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Is your toddler ready to start potty training? (Or “potty learning” as some call it?) If your toddler is anything like mine, she may not be exactly thrilled about saying goodbye to diapers and using the potty.

My youngest daughter just turned three, and she has a love-hate relationship with the potty.

In one minute, she’ll refuse to wear a diaper and insist on wearing “big girl underpants.” And in the next minute, she’ll say, “Me no like potty. Me wear diapers.”

The potty training struggle is real!

My middle kiddo was also a reluctant potty-learner.

Gently helping your child learn to use the potty isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes a ton of patience and compassion.

Related reading: From Terrible Twos to Terrific Twos (in one afternoon!)

The one thing that helped my reluctant potty learner

If you have a reluctant potty trainer on your hands, it can feel very frustrating. Especially if you’re getting outside pressure from family or friends.

It’s okay, mama. Your little one does things at their own pace. Try not to let potty training guilt get you down. We moms struggle with enough guilt!

I’ve tried every potty training trick known to momkind, and here’s the number one thing that finally helped.

A book.

Not just any book, but this one: You Can Go to the Potty by Dr. William Sears.

There are many reasons to love this potty training book for toddlers. The beginning of this book is a comprehensive guide to potty training for parents.

When it comes to the part of the book that you read to your child, it’s very empowering.

The text isn’t “dumbed-down” but it also isn’t too sophisticated for toddlers to understand.

The pictures are great and it provides a really comprehensive guide for kids to be encouraged to use the potty.

Another thing I love is that on most of the pages, there’s a little sidebar with further information for the parents if your child asks questions.

(Which, we all know, there will be millions of questions, ha!)

Seriously, this book took my kid from ZERO interest in using the potty, to fully potty trained in a matter of days. It’s that good!

Other great potty training books for toddlers

When it comes to potty training books for toddlers, there are good ones and not-so-good ones.

These potty training books are some of our other favorites.

Potty by Leslie Patricelli

This is a simple book that’s great for younger potty-learners. My kids LOVE this adorable cartoon baby.

The concept is simple, but effective, especially if your little one has a short attention span.

A Potty for Me! By Karen Katz

This is also a great book for beginners…especially if your child hasn’t actually used the potty yet, but is working on getting comfortable enough to try.

The book is interactive with lift-the-flap pages. It’s also written in a rhyming style, which little ones seem to love.

P is for Potty by Naomi Kleinberg

Admittedly, this isn’t my favorite book, but I’m including it in this list of potty training books for toddlers because my kids LOVE it and beg for it to be read.

This is also a “lift-the-flap” type of book, but the flaps are quite a bit smaller.

I generally prefer potty training books with images of actual people rather than cartoon characters, but Elmo is loveable and really resonates with some kids.

Is your toddler ready to potty train? Check out my other article “Why We Wait to Potty Train Until Age 3.”

Do you have any recommendations for potty training books for toddlers? Let me know in the comments!

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