Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: As the book says - where was this book when I potty-trained my first child! I was very skeptical at first but tried anyway. The old method failed miserably with my oldest son who remained partially in diapers until 4 1/2. My youngest son is just 3 and using the method in the book - and A LOT of patience - he was successfully trained in a day and a half. He is so proud and we are so pleased!
Rating:
Summary: It worked for me
Review: I bought this book 25 years ago when my first child was 2. It was so clear and thorough that my friends would pay me to potty train their kids with this method. I can now tell you there was no detrimental effect! Today I am buying it to teach my granddaughter.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for a sensitive child
Review: Having heard that this technique is good, I tried it with my daughter at the recommended age. Although I was LESS stern than the book recommends, the process upset her enough to have created phobias that she didn't have before. When she has an accident now--or even if she spills a drink on her clothes or gets her shoes wet at the playground--she freaks out. She also took to withholding her poop for days at a time, I think (based on other clues, too) because she was worried about having an accident. She just wanted to avoid pooping altogether. The withholding started to create medical problems for her. We're back on track now pooping in diapers, but I would recommend to anyone with a sensitive child to use a very gentle potty training method. The method in this book, while excellent for many children, is not for everyone. For our child, many months after we used this technique (and then dropped it for a gentler approach), we are still reaping the negative consequences of it.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Start for Self-Esteem
Review: At two and a half my first child lingered over toilet training until it became a control issue for her and certainly not a pleasure. Determined to make this a positive accomplishment for my second child, I read Toilet Training in Less Than a Day when he was 18 months old. I set aside my doubts about behavior modification and dedicated one day to the job. My son and I and half a dozen cheering stuffed animals spent the morning in the kitchen drinking apple juice, cleaning cupboards, and marveling at how any child could be so clever as to use the potty. Testimonials from bears and birds and frogs delighted him every time he made short work of another pint of juice. I told him how proud his father and grandparents would be, not to mention his favorite neighbor. We simply had fun. That was it. Following the book's recommendations and using good sense about how the body works, the rest was a piece of cake. He wore training pants to bed at night which proved to be reassuring but unnecessary. For weeks afterward he swelled with pride over his toddler-size achievement. In case you are worried about proper ego formation, he is now a fantastic 19 year old who swept through high school with grace. Perhaps those bears cheering for him laid the groundwork for his love of acting and bringing joy to an audience. He is hardworking, community oriented, and in a top notch college. We don't owe it all to this book, but it may well have helped.
Rating: 
Summary: Success with some tears
Review: The training was very successful with my 2 1/2 year old. There were some tears when I reprimanded him for not having dry pants (the goal of the entire potty training lesson), but the extent to which you discourage wetting pants after the training is entirely up to the parents judgement.
Rating: 
Summary: WORKED FOR MY FIRST BORN, TRAUMATIZED THE SECOND.
Review: I trained my first daughter using this method with wonderful success (she was 2 1/2 at the time). It took us only 4 hours, and she had only 2 or 3 accidents after that. Whatever she learned transferred like magic to nighttime too. My second daughter had just turned 3 when we tried it, and she too seemed to catch on quickly. She appeared "done" after an hour, but then somehow became traumatized, we think during the practicing trials. At first she refused to get OFF the potty, and would actually get out of bed at night and sit on it until she fell asleep and fell off it. Sometimes after she would sit on the potty for hours, I would insist she get off, and then she would sream and cry and run frantically back to the potty. After a week of this, we put the potty away and put her back in diapers for a month. It has now been 6 months since, and I have tried everything, from totally forgetting about it and putting her back in diapers, to other methods of training (Brazelton, Spock, my mother, you name it). She is now finally trained for urinating, but is still having BIG problems with BMs. She ends up constipated and fearful and is only able to have a BM if she does so in a diaper, standing up behind a chair, watching a movie. But before this happens, we go through days of messed pants and tummy aches. My husband and I are at our wits end, and truly feel that the book's method initiated some kind of obsessive, anxious response in her, like post-traumatic stress disorder for 3-year-olds. I'm very disappointed, and am about 2 weeks away from finding a child psychologist. I would never have tried the book's method with her if I had known, and consider my luck with my first born a fluke.
Rating:
Summary: IT WORKS - If your child is ready
Review: If you follow the instructions to the letter and your Child is ready to use the potty, it will work. My 2 1/2 year old daughter was trained in 3 hours and has never regressed. We've lent the book out so many times, I have to buy another.
Rating:
Summary: It works!
Review: I read this book and used the method for both of my daughters when they were just 18 months old. IT WORKED!! IN LESS THAN A DAY!! I think I spent about 5 hours with each child. They loved it! They got wonderful treats as positive reinforcement, and spent time alone with mom. We made it a game - there were no negatives to this method in my experience. I think we had one or two accidents in the week after the training, but it was no big deal, we just practiced a few more times. I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THE METHOD. Both of my sisters used this method for their kids (boys), and although it took a little longer, it worked within a couple of days. For under $5.00, what have you got to lose!
Rating:
Summary: I admit I didn't follow it to the letter, but...
Review: I admit I didn't follow this book to the letter, but the principles behind it worked very well on my developmentally delayed son, age 3 yrs 10 mos. He had exhibited most of the typical signs of readiness since he was two-and-a-half but he always seemed too busy to pay attention to his body's signals. The book suggests spending the whole day without distractions working on potty learning and I think that's what finally did the trick. Without TV, toys, books, younger sibling, etc., he was really able to pay attention to the process. The added bonus for both of us: a whole day with Mom's undivided attention. I did modify the process for my son, however. I knew that using snacks as motivation would not work, but that dropping pennies into a musical bank and dancing around the kitchen would (silly seems to work well). Also, practicing 10 times after each accident wouldn't fly with my very sensitive child. However, practicing three times did. Did it take less than a day? No! In fact, I spent 7 hours with my son on Saturday with no success. When we started fresh the following day, we had better luck. All in all, it took about a week to get him 100% trained. However, I tried several other methods in the past and had zero success with them. One word of advice: although the book seems rigid, you know your child best. If you feel that something in the process needs modifying, trust your instincts and re-adjust your expectations.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, well thought out approach to toilet training.
Review: When our oldest child was about 2 1/2 I was dreading the thought of potty training. While browsing through the library, looking for ideas, I ran across this book. The title made me extremely skeptical, but after reading the book jacket, and remembering the 6-12 months of frustration and misery some of my friends went through with their kids using customary training methods, I figured I had nothing to lose. I used this method successfully with all three of my children. For this to be a good experience for both parents and kids, it is essential that your child be "ready" (as defined in the book), both physically and developmentally. If your child does not consistently follow your directions, you need to spend time on obedience training before moving on to toilet training. The book also includes some good suggestions for that. I challenge the assertion that this method is abusive and out-dated. Each of my kids enjoyed it because they had my undivided attention, one on one, for the entire time. When was the last time your child had your complete attention for 6-8 hours? You must be willing to do the preparation work, and plan a day or two for training time. You must expect cooporation and obedience from your child, and be prepared to follow through and help them (consistently and gently). Being willing to commit a few days to the process of preparation and training can save you months of frustration, conflict, and changing diapers, while giving your child the pride that comes with learning a new skill, and excercising personal responsibility.
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