Customer Reviews

Your New Potty

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

 

 

This is the best potty book we've read--and my son and I have read them all. The introduction is helpful to parents, and the progression of the toddlers in the story from diapers to underpants was realistic (for example, they still wear diapers at night).

My daughter and I love this book! It gets straight to the point, has great pictures for my daughter, and is realistic. I checked out the library's copy so often I figured I needed to buy my own.

The children featured in this book "Steffie" and "Ben" both appear to be 4 or 5 years old. Maybe I am a poor judge of age, but they look older than a toddler. I wish the book made the transition from diapers to underwear more complete. I think it gives children the impression they can return to diapers if they wish. I do like the fact that it emphasizes cleaning up an accident and washing hands after using the toilet. My son really likes to look at the photos in the book.

I just recently raved about another potty training book, courtesy of Sesame Street and a writer who probably had to go through the whole "Potty Training 101" deal. I totally forgot about this book, which could possibly be even better than the Sesame Street book that I just mentioned...but that's my opinion, not my tot's. This book is simple and direct. I have recently read that children learn better through photos as opposed to illustrations, so that's another plus for this book. It has "Notes to Parents" in the beginning of the book, and it even has a "How to Use This Book" section, both of which were helpful to me with my first child's potty endeavors. Yes, the book is dated, but I doubt that a kid will say, "Hey, Mommy, why is the decor in the photos so '89?". Kids will not notice, and it will not affect them if they even did. "Steffie" and "Ben" are not four or five...just compare the tikes to their parents- size-wise, they look the age at which most kids begin potty training, which is threeish. Besides, Steffie has a lot of hair, so that might throw one off when judging her age (my three-year-old is petite and still has the whole baby-hair thing going on; she looks younger than she actually is). The fact that they have setbacks and are not potty trained completely by the end of the book is realistic, and I am glad that those facts are stated in the book- I would not want my child to feel like she has to be the "Wonder Woman" of the potty world, or compare herself to the tots in this book and feel inadequate in relation to their potty experiences. I do not want to rush my child and have her become the female version of G.G. Allin later in life. (Please note: my first daughter's speech therapist suggested to me that I train her early, and I tried, with dire consequences. Plus, we discovered much later that she had high-functioning autism, which added to her training delay. I have so been there.) This book should be a staple in any bathroom with a potty.

Oh, the Potty Book. My daughter loves it so. She's nowhere near being ready to sit on the potty herself, but she loves to read about it. This book seriously needs some updating. It features a pretty white girl named Steffie who lives in a *house*, and a handsome African-American boy named Ben who lives in an *apartment*. Um, stereotypes anyone? Other than that, I love that this book features photos rather than drawings, and that it covers the entire transition from diapers to underpants. Although at the end of the book, neither kid is fully potty trained. And hey, we ALL end up in diapers again eventually, right?

This book is pretty funny too - I haven't been able to read the line that goes "Steffie's bear, Muffin sat on the potty too" without laughing yet. The paperback book is plenty sturdy. I'd give it five stars if not for the undercurrent of race-based socioeconomic disparities throughout.

All children are different. My daughter started using her potty the day after I first read this book to her. She seems to be able to relate well to the characters and situations. I would prefer if it was a little more sturdy like a board book...after 2 weeks it's just about disintegrated from use.

Decent book, my daughter liked reading it, but was not to helpful to her anyways.