Elimination communication (EC) is a type of potty training that goes back to time immemorial because one of its goals is to forgo diapers altogether. Here's how it works: When a parent or caregiver knows or feels that the baby needs to go, he or she removes the diaper or clothing and holds the infant over a toilet or other appropriate receptacle. Because the baby is pre-verbal --i.e., parents are starting this early after their child's birth -- way before most parents think about potty training -- caregivers need to be on the alert for body language cues, patterns (e.g., after a feeding or a waking), intuition or simply by the clock.

EC training can begin as early as birth but can also start in later infancy or during the toddler years. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics believes there is no set age at which toilet training should begin, they do say that children younger than 12 months have no control over bladder or bowel movements.

EC's rising popularity is certainly influences by the economy (diapers are expensive) and environmental concerns (diapers are not biodegradable), but it's also a natural extension of a common practice called attachment parenting.

ParentDish answers all of your potty training and diaper questions.

Our final installment of real moms' potty training advice and stories...enjoy!

*Kristen from Portsmouth, NH:

• The Potty Watch is the BEST. I need one.
• These Tinkle Targets for boys are hilarious.
• This foldable potty seat with handles was great for travel too -- foldable for transport, potty seat so her little bum wouldn't fall in the big restaurant potties and with handles so she didn't have to touch the toilet when holding on for support. Although for some reason, my husband could never get a handle (no pun intended) on how to sit my daughter on it without collapsing the thing -- which he did twice and she soaked herself falling in the potty. At a restaurant. Nice.
• The website OneStepAhead.com has the best, most practical stuff.
• The one issue about potty training that I've never found any site to address -- and believe me, I've scoured them all -- is about them not being physically ready to be able to know/sense they have to go before they actually go. According to my pediatrician, I guess signs of that is when they hold their pee for longer periods of time -- for example, longer time between dry Pull-Ups/diapers, dry Pull-Up when wake up from nap, dryer Pull-Up when she wakes up in morning. We started potty training her before she was physically ready, although she showed all sorts of other signs like hating her diaper change, telling us right after she went pee in diaper because she didn't want to wear it, inquired about the potty, wanted to wear underwear, etc. So on the one hand, she's all potty-trained when it comes to her liking to use the potty. She has no qualms about it all -- she uses the real toilet, in public, pooping not just peeing -- so we don't have to give her treats to entice her. BUT she doesn't quite yet know when she really has to go, so unless we put her on the potty ourselves every hour (like we were doing for so long but stopped because it's a pain), she'll wet her underwear. She knows the second she's gone and tells us, but by then it's too late and we start to get frustrated and she senses that and feels bad and the whole thing starts to be negative. So we've stopped potty training until she starts telling us she has to go pee (which is right about now). But nobody ever addresses THIS particular issue in any of the baby posts/bulletins, etc.
• I don't have too many funny stories, but this one is more about my mom's Boston accent than anything. We had just started potty training my daughter, so we were always putting her on the potty before she left the house. As we were leaving my house for my daughter's 2nd birthday party, my mom said, "We're going to your party!" but with a Boston accent -- so it came out sounding like, "We're going to your potty!" Since my daughter had already just gone the potty with me -- and was rather proud of herself because it was early on in potty training, so we all would clap/dance/whatever when she went in the potty -- she got upset at my mom and said, "I already went to the potty!" and stomped out of the room. Ha.
  

*Jennifer from Syosset, NY:

• A clever idea would be cutting a hole in the Pull-Up so that you can "trick" your kid into pooping on the potty! Wish it worked for my kid. I'm sure it could work for others!
• "Potty Power" was a DVD my oldest one watched all the time when potty training. As soon as I stopped bugging him about using the potty, he was trained!
  

