Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right (Oh Crap Parenting)

This is the best potty training book. I followed the author’s technique exactly and my 25 month old got the hang of potty training VERY quickly. The book was a breeze to read, I finished it in two days.

If you have experienced as a painful year potty training a toddler as I have, you would understand the degree of gratitude I have toward this book. I came from a culture where we used elimination communication in place of diapers. I was potty trained when I was 18 months old. I am a firm adherent to Montessori principles. I thought all of these background would have prepared me for a smooth potty training journey. It was not. The reason was simply that I really did not have enough guidance to effectively teach my toddler. Information, accurate, thorough, important information, told with such humor, directness, and warmth is what this book is about. After 12 months of training without great success (bowel movement learned at 16 months but 2-3 wettings daily at 27 months), I was breaking down emotionally and exhausted. In desperation, I turned to the store and selected this book. After two weeks of hard work (day and night training), my little boy is potty trained. He happily attends a Montessori school now with no accidents. Self-initiation remains infrequent when he is busy playing, but it will happen. We are mostly accident free. What is the secret: the child must have enough successes on the potty in order for the association to be made. With bowel movements, we succeeded early because my son would have clear signs and we would drop everything to sit him on the potty in time. With peeing, we could detect very little sign (maybe a moment of pause) or pattern. We also followed the advice of putting him in training pants, which did not seem to help at all. Jamie's book teaches you how to have lots of potty successes. For us, drinking lots of water, and go naked, gave us a lot of opportunity to practice. What also really helped is a good night of sleep,as Jamie points out in her book. I just wish I read this book before starting teaching my son at 15 months of age.

Nope nope NOPE! This whole process was traumatizing for all of us, especially my son. My husband and I started when he was 27 months, so right in that "perfect" window and followed the author's advice pretty precisely. We tried to be positive, and calm, and not over prompt, and be excited, but my kid was having none of it. He had been showing signs of readiness for a while, and we knew he was capable of learning. He is extremely stubborn and the first day he would not go potty, no matter how many times we sat him on it and prompted him, or how much juice and water we pumped in to him, he would not pee. At all. For 7hours he held his pee. I kept pushing off his nap because I was hoping the seal would finally break after the fifth juice box and fourth cup of water, but nope. He waited until his nap for me to put his diaper on and then let it out. Poor kid was soaked when I got him up. We kept going with the plan though, but he still would not go. Then he started having accidents because he would run away and hide to pee, but he always stopped himself and go "Uh oh - mommy/daddy pee!" but would not go on the potty. This kept going for three days until we just canned the whole thing. My son was exhausted and unhappy and freaked out every time we mentioned the potty (like I didn't recognize the demon-spawn that was writhing and flailing and screaming on my floor because my kid has never acted this way - sure, he tantrums, but this was a new level of freak out). While some of the points and advice I think were good and valid, this method just did not work for us and we are still at a complete loss of what to do and he's now past the "magic" window. I'm glad this process seems to work for most people, but if you have a very obstinate and precocious child, be warned it may not go so well.

I am a teacher and I highly recommend this book! (I didn't study potty training in my early childhood education program as it isn't academic, so yes, even teachers need help learning how to potty train their children!) The framework Glowacki outlines is developmentally appropriate and worked great for potty training my daughter. She is 22 months old and it took a total of 8 days for her to be fully potty trained. Don't get me wrong, all I did for 8 days was potty train and our schedule revolved around that for a week, but on the 8th day she didn't have any "oopses" and has only had one incident since then when she couldn't push her pants down in time and peed in her pants next to her potty chair (poor thing, she tried so hard but Mommy didn't hear her needing help in time!). We are now going on 3 weeks since we started (Day 1 in the book) and I can say that following this method was completely worthwhile. Now we are done with potty training and it's so liberating! I would give this book more stars if I could, I like that it provides a framework that can be adapted to suit your own child, and Glowacki encourages parents to follow their intuition. Excellent resource whether you have studied child development or not; very relatable for any parent or caregiver. It would be AWESOME if daycare providers read this book and got on board to support parents who can't take a full week off from work to potty train.

