almost anything to go to the treasure chest.  Take for

instance I tried to bribe my kids with money to clean

their room.  It worked for a week or so but it soon

dwindled.  So we implemented the use of the treasure chest in our home.  My

children are a cleanest kids in the world now.  Well maybe not the cleanest

but they are getting there

So with this whole potty training business approaching I thought what a great idea it would be to have a potty training treasure chest.

After all I am going to need some potty training rewards.

So I put together some items that I think my son is going to love and I hope in the process you will find some great goodies for your little one too.

Every treasure chest has to have some sort of potty chart in it.  Here are a few options…

More potty sticker options can be found with a variety of characters to please any little new potty training participant.

There are also instructional potty books that will serve a dual purpose.  They are a reward and an instructional tool all at the same time!

And with the Caillou products you can by the toilet seat and book combo displayed below.

If you need to concentrate more on the poop side of things there are books books for children as well with the well known and loved book Everyone Poops.

Besides reading it seem that most children enjoy sticking stickers on anything and everything.

The next product will be perfect for them.  You can put toilet decals and appliques in their treasure chest and watch your proud child decorate the potty.

When it comes to potty training I think many parents just don’t know where to start.  It is hard to know how to connect with your child to “get through” if you will.

Then there is always the argument what if he or she just doesn’t understand.

I have a wonderful little almost 2 year old little boy who told me yesterday that he pooped.  Which was great  but then he went to go hide because he didn’t want me to change him.

So now we are about to embark on the task of getting the poop in the toilet.

This should be fun!!!

I have tried different approaches with my 3 other children.  Then it dawned on me…of course I used a different approach because there are three different types of learners.

Visual Learners – So these are the learners who like to see things and picture things in their head as they are thinking about it.

Auditory Learners – These are the learners that learn by hearing

Kinesthetic & Tactile Learners – These are the learners who have to feel, hold, and touch to learn

My son, I am pretty sure, is the Kinesthetic learner who is going to need some thing to do to get the idea of potty training into his little head.

So my friend turned me onto a book titled Potty Training in One Day by Narmin Parpia.

The book is an easy read which is good for me because I have an attention span of a fly.  I guess I am that hands on learner as well because I would much rather be doing instead of reading…go figure.

This book also introduces the Potty Scotty or PottyPatty training dolls.

These dolls drink an wet-on-demand.  The best part for me is that I am going to be able to model with the help of this doll to help my son get the concept.

We have some major events going on so the process will not start for the next two weeks but I am going to get all of my supplies to go with this great informational book.

Picture this if you may, 1 minivan, a anxious Mommy and Daddy and 3 very bathroom happy little children.

The only problem was there was no bathroom for miles.  This did not pose a problem for the over confident boys in the car who have no fear and will make nature the own private restroom.

But for the little girl…OMG…

We needed a toilet and we needed a toilet right now!

Luckily, I had a friend who gave me a travel potty, but not just any travel potty.  This one was disposable so I did not have to clean up anything.

One of the best parts of this resolution is that this product is biodegradable so it is earth friendly!!

So don’t be caught with a mess on your hands, get your very own disposable potty and be done with the search for the missing bathroom!

All too often the sight of the dreaded public

potty is going to bring on the no way mentality in a child.

Have you seen the size of the hole in that toilet?

It’s going to swallow me if I sit on it….

So here is the remedy to the horrid public toilet.

It is the folding travel potty seat.  There are several varieties of the toilet seat to

suite your little king or queen so they can happily sit upon the public throne.

The best part of these seats is that you can keep them sanitized and in your

diaper bag neatly folded up so that any public restroom can be transformed into

a safe little restroom for your little king or queen!

Unfortunately, after mastering the art of potty time she decided that it was just too much work for her. 

The little princess let mommy know under no uncertain terms was she going to use the potty.  She needed her pull ups!  Of course mommy did not want to back track. 

That is where the Disney Princess panties came to my rescue.  Little princess was not reprimanded for her new grown up decision. 

Instead I gave her the new panties and let her wear them.  Due to the fact that I purchased one three pack we had three chances and we also had three accidents. 

My little princess watched me wash and dry her new panties.  I pulled them out of the dryer and she pulled off her pull up.  I then explained to her that Disney Princess told mommy that they did not like to be peed on. 