*Jill from Melville, NY:

• My best advice to moms trying to potty train twin boys is to let them train themselves. Over Christmas break from school, I decided that my 3-year-old twins should be potty trained. One morning I took away their diapers and made them go on the potty every hour or so. They had been on the potty in the past, but not using it regularly. The novelty of the new underwear wore off after about five minutes. Within an hour, one of my boys was crying that he wanted his diaper back. It turned out that he had a stomach virus complete with diarrhea, so I knew that this was going to be a failed attempt for him. I decided that it would be easier to focus on one kid at a time, so I kept my healthy son in underwear for another three days. When it was apparent that he did not distinguish the underwear from the diaper -- I had to change his underwear about ten times a day -- I gave up on him as well. Once I let it go, they basically trained themselves two months later.
• After the failed attempt over Christmas, I put the boys in Pull-Ups. I then made the potty part of our daily routine (we wake up, use the potty, brush our teeth, etc). At first we used jelly beans as a reward for making on the potty. One son was not interested until their friend (who is one year younger) came over to play and he was in underwear and using the potty. This inspired my son to try. Within a few weeks, both had dry Pull-Ups most of the time. By February, one son was ready for underwear. He had the pee thing under control, but would not poop on the potty. I watched him like a hawk and whenever he was about to poop, I got him on the potty -- but I didn't always catch him in time. I even upped the jelly bean reward to a handful of jelly beans each time he pooped on the potty. I promised him a new toy if he kept his underwear clean for three days. I didn't know whether I should send him to school in underwear after only a few days of being dry. I took a chance, and of course, much to his teacher's dismay, he pooped in his underwear at school. I think he was embarrassed, because from that point on, he was completely poop trained.
• A month later, my other son was keeping his Pull-Ups clean and dry all the time. I told him that that it was time for underwear. He told me he wasn't ready. I didn't push it, but I knew he could do it. I told him that if he wore underwear for the day and kept it clean, he could have a special box of candy. He has been trained ever since.
• My latest dilemma is night time. They are completely dry at night (it happened almost immediately), but I have been too scared to put them in underwear at night. I will probably just do it soon. Its been almost two months and they both only wet their Pull-Ups one time each.
• At first when I started, it seemed like a daunting task, but it really all worked itself out. For the most part, I trained them to pee standing up, although at the very beginning I had them sitting down.
  

*Elaine from Leesburg, VA:

If training a boy:

• Teach them to AIM. This will serve you well for life, as if they don't master this skill early, you'd better master your mopping skills.
• Use Cheerios or Froot Loops, throw them in the toilet then tell him to sink the ships! This worked beautifully and they loved it!
• Whatever you do -- no matter how frustrated you are or how long the process is taking -- do not push them. They do it when they're ready and not one minute before.
• CELEBRATE when they do their "duty" :)

More potty training advice and anecdotes from our mommy friends...

*Nicole from Mt. Kisco, NY:

• Put a potty in your child's bathroom way before you want to potty train, so that when you decide that you want to start training, it isn't a "foreign" object that they haven't seen before and are afraid of.
• Always follow your child's lead in terms of readiness and when they are ready take away his/her diapers and have him/her wear underwear all day. You may have accidents, but it is less confusing.
• When your child is totally potty trained during the day for a number of months and you want to take diapers/Pull-Ups away at night, gradually decrease the amount of fluid intake your child has before he/she goes to bed.
• If your child does not seem ready/resists being potty trained, do not force the issue. Otherwise, it will become a power struggle and you will get no where quickly!
• Have your child accompany you to the store to pick out underwear, so he/she is part of the process and can get excited about it.
• When your child has an accident simply state, "We go to the bathroom on the potty," take the child to the potty to finish up and then have he/she help you clean it up. Do not scold, reprimand or embarrass.
• While there are portable potties on the market that can be left in the car (or the stroller) for long trips or when a bathroom isn't always accessible, when you are first training your child, put an absorbent blue chuck/wee wee pad underneath your hild in case he/she has an accident. It will be much easier to clean up!
• The more your child can accompany the same-sex parent to the bathroom (even before potty training/pre-potty training) the more likely he/she will want to model him/her.
• I love the Graco potty that has the removable center, the removable soft, cushy seat that can be used on a regular toilet and which can also be used as a step stool when closed.
  

*Lori from New York City, NY:

• The first time my niece peed in the toilet, she was with me. And she screamed, "I did it, I did it ... Mommy told me it would be yellow!"
  

