While I know that my son is grasping the basic concept of peeing on the potty – he is missing the bigger picture, which is the rest of the package – #2…

In 1975 Alona Frankel wrote and illustrated her first book, especially for her son Michael, on how to use the potty. This book, which is now a classic, hits all of the potty training issues spot on. Even though it was created over 30 years ago, the principles are still the same – with patience you will get pee and poo poo.

The book has now been re-released with a CD that has a Joshua and Prudence(main characters) song and a narrated version of the book. At first listen, I thought the song was a bit hokey, but after the third or fourth it stuck in my head like a song from the 80’s.

While Alona originally created the book for her son Michael, she also wrote a ‘girl’ version with the main character Prudence.

My son likes both versions and he continually asks for each book by their characters first names. If we have friends visiting, they immediately think that he is referring to friends he made at school, until I explain that he is asking for his potty training books…

Parent looking for a good, classic book that just tells it like it is will like Alona Frankel’s classic Once Upon A Potty.

This book was provided by The Parent Bloggers Network for Review.

Available at Amazon.

Huggies Pull Ups is offering parents a potty training approach that’s flexible and fun.

You can tailor it to fit the way your child learns best, so you can keep your Big Kid® engaged from start to finish. No matter what your child’s phase of training, you’ll love the Pull-Ups® Big Kid® Central Potty Training Success DVD. You’ll discover techniques, tips, songs and games to help you and your child succeed.

As an added bonus, mom-of 2, Melissa Joan Hart is trying the DVD and blogging about how things are going. You can see her first entry here.

I came across this product while at the All Baby and Children’s Trade show this weekend in Vegas.

As I was walking by, I realized what it was and had to stop and hear the spiel.

We are this close to taking our first stab at potty training so any gear that might make our quest easier will definitely be under review.

The “Peter Potty” is essentially a urinal that stands on it’s own in your bathroom.

The company reps made some good points by noting that boys don’t sit down to pee. It is more natural for them to stand up, so why shouldn’t they learn that way?

The unit has a real water flush with no plumbing required and is wall mountable or freestanding.

I would be interested to hear if this has worked for any of our moms.

Priced at $49.95 at peterpotty.com

There are some milestones in your child’s life that are harder to achieve than others. Some moms find potty training especially difficult, enlisting the help of professional or enrolling their toddlers in potty training boot camps.

Her are some tips that may help you in your diaper-free conquest:

Your child may be ready to start trying to use the toilet if he or she:

• stays dry for a couple of hours each day
• takes an interest when you, your partner or older siblings go to the toilet
• has bowel movements at regular times of the day, eg after breakfast
• can demonstrate when a bowel movement is taking place, by squatting or making a grunting sound for example
• lets you know he wants to be changed when his nappy is soiled

It’s usually best not to start toilet training your child during times of stress, such as:

• the arrival of a new baby in the family
• starting a new childcare arrangement
• moving from a cot to a bed
• moving house
• family relationship problems
• when a family member is ill

1. Be positive and upbeat – show the change as something exciting.
2. Give lots of praise whenever your child manages to do a poo on the potty. Stress how grown up and clever he is.
3. Don’t rush things. Sometimes if you start teaching later, it takes less time. Toddlers over two and a half may learn almost overnight.
4. Expect setbacks. Learning to use the toilet is just like other skills your toddler learns – you expect a lot of falls before walking comes easily.
5. Give your toddler clothes that can be pulled down or up easily. You may also want him to wear training pants at first, to cope with those inevitable accidents.
6. Never force your child to sit on the potty. This will only upset him and won’t make the process any faster.
7. Some toddlers enjoy picking out their own potty and toilet seat.
8. Many toddlers are afraid of the sound of the toilet flushing or don’t like to see the poo being flushed away. If your child feels like this, just wait until he has run off to play, then flush.
9. It always takes longer for a child to learn to stay dry at night. When he starts having the occasional dry nappy in the morning, it’s a good sign that the time is right to try going without a nappy.
10. Do your best not to be angry with your child if he has an accident. Just say, cheerfully, “Never mind, you’ll get there next time. Let’s get you some dry pants.”
11. Remember to get your toddler to wash their hands afterwards, so that using the potty or toilet is associated with handwashing from the word go.

SOURCE