Best Books For Potty Training
As a parenting consultant with over 20 years’ experience helping families with potty training, I’m often asked: “What books do you recommend?” Books can be a wonderful tool to aid you in this process, they help introduce the idea of the potty, reduce anxiety, normalise the process, and make partnering easier between parent and toddler.
Today I’m sharing my top three favourites that I believe truly support the journey and then I’ll share how they link into what I offer in my potty-training programmes.
1. Once Upon a Potty by Alona Frankel
Why I love it: This classic picture-book (originally published in 1975 in Hebrew) is smart, straightforward, and toddler-friendly. The story outlines how the child has arms, legs, a bottom, an important little hole, and introduces sitting on the potty using simple and age-appropriate language. It is offered in both a “Boy” and “Girl” version.
What it does for families:
It demystifies the whole potty experience: what we’re sitting on, why, and how the body works.
It gives a shared reference point for parent + child: “Remember when we read about Prudence/Joshua and the potty?”
Because it’s been around so long, many older siblings or friends will recognise it, which can help the toddler feel like they’re part of something that their siblings know.
Tip for using it: Read it together just before starting the “official” potty-training window (often around 2 to 2½ yrs for many families) so your toddler becomes familiar with the ideas.
2. Everyone Poops by Tarō Gomi
Why I love it: This book takes a slightly different angle. It uses humour, simple facts, and a matter-of-fact tone to explain that all animals poop, and therefore you and I and toddlers do too.
What it does for families:
It normalises the act of defecation (a.k.a. poo) in a light-hearted way, reducing shame or embarrassment, which often gets in the way - many toddlers struggle with poop over pee when potty training.
It’s a great “bridge” book: not just for the potty stage, but for conversations about bodies and functions.
Tip for using it: Use it when you hit a stall (maybe your toddler says “I don’t want to sit”) and you need to reframe the issue: “Hey, let’s remember what Everyone Poops says…” Read a couple of pages and then invite a potty attempt.
3. Let’s Go to the Potty! : A Potty Training Book for Toddlers by Allison Jandu
Why I love it: More recent, more playful, inclusive and gender-neutral, this book gives toddlers a fun and encouraging storyline with a short rhyming potty song built in.
What it does for families:
It meets toddlers “where they are” (often ages 1–3) and gently invites them to imagine themselves using the potty.
The rhyming song invites participation and gives toddlers a “script” (which is helpful when they’re still developing language).
Tip for using it: Keep this book in your “potty drawer” or basket. When your toddler asks for a book while sitting on the potty (or even before sitting), offer this one as the first choice, because it is upbeat, quick, and sets a fun tone. you don’t want your child to be sitting on the potty looking at books for too long as this can turn the potty into a chair and not an item to produce on.
How these books tie into my potty-training programmes
As someone who has supported hundreds of families through this process, I know that reading the right books is a piece of the puzzle, but the bigger picture includes timing, readiness cues, consistency, routines, and parental mindset (which you’ll find in my programmes).
If you enjoyed reading about these books and you’re ready to move beyond books-on-the-shelf to an actionable, guided plan where we walk through:
Readiness assessment
Setting up a realistic timeline
Daily structure (including when to sit, when to pull up, how to handle accidents)
Positive reinforcement strategies (with your toddler, partner, daycare if relevant)
Troubleshooting when you hit resistance
Ready to get started?
