Toilet Train In One Day

What is it?
Toilet train in one day: the system that is said to get your littlie happily pooing and weeing on a toilet or potty by the end of just one full day.

The expert
Margaret Saunders, creator of the Ultimate Toilet Training Package

When to start
When your child is showing readiness signs (see list at the bottom of the article) and can follow a sequence of instructions, such as, “Go to your room and get your teddy then bring it out to the living room and put it on the couch.” This should be somewhere between the age of two and three, says Margaret.

The method
While Margaret encourages parents to go online and purchase her entire system, basically her method involves getting your child to teach a doll or teddy to use the toilet or potty.

“Toddlers love engaging in imaginative play,” Margaret says. “Using a doll or teddy makes this process a fun game. My system – in which a toddler becomes the teacher – has been shown to work over and over again.”

She says that if a parent can put aside one full day – that’s eight to 10 hours – to spend time playing with their child and talking about the whole toileting process, most kids will be basically daytime trained by the end of the day.

“Then we have a whole lot of follow-up processes to support parents for the coming days and weeks,” Margaret says. “Many mums say they find this system is also a great bonding time with their child.”

Margaret’s top tips
If you are ready and eager, your child will be ready and eager.

Test your child’s ability to follow a sequence of instructions before starting the training.

Make sure your child can easily pull her pants up and down.

Give out lots of verbal praise and keep the environment unpressured, warm and loving.

Good for… busy mums who may work full-time and can’t put in a week or two of training. It’s particularly good for those parents who have a deadline, such as a holiday, another baby on the way or the start of preschool.

Steer clear if you are very laid-back, don’t like structure or aren’t prepared to invest a full day-plus following the manual.

10 readiness signs
1. Her nappy will be dry for several hours and then very wet – this is a sign she is able to fill her bladder to capacity and then empty it fully.

2. She is aware of being wet and dry, and will tell you when she is wet.

3. She dislikes wearing a wet or soiled nappy.

4. She recognises that she is doing a wee or a poo.

5. She can tell you in advance, in words or actions, that she needs to go to the toilet.

6. She seems to be gaining control and can hold on for a while before pooing or weeing.

7. She is able to sit still for a minute or two.

8. She can understand simple language or signs and use simple words to communicate.

9. She is interested in other people using the toilet.

10. She can pull her pants up and down on her own.