This was recommended by a couple friends and I really liked it. We had already started using a reward system with my son (which this book advises against), but everything else really helped us see our way through this tough period of potty training. The idea of going commando for several weeks makes so much sense. And the reassurance that a child shouldn't be expected to tell you they have to go after only 3 days of training was also very helpful and positive for me as a parent. The advice about dealing with reluctant daycares was also useful.

This book gave me the guidance and empowerment to tackle potty training in a funny way for modern parents. I truly appreciated having an entire chapter on poop. That was where we struggled the most, but we kept at it and got there. Potty training is no fun, but this helped me get through it-

This book was the best for potty training my son. The author is wordy and the book could have been shorter, but I still found it very helpful. I was very anxious about potty training, but could tell my son wasn’t ready before I was. With the help of this book, potty training was so much easier than I imagined it would be!

This book is amazing! My son was potty trained naked in 3 days, and it took till day 8 with pants on. That's my only recommendation: make sure your child knows how to pull his/her pants down on their own! It totally didn't click with me how important that would be! We are a month in and my son is doing amazing!!!

I was skeptical, but determined. I didn't want to take 6 weeks or 6 months to get my daughter potty trained. I followed almost everything in the book ( no reward stickers or food), took simple notes and made sure I had the plan down in my head before we started. And, IT WORKED. My husband thought I was nuts covering the carpet and furniture with plastic, but by the end of the 2nd day, he was a believer as well. I'm SO grateful for this book. I wholeheartedly agree that going in with a "failure is not an option" attitude was key. People are amazed that my just turned 2-year old is solidly potty trained.

This is an easy read with helpful tips on trouble shooting problems. I had no idea what to do for potty training my 2.5 year old son or even what to expect. I found this book pretty comprehensive for helping me prepare. The book is pretty specific with its methods but I modified it somewhat to tailor to our son and life. I think if you stick to the principles but modify somewhat you'll still be fine. I also got ideas from online forums and talking with other parents. I would have appreciated, however, some sort of graphic or timeline to show you roughly the timing for certain potty training phases. I found myself getting a bit confused on timing.

This book was very helpful for a first-time potty trainer. Our 2-year old is daytime potty trained, and it took about 14 days. We will be using the book's methods for nighttime training in a couple of months. The best part of the book was how it helped us think about how we communicate with our son. The instruction to "push" instead of "pull" his pants down was immediately helpful. He is very proud of his mastery of these new skills. I already gave a copy as a gift to friends who are starting to potty train soon. Highly recommend.

This book has a lot of helpful information and was an easy read. However, after attempting this method of potty training, I find that it is way too strict and demanding. It’s set up for a certain type of house with no carpet, bathroom in reach, kid can be in eyesight at all times, etc which is unrealistic for us.

We loved this book! Our 16mo old is officially out of diapers. She is very young but we knew she was capable of potty training so the chapter on "younger than 22mo" and the one on "Elimination Communication" were so helpful! We really like the techniqes mentioned and the examples Jamie gives. Maybe we would suggest if the author can put together a list of supplies for the parents that would be like running an extra mile.

There’s some practical info here but I found the author to be discouraging. I have twin boys who are almost 3.5 and still in diapers and also have severe speech delays. In a beginning part of the book, the author says that if you wait until 30 months of age or older to potty train, “There will be a power struggle and for the first time ever, your child will literally be holding all the power, in the form of pee and poop. And you will not win.” Um, okay. So I’m defeated already? Why even read this then? So yeah ... morale is down from the get go. There’s also A LOT of profanity in this book, so if that’s something that bothers you, forego this book.

It works! Jamie delivers a well organized, step by step process that is very readable and entertaining. I strongly recommend the book and this focused teaching process. Believe it or not, the experience will enhance your relationship with your child; you will gain insights in how they think, learn etc. This is a positive experience, not one to dread.

