All parents know the hassle of potty training a young child. It can take weeks and during this time you need to constantly keep an eye on them, cleaning up messes all the time.
Many American parents begin potty training anywhere between 18 months and 3 years. The average age for potty training to be complete falls around 27 months.
This varies between cultures and many will potty train earlier. Around 60 years ago in the United States, 92% of children were potty trained by the age of 18 months, and there is no reason this cannot be the case again.
This book, The Tiny Potty Training Book is the perfect companion to Andrea Olson’s other book on elimination communication.
She has 5 kids of her own that she has transitioned and potty trained following the same steps laid out in her books. Her longest period using diapers for any of them was just 17 months!
The Tiny Potty Training Book
Page Contents
What is the book about?
The book is a guide to potty training your child within a week, getting them off diapers for good.
It is particularly effective as a follow on method from elimination communication, the practise of teaching your child to communicate their bathroom needs to you.
The process laid out in the book is designed to potty train your child in just 7 days.
It teaches you as a parent to potty train your child without the assistance of rewards, bribes, or negative reinforcement.
The book is designed to be optimal to begin when your child is around 18 months old, but the principles can be translated to older children. This makes the method suitable for children of any age, as the steps remain effective at most stages of child development.
The book is written in the same informal and conversational tone as Andrea’s other book - Go diaper free: A simple handbook for elimination communication.
There is no messing about, just the steps you need to follow and the key information that you need.
Angela has used this method to potty train all of her children and has done it successfully every time.
The book opens with an inspiring pep talk to get you feeling motivated to begin your potty training journey.
Angela writes with a very supportive and understanding tone, as if you are talking to an experienced friend.
How much does it cost and what do you get?
As with Angela’s other book, Go diaper free, there are 2 different packages that you can purchase for this book. The first is a digital, and the second is a paperback.
The digital package retails at $87, but at the time of writing is on sale for just $27!
For this price, you get a digital pdf copy of the book, an MP3 audiobook version, access to a private support group, access to the book owner’s website, and free lifetime updates on the digital book.
The paperback package retails at $117, but is currently available for just $37. This includes all components of the digital package, in addition to a 182-page paperback copy of the book.
The book
The book is 129 pages long and can be read on tablets, phones, and laptops alike.
It incorporates visual aids such as flowcharts to make the information as easily digestible as possible. There are troubleshooting sections to answer frequently asked questions about the method.
It consists mainly of research and proven techniques that will make the process as simple and pain-free as possible.
The book is broken up into clear sections: pep talk, the plan, a supply list, some history, and a troubleshooting segment.
The layout of the book is very clear and makes a lot of sense. It is laid out in such a way that no matter how overwhelmed you are feeling, you can make a start on this method easily.
The supply list is a godsend and is a fairly exhaustive roundup of all the necessary equipment you will need to begin your potty training journey.
There are 94 pages of troubleshooting advice. This covers topics from accidents and bedwetting to constipation and fear.
If you have a problem with your potty training toddler, this is where you will find the answer.
Additional support
Both packages include a professionally recorded audiobook of the handbook.
This is compatible with all devices and has an approximate runtime of 4 hours. It is divided into chapters for easy listening and navigation.
By purchasing either of these packages you gain access to a wealth of additional multimedia resources.
These include a private support group hosted on Facebook. Here, Angela, trained coaches, and other parents can all share experiences and advice to help one another through this journey.
You will also get access to 12 videos of Angela’s 3.5 year old daughter using the pottying routine laid out in the book.
Your child will be able to follow along with the entire process, learning visually.
There is also a private downloads library with many letter templates, forms, and handouts to make explaining the process to outsiders easy.
Many customer reviews say that they have reached out to Angela with additional questions via email. All those that have reached out have received a personalized response.
What are the 3 phases of potty training?
The first step is a preparation period, where you should begin to ease your child into the potty training process.
Phase 1 is the potty training experience. The first part is known as naked training. This is teaching your child the feelings associated with needing the bathroom, and how to respond correctly to them.
The next step is being naked at home and going on small outings wearing clothes. Your final step of this phase is being clothed about the home, and going out for longer outings.
Phase 2 is known as ongoing independence. This phase centers around prompting and teaching your child to refine their skills.
This phase will involve a lot of troubleshooting the methods and adapting them to suit your child’s individual needs.
There are likely to be a few accidents at this point, but it is important to stick with it and trust the method.
The final phase is night training your child, teaching them bladder and bowel control even when they’re asleep. This also includes nap times.
Why is this method useful?
Angela’s book is written in a clear and concise manner with no faff. She shows you the basic steps to follow and writes in an encouraging manner to motivate you to continue.
The book teaches you how to address the issue of potty training with a firm but gentle approach.
This is an incredibly fast method to get your child potty trained, purporting to take only one week.
Some parents do not like this method as the first few days in particular involve you paying very close attention to your child and watching them constantly.
However, of the customer reviews, they are overwhelmingly positive.
Provided you follow the method correctly, putting in the appropriate time and care, this is one of the fastest and most effective ways to do potty training.
It is similar to old-fashioned methods of potty training, because these seem to have stood the test of time in terms of sheer effectiveness.
What should you not do when potty training?
The most important thing to remember when potty training your child is to remain calm and collected at all times. If they are upset, raising your voice will not help the situation, rather it will escalate emotions.
Similarly, if your child has an accident do not get upset or angry with them. They are likely to feel disappointed and need gentle reminding that they should do their business on a potty.
Try to avoid negativity at all points in the potty training journey. This will lead to negative associations being made in your child’s mind and could lead to further problems later down the line.
Even when you are frustrated and emotional, take a breath and calmly explain to your child what to do differently next time.
Do not discount your child’s feelings and emotions. They need to understand their emotions are valid and are allowed to be expressed.
It is important that you help your child work through any emotional ups and downs they experience, in order to give them a good relationship with the bathroom process.
Similarly, do not attempt to potty train your child at an emotionally or physically stressful point in their life. If you are moving house for instance, wait until you are settled before beginning.
You should not stop and start with the potty training process. Once you have begun it is infinitely easier to stick to it than to give up and attempt to retry it in a few days time.
Consistency is important to children’s minds, and trust us, the few days of pain will be worth it very soon.
Deep breaths, believe in yourself - you got this!