*Jodi from East Meadow, NY:

• When my son was about 2½, he was probably 80% potty trained. One day, he looks at me, then the potty, and says, "Mommy, I'm done with that now. No more potty." And he was right. He began to completely refuse to use the toilet! All of the books say how important it is NOT to push them, so I didn't. I'd periodically ask, "Are you sure you don't want to try the potty?" and he would quickly say "No!" Finally, after MANY months, when he was almost 3 1/2, I got SICK of changing diapers. I told him that we would be having vacation time soon (late June when school got out), which would mean a lot of "home days." I told him that we would have a bunch of days when he would not wear diapers. He would start out naked (he loved that!) and if he did a good job he could use his big boy underwear. We went out and picked a bunch of choices that he loved. Each time he made on the potty, he could have a sticker. When he earned 5 stickers on his chart, he could pick a prize. I went online to Oriental Trading and got a prize assortment.
• So the day came and he was very excited. I told him he had to go as soon as he got out of bed and I used a timer, making him try every 20 or 30 minutes. He got a sticker even when he tried, even if he wasn't successful. The most important thing was to reward him for trying. So long story short, he had 2 accidents in the morning and was completely trained by the afternoon! The main trick was waiting until he was ready!
• My biggest hint for anyone? Always keep a change of clothes with you, no matter where you are. Mine is in the trunk of my car. Accidents happen...not often, but they happen when you least expect it!
  

*Vicki from CO:

• I live in the mountains of Colorado and I have potty training 4 daughters who have now potty trained 8 grandchildren. I refused the potty seat for my children because I didn't want them to do the training twice. And I didn't want to empty it and didn't want them to develop a fear of the sound of the big potty 'flushing', which happens. There was a little step we built and they each got to paint it for their special training occasion.
• Each child is different when it comes to training. My first daughter wanted ONLY nylon ruffled underpants -- and I found her on her little stepstool rinsing them out one day. She was horrified she had wet them. My second daughter wanted ONLY soft white cotton underpants and could care less about rinsing them out if she wet them. My third daughter escaped to the outside, preferring to wear nothing. My fourth daughter wore anything the others had already worn, as long as it was a pretty color.
• I once asked my neighbor why her son sits down to go potty. "Didn't he ever watch his Daddy?" I said. Her reply was, with an eye roll, that "Daddy sits down too." Seems Daddy was traumatized as a 6-year-old when the seat came crashing down on his little private part!
  

*Jodi from Arlington, VA:

• My girls were trained using the book, "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day," by Nathan Azrin ). It took more than a day, but we were very pleased with the success. And, my daughter taught me that it's pointless to try too soon -- if they aren't ready they aren't ready and it becomes a power struggle.
  

More real mom potty training advice and anecdotes...

*Becky from West Orange, NJ:

• Potty training is not easy and you must have a lot of patience! If you do find it easy, your child is some sort of angel. At first, we tried training my son by putting him straight in underwear (no Pull-Ups) and having him tell us when he had to go. Several soiled, cute pairs of underpants later...we just let him run around naked (this is easiest to do in the summer). After peeing on the floor once, he got the hang of it pretty quickly, but that's not to say that he didn't have several accidents. He seemed to find peeing in the potty easier than pooping there, which I don't understand. I mean, doesn't it seem easier to feel when you have to poop and less disgusting to just do it in the potty? Once he was trained, he wore Pull-Ups for almost a year at night. The best thing to do is just wait until your child wants to (or is ready to) wear underwear at night. It is not easy for them at all, especially since so many are deep sleepers and/or have vivid dreams that may lead to wet sheets.

My most important tips are:

• Always be patient. You cannot get mad. Even though it seems easy to us -- as if our children may be spiting us or just not listening (which they may be) -- it is very, very hard for them to learn how to use the toilet. We should always stay calm, not yell, and speak to them about their accidents in a rational way.
• Buy LOTS of underwear. It can never be enough!
• Always carry a spare set (or two) of clothes and maybe even shoes, even when you think your child is fully trained. It was definitely not a fun day when my son peed all over his shoes and I didn't have an extra pair.
• Reward charts and lots of little rewards are never a bad thing. However, be prepared for the especially-smart child to then ask why he/she should do anything good if they don't get a present for it.
  