Great foundation for potty training! I wouldn't have known where to even start. My son is 27 months and has been responding super well to what the book is telling me to do. Best advice was a small potty chair so he has easy access to be self sufficient, to relax
while promoting and not to ask if he has to go potty. I instead insert, let's go potty then let's go outside. We are on day 3 block 2/3. We went to TJ Maxx and the grocery store today with no accidents. My son is one proud cookie as we make a very big "wahooo!!!" When he goes in the potty chair. Lots of high fives happening for us.

This is the ONLY potty training book you will need!!! We tried a couple different methods before finding this book, and after following the guidelines set forth here, everything changed. We made amazing progress in a shorter time period than I expected and gave our girl confidence! There are some great general parenting tips here too, not just around potty training. Every single time someone asks me for potty training tips I refer them to this book!!!

This book is amazing! A little hardcore in that you have to let your kid be totally bottomless for 3 days, but it did the trick and I trained my 25 month old in a week. I really like that it fosters awareness, independence, and uses kindness for learning. I’m recommending it to everyone I know!!

I cannot say enough about how awesome this book is. We trained our son when he was 24 months old using this book. I was a little skeptical it would work but it really did! Now it’s two months later and he’s doing better than my friends’ kids who are a year older!!

Overall helpful for a newbie. Every kid is different so we took what we learned but also added our own way of teaching our child. I tried to sticking to two weeks like the book outlined but it's actually more of a gradual learning process with patience and trial and error. Don't feel like you failed if it doesn't take two weeks. Other moms are more along the lines of the gradual trial and error so that there is less pressure and stress on the child and the parent.

I was seriously so nervous about potty training, but this book breaks things down in such a manageable way that makes it all kind of click. My son was potty trained for day time within 6 months we had no more accidents, and by a year after he was trained during the night too. I am so happy to be rid of diapers for good lol.

With the help of the wonderful Jamie Glowacki I potty trained my 20 month old twins! People are amazed that they trained so young, and we're also amazed that I wasn't pulling my hair out. Anytime I would get stressed I would think of the funny phrases in the book, have a quick chuckle and move on

This was great, I would recommend it to anyone looking to Potty Train.

Now when I talk about potty training and I hear all the excuses people make for not training their kids, it blows my mind! My son started at 23 months and has been doing great!

Really helpful. If you're the type of parent that benefits from books, this is a good one. It's easy to read (I read a little every night) and I even highlight. Sure some stuff might be common sense to some, but it helps when you have all this info laid out in front of you. As parents, we have to figure out what works for us, and it's different for everyone. This book works for me.

I bought this book before potty training our second kid. I so wish I had this when I did my first. I highly recommend it! It has been a true blessing for us. Her suggestions are awesome! I love the fact that she clearly states all kids are different and there isn't an exact time frame in which your child will be potty trained. She uses the idea of building blocks and reading cues from your child to know when to move to the next step of potty training. We threw away all diapers on day one and haven't gone back, including nighttime.

I highly recommend reading this book before toilet training. It explains each step of toilet training and the author is very humorous! I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book, even the ones at the end which you don't have to read unless you run into a problem during training. This is a tried and true method of toilet training which just makes sense.

Love her style of writing. Great, fast, easy read! My daughter is 2.5 years old and we went through 11 underpants on day 1 of potty training before nap time! I ditched the underpants and read her book. By the end of the 1st day, my daughter peed twice in the potty and was telling me she had to go!

I was skeptical at first, but this method worked wonders! My 26 month old daughter was self initiating by the end of the first day and by 2 weeks stopped having accidents! We're on week 4, and I only occasionally remind her, but she is doing amazing! Follow what the author says and don't give up! There will be rough days and you will be exhausted but it is so worth it!!

Written by Dave's wife :)

Love this potty training method! We started when our son was 22-months old & the look of pride on his face when he made pee & poop on the potty was awesome! We're about two months in and he rarely has accidents (if he has an accident, there is usually something else going on that's taking more of his attention.) We decided to wait on the night training but to our surprise (& now delight) he wakes on his own & when we take him to the potty he pees & then goes right back to sleep.
Jamie's writing style isn't for everyone but I didn't see her tone as parent-shaming as other reviewers have commented. Though she doesn't recommend it, I had had a potty out in the bathroom for him to "get used to it" but didn't feel shamed by her tone. I can see how this book may make one feel a bit defeated if your child is older than the 20-30 month "ideal range" she discusses but I found her tone to be rather tongue in cheek than seriously judgmental.
I decided to research potty training as my son was approaching two & I'm really glad I did because following this method has been quite successful for us. He frequently wakes up dry from naps & overnight. i'll definitely be using this technique for my second son as well.

