Big Boys Use the Potty! Board book – Sticker Book, August 15, 2005

This is the first book I used when introducing my then 24 month old "nephew" to toilet training. (I've only found one other book: "The Potty Book for Boys" by A. Capucilli that is worth using. There are some terrible toilet training books for children on the market -- and library shelves.) I like that there are pictures of real children in this book. After "choosing which potty" the story describes the process step-by step -- from sitting down to wiping to washing hands. One plus for SINGLE MOMS is that the book only mentions "mommy." While never picturing an adult, the book speaks of "mommy" saying that Charlie Thomas (the main character) needs underpants and shops for some. All other books I've seen on this topic picture both a mother and father. My "nephew's" father isn't in the picture and so "daddy" or "dad" isn't part of his experience. The only negative I have for this book is that, while throughout the whole book it talked about going "pee or poo," on one page it switches to "tinkle." I don't understand why the author felt s/he needed to use that word once -- but I just continued to use "pee." The chart is on the wall in the bathroom and my nephew gets excited about adding a star to the chart after each "success." (Of course, it helps if the adult is getting really excited about the accomplishment as well.)

This book was so helpful when potty training my son! My son loved seeing the pictures of another little boy going potty. This helped him to relate.This book also included stickers and a goal page. My son loved collecting a sticker every time he went potty. It was perfect!

Minus: the story in this book was too convoluted for an early potty training toddler. My 22 month old was not interested in it at all. Neither was I, for that matter. However, I believe the positives outweigh the .negatives.Plus: the pictures of real boys on real potties was very interesting and motivating to my son. We had started training about a week before this book came in, and I saw a marked improvement in his willingness and interest in using the potty. In addition, the sticker chart is invaluable! Great motivator for my little one. We had a little ritual. Success meant a sticker on his chart, hanging right beside the toilet; a sticker on his potty seat (he wanted to do that even when he had gone on the toilet instead); and a "phone call" from the lady on the "Potty Time" app from the Android market. Awesome app and it's free!

My grandson’s mother really liked the book and my grandson loved it.

Great real life pictures are included which my 17 month old loves but it's definitely too wordy for a young toddler, but then again, mine started telling me he wanted to go potty at 15 months so he is a little young. I guess most toddlers in the U.S. are closer to 3 when their parents start to potty train so in that case this book would probably be more appropriate. My little one still likes to look at the pictures though and we discuss what each page entails so it is still being put to good use.

This book may not be for everyone, but for our boy it’s perfect! He loves stuffed animals and seeing the little boys interact with them. When the teddy bear has “an accident”, he always says “uh oh!” And we say that it’s ok, accidents happen. He then gives the teddy picture a kiss to support the bear in the book. I would recommend for a sweet, snuggly boy who likes stuffed animals. We thought it was cute and perfect for us.

My son's toddler daycare classroom has this book and he loved it so much that we picked it up and it's now his favorite potty read. He can relate to the boy, "Charlie", Charlie's friends who are also in training, and Charlie's teddy bear. Because the story is told from Charlie's perspective (picking out the potty chair and training pants by himself, remembering to wipe and wash hands, etc.) and told in rhyme, it's enjoyable and the photographs are very helpful. It's instructional without being overwhelming. The reward stickers are entirely optional; the books gets the message across, either way.

We got a series of different potty/poop books. My son's eyes lit right up the first time he saw these books. He related right away and most of our potty/poop obstacles have been overcome as a result of these books. And because he cannot yet read, I often alter the story to fit whatever challenge he has faced. Usually, he internalizes the lesson and is excited to try something new that brings him effective results!