Toilet training book -- recommendations please.

[eleusis]

My nanny has mentioned that she thinks DS (2 yrs 4 mths) is ready for toilet training. I said to her that I thought we should first find a book or some kind of guide for her, DH, and me to follow just we make sure we are all on the same page.

Can anyone recommend a good book we might want to use for this?

i would not have a book but just elicit from others what the issues are. Then have a couple of pages of notes so that you can all respond to the same situation in the same way

The trouble is with books that promise to potty train your child in 5 mins (OK, maybe a bit of an exaggeration there ) is that they expect you to devote every waking minute to the task. You can forget having any sort of life or ever leaving the house again!

Someone gave me a copy of one of these books (I won't mention which ) and it was laughable. There was no way my DS would spend 15mins in every 30mins, or whatever it was, sitting on a potty in case he did a wee.

Sit down with the nanny and decide (with input from both of you) the best way forward.Maybe look for tips by doing a search on here?

I got recommended one that seemed downright cruel to be honest - something almost like rubbing a puppy's nose in it!!! I can't remember the name though - blanked it! I have a "no cry guide to potty training" (or something like that) which is more a selection of ideas than a prescriptive method. Haven't really used it yet though.

think it may help to break the problem down in stages
e.g STAGE 1 gettng used to sitting on it
STAGE 2 becoming dry at home
a) teaching child to use the potty
b) teaching child to go when asked OR know when he needs to go and act accordingly
STAGE 3: trips out
a) shopping
b) other peoples houses
STAGE 3: consolidation so sticker charts, time out for accidents ([hmmm]) that kind of thing. This is i think where you really need to be consistent
STAGE 4: becoming dry at night

Agree that you don't NEED a book but if you'd like a recommendation, the chapter on potty-training in Parenting for Dummies is the most realistic - and amusing - one I've read

I think the level of communication in my house has been overestimated. DH will not talk to me and I will be in hurry and forget to say x to nanny who will carry in in her way and perhaps not think to tell me about z. I think I need a third party that says, everyone do it this way. If it comes from me,it will be my way versus his way. If it's in a book, then it's creation can not be costrued as me telling him what to do.

Come on, there must ba book we can use as a general guide. I'm not going to follow it letter for letter. I think I'll give it to the nanny,ask her to have a read and then ask her to sit down and tell us what the plan is.

I have just ordered that no-cry one but am watching thread with interest (DS 2 years 1 month, we are just about to move house and start with a new nanny so will hold off for a couple of months i think.) I know what you mean about communication eleusis same goes in our house... I like witchand chips stages though could you not just pad this out with an approximate timeline for each stage what do to at each stage with timings/accidents etc and type it out as a guide? You could even get your DH and nanny to fill in tick box style and give rewards for each stage? (maybe reward DH as well as DS if your DH is anything like mine...)