I loved reading this book. In practice it was completely useless. It didnt work and it created unnecessary stress for our family. I know it works great for some. But not for all as the author suggests it should. I would say just go with your gut about when your child is ready and be consistent but don't ever force your child.

I rarely write reviews, but I felt this book deserved it. I bought this book for my second child, my ultra stubborn one. He wouldn't even sit on the potty without crying. I kept waiting because I was told by everyone that he just "wasn't ready yet". I bought this book when he was 2 1/2. I followed the authors instructions of clearing the schedule for a few days to commit to potty training. I read the whole book, and followed it step-by-step. By the end of day 1, he learned how to pee on the potty all by himself! I sent him back to daycare commando on day 4. I explained to the teachers why, and they were completely understanding. The poop on the potty did take a little longer, but by the end of week 3, he was completely reliable - day and night without prompting! My older son took about 6 months to figure the poop out! Every kid is different, but I wish I had read this book with my first son. All of the teachers at daycare were extremely impressed with his potty training. If you can take some parenting criticism, definitely read this book. What's a little critisism when you can cut out months of messes and frustration by taking someone else's advice?

I was skeptical at first, but this method worked wonders! My 26 month old daughter was self initiating by the end of the first day and by 2 weeks stopped having accidents! We're on week 4, and I only occasionally remind her, but she is doing amazing! Follow what the author says and don't give up! There will be rough days and you will be exhausted but it is so worth it!!

Written by Dave's wife :)

Love this potty training method! We started when our son was 22-months old & the look of pride on his face when he made pee & poop on the potty was awesome! We're about two months in and he rarely has accidents (if he has an accident, there is usually something else going on that's taking more of his attention.) We decided to wait on the night training but to our surprise (& now delight) he wakes on his own & when we take him to the potty he pees & then goes right back to sleep.
Jamie's writing style isn't for everyone but I didn't see her tone as parent-shaming as other reviewers have commented. Though she doesn't recommend it, I had had a potty out in the bathroom for him to "get used to it" but didn't feel shamed by her tone. I can see how this book may make one feel a bit defeated if your child is older than the 20-30 month "ideal range" she discusses but I found her tone to be rather tongue in cheek than seriously judgmental.
I decided to research potty training as my son was approaching two & I'm really glad I did because following this method has been quite successful for us. He frequently wakes up dry from naps & overnight. i'll definitely be using this technique for my second son as well.

I loved reading this book. In practice it was completely useless. It didnt work and it created unnecessary stress for our family. I know it works great for some. But not for all as the author suggests it should. I would say just go with your gut about when your child is ready and be consistent but don't ever force your child.

I rarely write reviews, but I felt this book deserved it. I bought this book for my second child, my ultra stubborn one. He wouldn't even sit on the potty without crying. I kept waiting because I was told by everyone that he just "wasn't ready yet". I bought this book when he was 2 1/2. I followed the authors instructions of clearing the schedule for a few days to commit to potty training. I read the whole book, and followed it step-by-step. By the end of day 1, he learned how to pee on the potty all by himself! I sent him back to daycare commando on day 4. I explained to the teachers why, and they were completely understanding. The poop on the potty did take a little longer, but by the end of week 3, he was completely reliable - day and night without prompting! My older son took about 6 months to figure the poop out! Every kid is different, but I wish I had read this book with my first son. All of the teachers at daycare were extremely impressed with his potty training. If you can take some parenting criticism, definitely read this book. What's a little critisism when you can cut out months of messes and frustration by taking someone else's advice?

