The time-tested, gentle, and successful method that introduces children to potty training as early as six months
While parents around the world successfully potty train their children well before preschool age, in the United States, we've moved away from this early introduction. However, there's no evidence that later is better--in fact, there's even significant reason to believe that later can be detrimental.
Written by a respected child psychologist, Early-Start Potty Training shows why the early-start method is preferable to the commonly used readiness method. Waiting until children show signs of readiness can hold them back from preschool, cost a fortune in diapers, and lead to health problems. The early-start method avoids these concerns by starting the process of training as early as six months old.
This easy-to-follow program provides you with:
Time-tested training tips for introducing toddlers--and even infants--to the potty
Methods for combating common problems of training delay
A troubleshooting plan for moving toddlers from diapers to potty independence
Hints on how to overcome accidents and build confidence in children
Methods for combating common problems of training delay
Hints on how to overcome accidents and buid confidence in children
A troubleshooting plan for moving toddlers from diapers to potty independence
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
116 of 121 found the following review helpful:
interesting, but not comprehensive Jul 19, 2005 By Erica L. Andersen "melvin990" I am a stay-at-home mom of a 15-month-old. I am also a trained Montessori teacher. I have used cloth diapers with my son from the time he was one-month-old. I have seen many children toilet train before age 2.
So, I came to this book agreeing with some of what the author had to say. I think she makes a good case for changing our society's preconceptions about toilet training, but this book is short on extensive practical advice that parents (and teachers) need.
The author does not approve of any sort of diaper, particularly disposables. However, she recommends cloth diapers as a lesser of 2 evils sort of thing. Her advice on laundering diapers is laughably out-of-date (treated wet pail, wash 3 times(!), etc.). Washing machines are far more evolved than the author realizes, and I would not use cloth diapers if it were as much trouble as she describes. She even thinks you still have to pin prefolds.
Some of the ideas in this book are useful, but it will have to be supplemented with books that go into greater detail. It cannot be the only book you read for potty training info.
If you want to read a book written by someone with very strong opinions about early potty training and the problems with diapers, then you may like this book. If you want a more balanced approach, I would pass over this one.
26 of 30 found the following review helpful:
What a find! Jun 30, 2005 By Mark Brian, 39 and counting Someone gave me this book. I'm not big on the self-help book craze, but I must admit that this author (she also wrote some other child development books) opened my eyes to the cultural differences in potty training, and does a great job of detailing why here in America our children take longer to potty train than anywhere else. This book isn't just a manual and a "how to" but it's also an expose on the diaper industry. I'm suprised this hasn't been picked up by the news agencies. This so called "self-help" book is actually a fabulous read. I HIGHLY recommend it.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Eye-opening and encouraging book w/ great practical info Nov 20, 2005 By Mary A. Coffin I thought this book was great. I'd been told that 18 months was early to introduce the potty to my daughter, but this book gave me the morale boost and the information that i needed. In less than a week my daughter has made great strides and we are well on our way to being diaper free.
I found the section on the history of potty training and the role of the disposable diaper industry in delaying toilet training very interesting. I used disposables, but did not feel at all rebuked by the author's tone. However I am seriously considering cloth now for my second baby. Regardless of the diaper debate, the instructions and advice were just as relevant for me as they would be for a dedicated cloth diaper mom.
Also, this book has specific advice for those starting potty training at any age level, but it's mostly for those interested in starting before age 2. pros and cons are given for starting at different ages, and i didn't feel that there was a pushy tone about starting training very young (although the arguements are persuasive for at least doing a little "elimination communication" during infancy).
For my 18 month old, I followed much of Sonna's advice while trusting my own insticts and following my daughter's cues. We moved a little more quickly than her timeline because that suited us. For our "potty sits" we ended up close together with me either behind her potty seat w/ a book in her lap or me on the step stool next to her reading picture books, and we didn't set a timer. The best thing that I did (on the book's advice) was to spend long mornings with my daughter running around pants-free and diaperless so that she could learn about elimination and she could see for herself why the potty chair is a good place to go - and so i could learn her patterns. Messy, but it really taught us a lot in a short period of time. Books and dolls were also a big help as well as serving as a potty role-model. These are basic concepts that I'd also seen in Sears' Baby Book, but Sonna goes into much more detail.