Mommy’s little princess thought greatly, as greatly as a two year old can, and decided that maybe she didn’t need the pull ups. 

Occasionally there was an accident but the simple reminder that Disney Princess did not like to be peed on was enough for my little princess to make sure she made it to the bathroom.

And for that little prince who might just need a little of the same encouragement you should try super hero or Character underwear for boys.

He is sure to take flight on his potty training just like a real super hero!

He starts off by saying that successful potty training needs to start with touch of dry humor.

Rosemond suggests that a typical child is ready to be potty trained between the ages of 24 and 30 months and it is definitely in a child’s best interest that he or she be toilet-trained as soon as he is ready. (See Signs of Potty Training Readiness).

He suggest that missing your child’s potty readiness signals or starting too early can cause problems.

He also talks about the current trend is to wait until the child potty trains him / herself (see the Child Oriented Potty Training Method) and suggest that all this does is benefits manufacturers of disposable diapers and professionals who charge to help parents toilet-train reluctant 3- and 4-year-olds. It does not benefit children.

Rosemond says that a child does not know when he is ready to be potty trained; however he will exhibit signs of potty training readiness, and it is upto the parents to recognize these signs!

John Rosemond makes it simple and suggest that there are only TWO signs of readiness:

1. The child begins to show an interest in the toilet – wants to watch other people using it, wants to flush, asks questions about it.

2. The child’s diapers are dry for upward of 3 to 4 hours at a stretch during the day, after naps, and sometimes even in the morning.

When these signs emerge, the parents should tell their child that they are no longer going to wear a diaper during the day, only at night.  The parent should also tell the child the pee and poo should go in the potty. Period.

The parents should follow this with a training session i.e. show your child which potty he is going to use. Show him/her how to position him/herself appropriately. Then, demonstrate.

The parents should not pressure the child to use the potty.  If your child chooses to use the potty, great.  Acknowledge it by saying something like "Think you’ve got it? Good! Remember, put your squeegee and boopah here from now on. Tell me if you need help."

According to John Rosemond, the next part is the hardest part for most parents.  He suggests that if you want to potty train your child in the shortest time frame, then do not have your child wear any clothing below the waist until the training is complete.

It will mean cleaning up accidents, but it cuts the training time in half.  According to Rosemond, young children will tolerate wet, messy diapers, but they don’t like "stuff" running down their legs.

He also tells parents to be firm when they sense their child has to go potty.  Do not hover over your child asking, "Do you have to go? Huh? Huh? Come on, let’s just give it a try, OK?".  He suggests that this is a sure prescriptions for a lot of resistance, as a two year toddler has great potential for stubborness.  He suggest that you give a firm unambiguous prompt, as in, "You need to use the potty. Let’s go."

When you child has potty accidents, just say that it is OK to have accidents when learning and remind your child that the next time he should pee and poo in the potty.  Rosemond also suggests having your child help you clean up the accident.

Having a set schedule for using the toilet is "required" of everyone in the family.  For example after meal time annouce that it’s time for everyone to use the potty and ask you child is he would like to go first or would he like to go after Dad?  Regardless of your child’s answer, he is now commited to using the potty!

Pediatric experts are duking it out: Should your tot take to the pot when you, the parent, think the time is right? Or should he keep to his own gastrointestinal schedule, even if it takes until kindergarten?

The age of toilet training, sages say, has been creeping up. What once was a ritual rite of passage for turning 2 is now generally seen as occurring too soon. Now, 30 months is more the norm.

The two main opponents in the battle are Harvard’s T. Berry Brazelton, the spiritual heir to the school of "flexible" parenting pioneered by Benjamin Spock, and Bruce Filmer, a Philadelphia professor. Brazelton warns parents not to train kids before they’re ready. Filmer says that, within reason, kids are ready when you are.

Filmer thinks late training signals discipline problems for parents who cater to their kids like servants. He also charges Brazelton, a spokesman for Pampers, with having a vested interest in the laissez-faire diaper doctrine.

While Brazelton counsels patience, Filmer’s strategy is called "naked and $75." He advises that parents spend a couple of days allowing their 2-year-olds to wander in the altogether, gently waiting until the inevitable happens and then leading the way to the bathroom. (The $75 is for carpet cleaning).

