Potty Training in Less than a Day ????

No first hand experience, but what I've heard is that it only works if the child is really ready. If they're on the verge, then wait until they are all the way ready.

Hi C.,

There is a variety of stories and opinions here. I'd like to share my experience as well.

I've worked with young children for the last seventeen years, in both the home setting and at daycare/preschool, and have helped a lot of children on their way to using the toilet. I've seen families use many different methods.
What has appeared to me to be the most successful experience for both the adult and child in each relationship was when the adult was able to wait until the child was interested on their own. (This often does happen on it's own, esp. as one poster noted earlier, when other children who use the toilet are present.)

In my experience, rewards tended to confuse the issue and using the toilet became more of an emotional high-stakes issue ("you have to pee if you want the treat" when often, kids will pee and you just can't see it, thus, no reward= upset kid...OR sticker charts...same problem). I hated when families wanted me to use rewards and finally just told them that I don't use this method; rewarding a child for a bodily function just seems absurd and takes away the natural benefit of using the toilet: the sense of accomplishment and competence the child experiences on their own when they stay dry.

Online there's a great webpage that I've referred to several people. Google "Toilet Learning" and there's one result with the words "angel units" in the URL. ( I believe it's from the university of Pennsylvania) This article was written for child educators and is respectful to the child's own development. Using the toilet isn't just about the staying dry, it's about our children learning their body's signals and cues that tell them they need to use the bathroom. It's also about pulling away from activities they are engaged in to go and use the bathroom, which can be very difficult for some kids. I also like that this webpage contains a clear guide for assessment.

I did read your other post and your reassurance that you weren't trying to push your daughter, but to give her lots of encouragement. That's great. In my work, I see a lot of parents who are far more motivated to have their children using the toilet than the children are, and this creates a lot of conflict in their relationships. Our culture does tend to push children along in their development in a way which saddens me, because it is so demanding on the child. We don't have the cultural support for early toilet learning the way some other countries do. In China, for example, children wear "split pants" which are split down the crotch so that the youngsters can just squat instead of dealing with too-snug pull-ups or diapers that mask the feeling of being wet/soiled. I am also very concerned that our store bookshelves are filled with unrealistic titles that promise to "train" our children to do what WE want them to do in a very unreasonably short amount of time. We want instant results and everything to be faster, faster. So, please, consider a toilet learning approach---we child care professionals are adopting this approach because we understand child development and frankly, it just makes the most sense.

My best to you and your daughter.
H.

Used it to potty train my 3-year old son. Loved it. Best advice it to not expect your child to follow perfectly as their example did in the book but to take the principles taught and stick to the principles and work with your child at his/her level. But it really did help me and yes I was able to finish potty training my boy in one day. He wasn't perfect after that, but he was trained.

My mom used it and recommended it to me.

We were going to try it on our oldest, but ... well, I had a new baby, so I handed it to my husband to read, and he said he had but when the day came he had only skimmed it and the whole thing didn't go very well (darnit!!!).

I wouldn't now recommend it anyhow, because it relies on shame as the primary training method. This is an awfully sad way to deal with potty training (although I do believe the book's claim that if your child meets the two necessary criteria and you follow the method precisely it probably *does* work except maybe for nighttime issues--for which as I recall they suggest more shame, growl growl, unless they've written some more medically realistic version since the original).

After the messed up, never quite finished experience with #1, we waited on #2 and #3 until they were self-driving on it (just after age 3 in both cases), and it was about a week transition with very little parent- or kid-pain. #4 is trying it way earlier and *I* wasn't prepared, so hopefully he still wants to learn when school starts and I have time to give him enough attention!! Boy will I be upset if I missed the (first) window of opportunity ;)!!!

In any case, good luck :). Try to stay relaxed ... most things about parenting are better that way, no ;)?

I haven't read it, let us know the results.

I know people who have used this method with astonishing success. I have been really impressed by how painless potty training seemed for a couple of my friends, who used that book.

However, i do not think it is for everyone. I suspect that your daughter is too young to be actually potty trained in one day using that method. If you give her the test, for example, i think she probably will not meet all the criteria. (Try and see.) I also think younger kids just take longer to get all the skills down. The book specifies that it is usually aimed at a kid 2+ years old.

I started with my daughter around 14 months, and i referred to that book and a book about 'early' training, whose name i forget. At 14 months i could get my daughter to sit on the potty, and to pee and poop occasionally. However, she was not able to predict when she needed to go, nor could she navigate to the potty, do all the steps, redress herself, etc. Those skills are necessary for potty training in one day.

My daughter has been in big girl pants full-time since about 20 months - at her behest - she has always been interested in using the potty. One advantage of doing this approach and increasing our expectations slowly as she showed interest and ability for a new step is that we never faced any real opposition or frustration. Plus, she is, at 23 months, pretty danged reliable, while her peers waiting for the one-day method haven't even started learning basic skills.