I skimmed through this book when our daughter was 28 months. The biggest thing I got from it is that it’s our responsibility to teach them to use to potty and to stop making excuses about how they weren’t ready when they resisted it. We fully potty trained in a week after this.

Very good book and gives explicit details in the entire potty training process. I would say almost too wordy for the amount of time a mother of any toddler has. I had to do my best to skim through and find the nuggets. I still haven't read the entire book but appreciate the knowledge and experience the author has on this matter. But in short a good book with excellent guidlines/details just needed to be shorter and less wordy to cover a single subject. Lol. God bless the author!

An honest, real, and thorough guide. So glad my wife found this. It was a good prep for potty training. As the book indicates, pooping was the biggest fight. But Glowacki's book helped me understand what was going through my son's mind and made me more sympathetic to the challenge he faced.

Very much recommend this book.

Really cannot say enough about this book. Gave me the confidence to move ahead with potty training and we have been wonderfully successful following the author's advice. It wasn't even an unpleasant read!

I recommend this book to any parent looking for a realistic, efficient way of potty training. I have zero experience with anything potty training related. I was really worried about how I would ever pull off getting my two year old twin boys out of diapers. This book explains everything in a block system that is really easy to follow. The author even gives examples of language and how to address your child to make the experience successful. There are chapters on resistance and option to night/day train separately or together. My favorite is the "daddy cheat sheet" at the back that provided a quick reference guide for me and some quick reading for my husband. The best part is, potty training the twins was not only successful but actually enjoyable for my entire family. We bonded. Weird right? The entire process went much faster and easier than I anticipated and now I am recommended this book to all of my parent friends. I even have friends who have been "potty training" for three years doing everything the book says NOT to do who are now going to use this method. My only regret is that the book does not have a chapter on training multiples, but who knows, maybe in the next edition.

Great advice, however, I would recommend not taking everything as gospel but use basic concepts and adjust based on your child's personality and willingness. We are working parents so we were unable to sit at home 24/7 for a week (I have friends who did and it worked) but for us naked-time was crucial and in 4-weeks she was on the potty and doing great. Good luck regardless!

I think this book will be a helpful consideration when I decide to potty train my now 21-month-old. I think there are helpful tips that I would not have thought of prior to reading. I was not a fan of her writing style, which she boasts is "sassy" or funny, it's more like patronizing. I am very direct, I appreciate directness, however she added some condescension to her directness that I didn't care for. "You know your kid best" and "don't say I didn't warn you" were the two most used and contradicting themes throughout the book. My husband didn't appreciate the assumptions made on her part about fathers in the potty training process, even though she thought she handled that by calling herself out on it. If it's not kind, helpful, or truthful, don't write it and publish it, k?
But other than ALL that, I will follow through with her recommendations and see how it goes.

great book. we are already day potty trained in just 10 days, as I didn't figure out he has to know how to manipulate his pants in order to pass from stage one to two:)))). practically the training took us 5 days. We are so proud now:) I love the fact that this book comes in audible too, as in 2 nights I was done with it, big,big help. I don't have time and or energy to stay and practically read it.

There are definitely some helpful ideas and tips, which have much credibility because of all of her experience! We however did not care for the writing style and found the way she explained the method to be repetitive, yet not detailed enough, so a little confusing. If there are other books or methods you are considering, I'd recommend trying those first.

Worked great for my boy girl twins who we trained at 2 years 3 months. We followed it completely by the book. My son still wears a diaper at night and nap time at 2 years6 months only so I think we'll go back to the book for that part sometime soon.
Update: Followed this book for nighttime training for my son at exactly 3 years old. Within days we were at dry morning underwear with only 10:30 wake up. Will wean that soon. So happy with this book!

This book is awesome. My son took to it immediately and after 4 days, was fully potty trained! The author knows her stuff! I was so scared to start potty training and this book made it seem doable and easy! Highly recommend.

We didn’t follow this book to the letter (hurricane evacuation in the middle) but I still found it very helpful in training my daughter. A ton of parenting groups I am in recommend this book/method. I think the steps are very logical so that’s what we took away from it more than anything else.