Both methods would probably work, but there’s a third option: Mine.

This system boasts no research and no expert advice. But it’s worked many times, taking advantage of character traits virtually all 2-year-olds have in common. You won’t need any of those newfangled potty chairs from Sweden that cost more than the full-sized porcelain models. In fact, the one helpful piece of equipment is not essential, and even it costs only $15.

If your children are like mine, they consider a bathroom door a permeable membrane. My trying to take a rest stop in privacy always resulted in the kind of howls that could prompt a 911 call. Thus, for many years, I learned to carry out private functions before an audience of short people. By the age of 2, therefore, they knew the mechanics of what a toilet is for.

Around that time, I drew the secret weapon: Gently, mournfully, I would say, "You know, this thing Dad and I do, you can’t do this."

Anyone who has ever raised a child knows that these are fighting words. Limiting toddlers’ behavior in any way is the equivalent of throwing down the gauntlet. Whatever it is you don’t want them to do, they want to do – over and over.

Thus, when you kindly (ever so kindly) forbid them to use the toilet like a grown-up, their toddler code of honor gives them only one choice.

Of course, we had to lift one of our sons to reach the utility, but our youngest child was so determined that she learned to use the toilet seat as a side-horse, vaulting herself up facing backward and holding on for dear life. At a relapse, all I had to do was suggest gently, "It’s OK if you want to go back to using diapers . . . "

Oh, yes. That other piece of equipment? It’s a CD.

Toddlers like teddy bears and juice, but nothing pleases them more than really irritating music. By accident, I came upon Potty Animal, a record by a friend of mine, Kathi Goldmark, who runs a company called Don’t Quit Your Day Job Records (P.O. Box 27901-120, San Francisco, Calif. 94127).

Kathi says she became the lead singer on the disc, which features such anti-diaper ditties as Don’t Pamper Me and Everything’s Gonna Come Out Just Fine, by process of elimination. That explanation is just about the level of sophistication of the whole collection, which is so irritating it makes Raffi sound like Pavarotti. (This is evidently a Goldmark family trait; Kathi’s adolescent son recently recorded a disc called Don’t Bug Me, songs "guaranteed to annoy your parents.")

Some parents clap and smile when their children learn to use the toilet. As our reward, we slapped on Potty Animal, which our children worship, having worn out two CDs (and our tolerance) in a single year.

Doctors, all this spatting is juvenile. Advise your patients of the forbid-now-dance-later strategy. And you can call me in the morning.

I have included below the most helpful parts of it below:

There are 9 signs that it’s time to start potty training:

1. He/She can easily take off all their clothes.
2. He/She asks to be changed when they are wet or poopy.
3. He/She follows you into the bathroom, ask questions, and imitates you.
4. He/She knows her body parts and the words "pee" and "poop."
5. He/She basically understands what pee and poop are, where they come from and where they belong.
6. He/She shows interest in potty training books and potty training videos.
7. He/She stay dry for at least 2 hours in a row, is dry after naps, and  ideally, is poop-free overnight.
8. He/She normally stops an activity when he/she needs to poop.
9. He/She isn’t constipated.

They say "not to rush" the process. There is a lot of research that back this up. It seems we rush with everything we do these days. We rush to the store, rush home, rush to work, etc. We also, unknowingly, rush our kids to go potty. That why the summer is a great time to potty train, you can take your time and focus on them being diaper free!

Here are some parents success stories and what different they used methods:

Brandon From Ohio say he potty trained his son over a weekend by using Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day, by Teri Crane and 20 pairs of superhero underwear.

Elsa from Washington says she started potty training with her son Cameron from birth and by 18 months he was completely potty trained. Most of the rest of the world does not have the conveniences of disposable diapers. So for them, baby potty training is a necessity. If you are a stay at home parent, this method could work for you, and save you lots of money!

Jennifer from California says during the summer she used Water Diapers (and a little peer pressure) to potty train her daughter who is 28 months.

Some of their suggested "super-modern, sleek, kid-friendly potty products" are:
Potty Seat by Baby Bjorn
Potty Bench by Boon