A disadvantage has been that it is no where near a one-day program. She still has bad days today, and is not very good at predicting her needs. (We have better luck just having her go at regular intervals, or before a new activity, etc.)

I think the book is really tempting, and i think you can learn a lot from it even if you start 'training' your daughter now. I use some techniques from the book directly (like 'potty-practice' when she has an accident), and have payed attention to other things by seeing how that method worked (like focusing on her ability to dress herself, undress herself, etc). I also used some ideas from the 'early' potty training book - like sitting on the potty at regular intervals, and when i expected her to pee (15 minutes after a meal) to get her accustomed to the idea. My goal has been to respond as best as possible to her natural interest and ability, without trying to rush things.

My advice, in short, is to recognize that it is probably too early for potty-training-in-one-day right now. However, if you feel that your daughter really is interested, and you're up for the challenge, go ahead and try using some of the techniques, combined with some of the ones from a elimination communication background, without expecting it to work immediately.

Tried it and it did not work for me. They havve to be ready for the training in my opinion

I have no idea. But I've used three day method which is positive renforcement, and plan to do it with my other two!

There are three things you cannot teach at toddler to do: eat, sleep, or be potty trained (sigh). Other wise, you are trained to take her or him to the toilet at certain intervals.

Both my kids trained themselves in a day (daughter at 18 months, and son at 4 years old) but it was at their motivation. I have very strong willed children!

I'd say go for it if it works - but that being said - I think it is way easier to train a younger kid than a older one - it took about 3 months to get my daughter about 3. Actually it took 5 months to get her to actually sit down and do it. Trained with lots of issues - not peeing for 24 hours because she could - not pooping for 12 days - had to resolved constipation and the likes. She was one of the last kids in her group to be potty trained.

In other words - if you find it doesn't work - then back away.

I've not read the book, but I have a 25 year old daughter that trained in less than a day at exactly 2 years old. Good luck!
Best,
~P. G.
Portland Preschool Directory
http://www.portlandpreschooldirectory.com

I think if you wait until your child is beyond ready (like age 3), you can easily potty train in one day.

I think that 14 months is too young to expect any results, but is a great time to start getting your daughter familiar with the process.

I used "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" successfully with both of my children, who are now young adults. The author originally developed his method to toilet train institutionalized severely developmentally disabled individuals, and then adapted it for toddlers. I don't agree with the other poster that it uses shame. I recall that it stresses keeping one's underwear clean and dry, and how the people the child looks up to have clean dry underwear. When the child has an accident, he/she needs to practice the necessary steps for using the toilet. This part is not fun, but it does serve a purpose.

The readiness testing is crucial, as is having the wetting doll for modeling and the beverages and salty snacks for increasing liquid intake/urine output. After training, I didn't expect my children to also be dry at night. That is a different readiness issue, and I don't remember the book suggesting differently.

Many posters seem to be opposed to using this or other methods. They cite the fact that the three things you can't make a child do are eat, sleep and potty. I agree that these things can't be controlled by force. On the other hand, you can certainly set yourself up for success or failure. I was more than ready to be done with diapers. My children were happy to be wearing their special big kids underwear, and were proud of their accomplishment. It was a win/win situation. Good luck.

I did try the method in that book. My daughter was 25 months. I thought she was giving all the signs of readiness described in the book. I got all the materials and made poster sized scripts so I would know what to say. She did an awful lot of peeing that first day, but she did not catch on to her needing to hold it and get to the potty before evacuating. The next morning I was really stressed because I felt this would become like a hell on earth for her because we would have to keep at this until she got it. My husband wanted me to persevere with the method -- he felt it just needed a little more time -- of course he hadn't been there the day before. Well, a little bit after my daughter got up that morning she was in her room and I think she peed so I started to launch into the method with hurry hurry, let's get to the potty -- and she just got the saddest expression on her face and she clung to my knees and just said, "please, Mommy, no." And I just felt it was one of those moments where I had a choice of whether to impose my will on hers or whether to listen to her and allow her contribution to her own life. So I just hugged her and said okay, no more.

I dropped the subject completely for probably 4-6 months. Then her neighbor who was a little older started training and I pointed it out to her and she got excited about it. And I mentioned the IKEA ball pit as an incentive (you have to be potty trained) and then I started having her sit on the potty after meals and eventually she (accidently) peed in it and then I just built on it from there.

I am really glad I stopped when I did because I feel listening to her and giving her more time kept the trust bond between us strong. She was completely trained by age three and we had no contest of wills about it.

So -- I have heard of a lot of people who say it works. The one person I know was really into it -- it never actually worked for any of her three kids, but she still liked the method because it kind of jump started the process, she felt. But it still took several months for her kids to get consistent.