Yes, We Have a Book for That

By Cindy Hartman, Children's Department Assistant at Bremen Public Library

Yes, we have a book on that. As an assistant to the children's librarian, I get asked a variety of questions every day and my usual answer is, “Yes, we have a book on that." With the development of the Wiggle Worms story time for children birth through age five, we now have a program for babies and toddlers. With this younger age group, comes a different set of needs, and yes we have a book on that.

One of the recent themes in the question-field, that I have gotten recently, is do we have any books on potty-training? We have a variety of books for the parent or caregiver, but we also have several books that are specifically written for children. Since I primarily deal with children’s books, that is what we will cover today.

Books for Children on Potty Training:

Princess of the Potty by Nora Gaydos

Prince of the Potty by Nora Gaydos

It’s Potty Time by Tracey Corderoy

Potty Superhero - Get Ready for Big Boy Pants by Mabel Forsyth

Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea

Duck Goes Potty by Michael Dahl

Have You Seen My Potty? By Mij Kelly

Potty Time by Guido van Genechten

On Your Potty by Virginia Miller

Potty by Leslie Patricelli

Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman

In a previous life, I was director of various preschools and daycare facilities for about 25 years. Here are some tips that I would suggest in beginning this process:

1. Make sure that your child is ready. They should be having several dry diapers each day, be able to communicate that they need to go to the restroom, or that they need to be changed, be able to take off their own clothing and be able to follow simple directions. If you make sure that they are ready, it will be a much quicker, and less stressful for all.

2. Make sure that you are ready. It is important that you are consistent in this process. Do not confuse the child because it is not convenient for you to do potty-training today, so you don’t work on it. Be positive and be proactive. Have underwear, potty seat, and possibly a timer to remind them to go potty ready. Have some books to read while practicing will make it easier for your child to handle the waiting process.

3. Go shopping together and buy special underwear that has meaning to your child and put this on your child each morning and as long as they stay dry, they get to wear the special underwear. When they have an accident, they then change into plain training underwear. If you are concerned about accidents, I would suggest to buy some old fashioned rubber pants like those used for cloth diapers to put on over their training pants. Do not rely on disposable products such as Pull-ups for every day usage as they are designed to wick away moisture and your child will not be able to tell that they are wet. These type of products are fine for special events that you need to make sure that your child does not have an accident, but not for daily use.

4. Have a small treat ready that they really love that they can immediately have when you have success. After you have success for several days, you can then move on to a longer term that that they have to wait to get after several times of success. Example: do M&M’s for using the potty and staying dry. Your child has been dry for a couple of weeks with only one or two accidents. Move on to a special thing that your child really wants to do.

We also have books on other topics that parents may need some assistance with. Breaking your child from their pacifier? We have a book on that! No More Pacifiers by Michael Dahl. Transitioning to a big bed? We have a book on that! Big Bed For Giraffe by Michael Dahl.

Take advantage of your library, because we have a book on that!