My Big Boy Potty

This is the best potty book. The main character is a boy named Michael who is "just your age." What a coincidence! And, like the reader, he likes reading books and playing with toys! Could he be more relatable? At the beginning of the book, Michael wears diapers. Do you wear diapers?This books starts with Michael in diapers and follows him as his parents bring home a potty, he learns to sit on it, go to the bathroom on it, and eventually switches to underwear, has an accident, etc. It is not gimmicky at all. It is sweet and relatable and makes the potty training experience seem less scary to young boys who are about to start potty training. I highly recommend this book.

I was worried this book would be too "old" for my son but after reading the reviews I gave it a try. When I received it my concerns seemed justified...a lot of words and more of a plot than my son generally seems to be willing to put up with at then 22 months.Well, I couldn't be more wrong! He LOVES this book and wants to hear it over and over again. I pause and let him fill in words which he likes. The book also asks questions directly to the child reader/listener, and as other reviewers have said, this delights him! I modify them just a bit...when I say the question in the story-reading voice he does not respond, so I look directly at him and say it in my "own" voice..."Do you wear diapers, too?" and then he makes this really shy little "yes" with a sort of secret smile. There are a few complex sentences I revise slightly, e.g. where it says "Do you like toys and books too" or something like that I make it two sentences - "Do you like toys? Do you like books?" But for the most part he seems to be fine with it. He likes the pictures too - there are interesting details but not so many that it is overwhelming. He likes to point out the teddy-bear in various pictures. Sometimes he "reads" the book to me and seems to touch on some of the major points which indicates to me he is following it.As others pointed out, I like that it does not skip over important parts of the process. Another book we bought skips right from the first success to a page covered with pictures of underwear ... I am concerned about the message that might give when it takes a bit longer! I also LOVE that there are several pages where Michael has to keep waiting and trying... My son is still at that stage and I honestly think it encourages him that Michael had to sit and try more than once, just like him!So, although I cannot yet claim success and give My Big Boy Potty all the credit, I can say it was exactly what I was hoping to get in a potty book for my son.The only complaint I have is that I wish I could get the large board-book version. Although I generally don't mind used books somehow getting a used potty book was a bit too much for me, considering our planned usage, and I certainly was not going to pay $78 for the book. The hard-cover is ok but my son gets frustrated with the pages. I would love a book he could easily hold on his lap and turn the pages one by one.

My Big Boy Potty is a good book to help with potty training and is most useful at nap times when my son needs some time to unwind as it is a bit wordy. However, the book does a good job with allowing your little ones to identify with the little boy in the book. The author talks about wearing diapers and asks, 'Do you wear diapers, too?' It's a good book for relating to kids in a way that they might think. It talks about playing with toys and books, things kids relate to.One of my favorite sections deal with the mom and dad. The book lays out a verbal roadmap, instructing parents on how to introduce the potty and what to say. In it the author writes, 'Try sitting on the potty, [maybe] some poop will come out.' And, 'You'll still need a diaper at night for a while.' The author also compassionately deals with accidents and she writes, 'Don't worry, [all] children have accidents sometimes. Next time you'll remember....'Most of all I like the enthusiasm and collaborative effort this book offers as the child is made to feel loved and important. The parents in this book are patient and positive. And the book is filled with affirming messages, 'Then won't you be proud of yourself' and brightly colored illustrations. It is really a sweet book.

We really like this book. Our son is 10 months old and we have been working on early potty training for about a month now. This book, along with his bath toys, keep him on the potty long enough to go. So far, he is peeing in the potty regularly, and we have "Michael" to thank for keeping him there long enough to figure it out. I disagree with those who say the book is too descriptive. At least for us, it exactly describes what our son does on the potty and in his day- diaper changes on the changing table, sitting on the potty with toys and books, having mommy and daddy in the bathroom with him, trying out "big boy" training pants, rocking in the chair with mommy, dumping the potty in the toilet and flushing, washing hands, etc. Sometimes we read the whole book, and other times we just let him open it up to a page he likes and we talk about it. Our son reaches for this book as soon as he sits down on the potty and starts smiling. The only thing I would take a bit of issue with is that they show Michael standing up and using the potty. At least with our early training, that is pretty far off. I am not sure if he learned it from the book or from dad, but we have had a few messy incidents where he has stood up in the bathroom and peed on the floor (or my leg!). It isn't really a drawback, but I would also point out that this book is large- about a foot high and wide- much larger than most board books. I highly recommend this book.

This book helped me immensely in potty training my 2.5 yr old. I replaced the name of boy in book with my son's name and it helped to identify himself as the kid in book. On his first reading he went and sat on his potty seat and peed. I had tried so many times before but nothing worked. Thus book has many pages with colorful illustrations which help kids to identify with themselves

We potty trained our 27-month-old boot-camp-style a couple of years ago, and this is the one book we used to introduce the concept to him. Worked like a charm! He loved reading about Michael and his potty. The book isn't cheesy, which is refreshing in a sea of nauseating books for kids this age, and on this topic. Months after he was out of diapers, my son would still occasionally request this book to read.

Since we got the book my son always asks me to read the story about Michael at bedtime. My son has not yet started using the potty but I am hoping that by reading this story it will encourage him to start.

This book is very well written and easy to understand for a young child. My little boy really liked it and was motivated to use the potty after I read the story.

Ideal for the parent to introduce a child to Potty training. So many are written aimed just at parnets, this one includes the child