So, I would highly recommend this book as a good read and a positive, motivating force as well as for a source of practical advice. This was the only potty training book that I bought, and it has served me well so far.
18 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Oh yes, they can learn before 2! Dec 04, 2006 By Meghan Logan "Avid Reader" I heard about EC (or elimination communication) about four years ago, when my son was 9 months old. (He is now nearly four.) I didn't have any books on the topic at the time, but decided to try it anyway at home with my son as soon as he started to walk. When he started to walk two weeks before his 1st birthday, I started leaving him without diapers in the daytime, or putting him in cloth and pointing out to him when he was peeing. He was trained by 15 months. (He could go to the bathroom when it was time without reminders. I only needed to help him with some clothing for about three months more, then it was elastic waists for a while.) He was peeing and pooing on the potty, and going all day without accidents.
Three years after my son was born I gave birth to a daughter. The christmas before her birth my brother gave me this book. I read it cover to cover. At two weeks old I started to catch her pee in a pot. It was easy a first. Then as she was able to go longer between eliminations, I couldn't catch it on a regular basis anymore. I left her in diapers and just put her on the potty when I changed her. Sometimes we caught some sometimes we didn't. But she began to associate the pot with elimination and with the word "potty" and the sign for toilet.
I am proud to say that just yesterday my daughter crawled up to me saying "mamamama" I was wondering what she wanted so I picked her up, and asked her if she wanted to eat (while showing her the sign for eating), she stared at me blankly, so I took a chance and asked her if she wanted to go potty (and showed her the sign). She became very excited. So I put her on the potty and she peed! My daughter is almost eight months old. I hope that by twelve months she will be asking for the potty consistently, so that we can eliminate diapers all together.
This book was an invaluable resource to me. I appreciated all the back ground info about why we use disposable and why people believe kids can't use the potty till two or three. I would recommend this book to others in a heart beat. Only down fall is that there isn't quite enough practical application. I would love to have heard more stories about HOW mothers did this with their kids. There is practical application, just not enough.
Mrs. Meg Logan
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Realistic, practical &amp; easy - if a little out of touch w/the CD world Dec 14, 2005 By Jennifer M. Macleod "yiddishe supermama" Sonna's approach is simple and practical and she presents terrific approaches for starting potty training at any age from early infancy on up. I especially enjoy the way she presents pros and cons of starting at each age.
My daughter, for example, is now 9 months and can sit up well on a potty... this is a pro; a con is that she has become somewhat used to diapers over the last 9 months.
Sonna is quick to reassure parents that whatever their child's issues with potty training, and even if their child experiences a small setback, it's not the end of the world. Considering that a lot of child-directed anger and even abuse focuses on pottying accidents, this is extremely important.
Sonna includes, as do most authors on early potty training, descriptions of practices at other times and/or in other parts of the world. Yet she does not dwell on these but moves right on into the practicalities, applying these practices to 21st century North American life.
Sonna uses little anecdotes to introduce of each section and age group - mostly interactions between parents and others who seek to influence their potty training practices, like a traditional Russian grandmother who is surprised and sorry her young grandson is still in diapers - which I found a bit corny. But again, she doesn't linger on these and the chapters themselves are not corny at all, and full of helpful tidbits.
I was a little amused by Sonna's descriptions of using cloth diapers. She seems somewhat aware of diapers that close with velcro but in other places writes exclusively of pins and prefolds. She also has some funny ideas, as a previous reviewer pointed out, about the rigours of washing cloth. Believe me, CDing is a lot more fun than Sonna makes it out to be!
Nevertheless, I found this a most helpful and insightful book - far less "all or nothing" than several other EC and early potty training resources I've found and far more realistic and reassuring about typical setbacks.
I don't know if Sonna really told me much I didn't know already. But for its reassurances and its detailed description of the practicalities of pottying at any age, I think it's an excellent resource.