You Can Go to the Potty Hardcover – Picture Book, September 1, 2002

This book is just ok. After loving the first two about welcoming baby to the family, we were hopeful that this book would be a great intro to potty training for our kid. It’s honestly no different than the majority of books out there for potty training. My kid likes it and it serves its purpose but it’s not quite on the same level as the other Dr. Sears books.

This has turned out to be our favorite book for potty-training our daughter. The illustrations are simple but attractive, and the story is easy to read and follows the complete potty training sequence. Of primary importance to me, personally, is that my daughter loves me to read her this book. She asks for it by name and seems genuinely interested in interpreting and understanding what's going on in the story.Unlike other books on this subject that we got to tackle the daunting mission that is potty training, this one combines entertaining and reassuring story for the child, a learning sequence that both parent and child can follow together, and a wealth of research-based information and resources specifically for the parent and/or caregiver. There is advice, explanation for both parent and child, and even a list of resources in the back. In addition to our daughter loving the story, my wife and I referred to the information in this book often. It is informative for the parent, entertaining for the child, and reassuring to both. In addition to covering the basics, the information section also touches on potential problem areas and how to deal with them. Most importantly, it assisted our family through a successful potty-training experience and of all the books we got on this subject, this one is far and away the best. This has been our experience and based on that I can wholeheartedly recommend this book.When searching for good potty training books - we got six, I think, in an attempt to cover bases on what for us was a new and scary experience - we read many reviews. Some of the critical reviews of this book contained what I thought were quibbles that amounted more to personal preference rather than value to the experience or whether the book was effective as a teaching tool. As with most things parenting I have found that there is a broad range of styles and philosophies, and opinions tend to run strong. Based on our experience, I would look at the books before you buy, if you can, or select a few to try to see which ones work best for you. If this is your first time potty training, take a deep breath, be patient, and good luck!

I like their choice of words and that they are honest about going to the bathroom without sounding cliche. The book is informative and doesn't tip-toe around the topics. I struggled to find a book that was this open and honest about the process and was happy to have found this one.The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it refers to "mommy" and "daddy," yet, today, a lot of families aren't traditional. For kids who may have a non-traditional family setting, the use of the words "mommy and daddy" may lead to confusion or possibly sadness. Some families have two moms, some two dads, some have only one parent, some children are raised by grandparents, etc. I know it would be much too complex to list all the potential care givers of a child, but like they give you the option to call urine and feces by the terms you feel most comfortable, they could have done the same with family members. The could also refer to them as adults - because in general, adults are the ones who will be assisting toddlers with potty training.The illustrations could also be changed to avoid alienating children who don't have a traditional family. Rather than have pictures of the same family unit throughout the book, they could show pictures of different kids being helped by a variety of caregiver scenarios - they could show elderly people helping a child, a single adult female or single adult male, a male and female together, etc; and also include individuals from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. To represent a variety of families teaching a child about going to the bathroom would in no way detract from the message the book is trying to convey. It would be more inclusive for those kids whose ethnicity and family makeup don't match those pictured in the book.

We have purchased many books in this genre :-) and are delighted with this book by childcare experts William and Martha Sears. The book starts with a three-page introduction for parents, discussing readiness and approach. The text for children is comforting and informative -- letting kids know that there was a time that parents did everything for them but now they are growing up, and using the toilet is another aspect of their growth, like dressing or feeding themselves. Cartoon pictures show a little boy using a potty seat and his older siblings using the adult toilet seat. An older boy urinates standing up, and handwashing is shown. Sidebars on most pages address questions that children might ask with suggested answers. The process is emphatically positive though constipation and accidents are also mentioned. The book concludes with a page about attachment parenting.The only thing I didn't like was the use of the terms "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" but that's easy enough to change as you read. The message is comforting at the same time the text is informative for kids, discussing the mechanics of the process as well as the benefits.There is also a pull-out poster that shows the steps involved, and this can be placed on the bathroom wall or maybe in a spot your youngster tends to seek out when s/he feels the need to go potty.Excellent.

I'm into attachment parenting so this one has all the right messages I want to convey to my child. He enjoys and identifies with it, too. Only suggestions are to make it more like story-telling rather than instructional, and to shorten the messages. Most young children don't have the attention span to go through all those pages and words.

I like and agree with the Sears' ideology. Motivating, affirming non-performance oriented parenting should be mainstream. I sometimes hold my little babies over a potty, sink or toilet when they are still very small when I ca tell they "need to go", as is done in many countries around the world... whenever it fits and I noticed my baby's signs. That's missing in this book but that'S okay. Children start going to the toilet when THEY choose to, we can only support.

Well written, with good explanations and text. I don't really like the art work and it is a tad bit long (maybe 2-3 pages too much) for my 21 month old daugther but otherwise a great book.

Kinda useless. Kid isn't the least bit interested in the story.