Shows toddlers the processes involved in potty use .
Disadvantages:
Once the child is trained the book isnt so usefull .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Potty training, its rarely easy, never fun but you have to do it. My little boy started showing all the signs of readyness at 2, some babies are ready before then, others later, all children are different. My mum bought him this book for him to read whilst we were potty training him, this is the boys version there is an alternative for girls.
While many potty training books are primarily aimed at adults with advice, illustrations etc this book is deliberately designed with toddlers in mind. My potty book is a 7 page board book, this may not seem like alot of pages but bear in mind it is for toddlers, 7 pages is just enough to keep their attention. You can sit them down with the book before or during potty use and it will help guide them through the process.
The story- The story is quite basic but has a purpose, it is written to teach potty training while still feeling like a childs story, it is about a toddler named Jack, one day he notices a strange new object, he wonders what it is, maybe a new toy a boat or a chair. Mum explains to Jack what it is and tells him how to use it. Each page shows a different stage including pants down, sitting down, washing hands and finally a big hug from mum for being a good boy. The wording is nice and simple with catchy tag lines "put your botty on the potty" this makes a quick read, while your little one is sat on his potty, all the easier.
Illustrations- The illustrations, by Estelle Corke, are nicely coloured but quite simple showing Jack, teddy, Dog and mummy going through the stages with the potty. They clearly show your toddler what and how they need to do things during the use of a potty, they arent over detailed meaning the focus is on the words rather than just the pictures, however the illustrations do stand alone without the words and could be used by your toddler as reminders of the next stage.
The front cover has a picture of Jack sat on the potty accompanied by his teddy. Jacks potty is bright green, this makes it stand out against other details in the illustrations drawing attention to the issue of the potty and its use.
My Experience- After having the potty hanging around for a while, and having had it used as a hat more than once, I decided to sit down with my son, the potty in front of us, and read him the book. He immediately made the connection between his potty and the potty in the book. During the process of training I would regularly read the book to him, often while he was actually sat on the potty, it kept his attention long enough(when reading it on the potty) for a successful attempt followed by (as shown in the book) a great big hug for being so good. When I was confident enough in his abilities, and decided to allow him more responsibility in choosing when to use the potty, I would leave the book next to the potty so it was easy for him to find, he would happily sit and read it while doing his business and it helped him along when he forgot what came next- asking to be wiped for example.
Sadly the book will have limited lifespan, I found once my little boy was trained we didnt read it anymore, still it is great for the preparation and training stages. Obviously if I had another boy I would use the book again, as I really think it helped, however I have a baby girl so the girls version would be better suited for her.
Other information- Published by Parragon Books in 2004 Available from bookstores and online from as little as 52p! Other books by Kathryn Smith- My potty book for girls, Cheep Cheep- Noisy farmyard fun, Little donkeys christmas story, little lambs christmas story, my peotry book for boys/girls Other books by Estelle Corke- Little tiger tale, little elephant tale Little monkey tale, My poetry book for boys/girls
Signs of readiness- Seeing as this is a review on a potty training aid i thought it would be helpful to tell some of the signs of readiness, afterall if you're planning to use this during training but your child is not yet ready you will be wasting your time and potentially upsetting the little one.
Most children show signs of readiness between 18 months and 3 years of age (Children do not have the physical ability before 18 months for potty training) these signs include- Staying dry for at least 2 hours at a time Having regular bowel movements Being able to follow simple instructions Being uncomfortable with dirty nappies and wanting to be changed Asking to use the potty Being able to tell you they have gone or need to go Being able to remove his/her own clothing
You should also be able to tell when your child is about to, or needs to, go to the toilet by their movement, facial expressions, posture or by what he/she says. I could always tell when my son needed to go as he had his own special wee wee dance, something that only occurred before having a wee, by picking up on these signs you can encourage your child to use the potty before it's too late.
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How does it compare to similar audio books?
Very good
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Not applicable
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