Potty Training Books to Ease Your Child's Anxiety

Want your child to start using the potty? Discover the best potty training books for toddlers to help them feel excited—and less anxious—about potty training.

My son looked down at his bare bottoms—we were just about to start the three-day potty training process—glanced up at me, and bawled.

The initial excitement about wearing undies faded into anxiety. He would no longer be able to rely on the familiarity of wearing diapers.

Using a toilet seems like common sense to us, but it can feel strange, silly, and even downright scary to toddlers. No wonder that potty training is often the root of many power struggles between parents and kids. We get frustrated…

convincing them to use the potty already
when they refuse to comply
at their out-of-the-blue regression, especially when they’d been doing well so far
with all the accidents that happen, even though we know they’re inevitable

My biggest advice with stress-free potty training? Go at your child’s pace. Trust me, he’s not going to enter kindergarten wearing diapers. He will absolutely get the hang of using the potty and wearing underwear, and you don’t have to enter any kind of power struggles along the way, either.

Instead, respect his decision and emotions—if he’s crying about it, then you know he’s not ready yet (even if he physically can be).

Don’t turn potty training into a big deal. You’ll reduce the power struggles and anxieties, which will only make him more likely to give potty training and use the bathroom. Following his pace will unfold into a more peaceful potty training process.

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Potty training books for toddlers

One of the best ways to ease your child into potty training is by reading books. Using humor, rhymes, and beautiful illustrations, these books feature characters she can relate to. They give voice to some of her anxieties that she can’t form on her own yet.

You’ll also introduce new terms and lingo by reading these books, giving her the familiarity she needs to ease her anxiety.

Now, reading potty training books isn’t all about putting pressure on her. You don’t have to read a whole stack of books at once.

I recommend including one or two books a week into your regular reading time, borrowing them from your library. Then, when you can see which ones she loves, go ahead and buy her favorite ones to read over and over.

Here are my favorite potty training books for toddlers and preschoolers. These selections will ease your child’s anxieties about using the toilet, and cheer her on to feel excited for this new milestone.

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