to learn is around 2 1/2 years old. My daughter is 20 months old and she's not ready to use the toilet. Alison Mack's book is so informative: I learned the history of potty training over the last 100 years and the biology of the excretory and nervous systems, and how it is crucial for these 2 systems to mature before one begins teaching a child to eliminate in the toilet. The most important point Mack makes is that children's "muscular control and the understanding needed for toiet learning arrive at about the same time." I will be careful to watch for my daughter's cues and communication that she is ready to learn before insisting she use something she's not ready for.

The story book contained in Part 2 are good. I wish it came as a separate book, perhaps a board book. The pictures are a bit dated but the information and straightforward, childlike text in which the author describes the characters' actions is excellent. I read one unfavorable review for this book that talked about the pictures not being all in color. Perhaps that reviewer had a different book, because all my pictures have color in them. They don't bombard the reader with too many colors but that just makes them easier to tell what's going on in the pictures.

EVERY parent should have this book. We read it to both our sons and we didnt potty train them this book did. Its great bonding time too because you read it every day to your child starting way before they are old enough to potty train and by the time they are old enough- the works done for you.

I thought this book was very helpful for me as a parent and also for my son-- i love that the photos are of an androgenous child so that it could work for a boy or a girl. Highly recommended!

It is one of the book I bought for my daughter for potty training. Very, very good. First part of the book is for the parents and the second part is for the child, it really help understand the process.

The book came quickly and was helpful. The book was in very good shape as indicated.