My son (now and adult) was an August baby so in the summer leading up to him turning 2 he was naked in the garden and home as much as possible so he was as more aware of the sensation of wanting to go to the toilet. I used washable nappies which are kinder to the skin than disposable ones which trap the urine so the infant/child is less aware of their bodily functions.
Potty in the garden and the home. Potty was a novelty one in the shape of a turtle which made it more appealing to sit on!
Step in front of each toilet in the home.
I am very fussy and never wanted to cope with a mattress that had been wee-ed on and the plastic sheets were unappealing so I made sure he never wet the bed by making sure last drink of the evening was around 7.30pm and then lifting him out of bed at 11.30pm and sitting him on the toilet so he would have a wee. This was completely successful and he never wet the bed.
When we were out and about I could see when he had ate and drank and would time it to take him behind a tree or large bush etc and aim for a wee and that avoided any accidents in public.
By the time he was 2 in the August he was completely potty trained..
When it came to his younger sister she was absolutely determined that anything he could do, she could do, so she had a string Kinsey to use the toilet like he did. He was almost three years older and by the time she was ready to be potty trained he was no longer using a potty and using the toilet.
The potty was a thing of disgust for her and she didn't want to use it, she wanted to be held and sat on the toilet.
She was 2 in the May of that year and again we started toilet training in the warmer months. I removed the washable nappy in the garden and indoors but she was adamant she would not use the potty and would march to the toilet.
In the early days she made a song and dance about getting on the toilet herself and not wanting to be held until she fell in bottom first! The water touching her bottom upset her so she then agreed to be held and I purchased infant toilet seats to go on top of the toilets in our home.
Her sheer bloody mindedness to be like her brother meant her toilet training was done very quickly and by the end of the summer she was also fully toilet trained.
My children's peers were toilet trained either in the same year or the year after but I have noticed in recent years that children are often older when toilet trained. I don't know why but I imagine it must be much harder for mums to have to cope with nappies for a long period of time.