*Marines from Miramar, FL:

• I tried to teach my child -- again -- this weekend. I left him in underwear (no Pull-Ups) until 1pm. He didn't pee and he didn't want to do it in the toilet. We were going to a baseball game, so I went to change him and put on a Pull-Up, and as soon as he felt it he said, "It came out." I guess he feels secure with it...I will try again this week. But ultimately, I think what would work best with me would be to have my son with me for a full week at home to work on it -- no school, no work.
  

*"Real Mom" from CT:

• I used the method called 3 Day Potty Training (by Lora Jensen), which REALLY TOOK 2 weeks. But it totally works -- I found the workbook online. You pay for it and then you can download all the information. You basically spend 3 days at home and don't leave your house for those 3 days. You need to buy lots of underwear and be prepared to be cleaning up a lot of pee and poop. Basically the idea is to keep saying to your child," tell me when you have to go to the potty." By saying this 4 million times over the course of 3 days it really sunk into my son's head. Every time they would make it to the bathroom you would reward them with M&M's, stickers or that toy they have been wanting. The scary part was leaving the house after the potty training was completed. My son proceeded to have accidents at the playground and at his pre-school where he would disrobe and then go about his business. It was frustrating yet comical at times! Plus, he thought that once he was outside he was free to pee and poop anywhere. Not a fun experience. I also recommend keeping a potty seat and extra clothing in your car.
  

*Julie from New York City, NY:

• Cheerios are not just for eating! They make great target practice for a boy learning to use the potty standing up. The targets they sell in the store are really expensive and this is a fun way to motivate and help their aim!

The bottom has dropped out of training pants.

Blame the economy. It 's stinky. And so, apparently, are some children who are making uh-ohs in their britches without the benefit of a safety net.

That's because training pants have become something of a luxury.

A quick whiff of the industry shows there has been a 10 percent drop in the number of training pants sold during the 52 weeks ending June 13, the Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control report that births in the United States rose three percent in 2006 and one percent in 2007.

That means there are a lot of tykes making the move out of diapers, while parents are hoping their kids figure out how to use a potty pretty darn quickly.

It might be worth the gamble. Parents can pick up a new pair of underwear for about a dollar or two, but keeping a kid in disposable training pants can cost up to $90 a month.

Besides, training pants are not magical, said Dr. Edward R. Christopherson, a professor at the University of Missouri who studies potty-training issues. Christopherson said on BabyCenter that many parents still mistakenly think training pants are an essential part of potty training.

"Some parents think that just switching their child to training pants will result in a child who is toilet trained," he said. "Unfortunately, it's not that easy."

Disposable training pants do have an advantage over traditional underwear in daycare centers, he said. They don't have to be stored and turned back to the parents at the end of the day. No matter what children are wearing, Christopherson said, the important thing is to clean them up as soon as possible after they do their business.

"Toddlers can get diaper rash just as easily as infants if they aren't changed often enough," he said.

Diapers, training pants or Underoos, the call of nature cannot -- and should not -- be denied, said Dr. Steve Hodges, assistant professor of pediatric urology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Hodges, talking to the Associated Press, said kids are more likely to empty their bladders if they're wearing training pants. And they should, he added.

"The big problem isn't potty training. The big problem is the emphasis we have on 'holding it'," he said.

That ought to be a load off kids' minds.

In our continuing quest for the most comprehensive potty training information around, ParentDish reached out to some of our real mom friends to get their home-spun, tried-and-true advice on potty training, as well as their stories. Here's what some of them had to say...

*Diana from Valhalla, NY:

• When I was toilet training my oldest son, we had little presents wrapped all around our bathroom. When he went in the toilet, he got to choose one to open. He is almost 5 now and when he 'poops' on the toilet, he still gets bubble gum.
• Another time, I had put him on the toilet to urinate and he didn't go. We had a play date that day, and he decided to pull down his pants and pee in the corner instead!
  

*Karen from Malvern, PA:

• In the beginning, we went everywhere with the portable potty seat in the trunk of the car. Fond memories of pulling over on the side of the interstate and setting that up in the woods!
• I, along with probably every toddler parent in the world, have toured every public bathroom. In the beginning, I think it was more my idea to try them -- but after awhile, it became a game just to go see the bathrooms at the Acme, Home Depot, you name it! By far, the best public bathrooms remain the "family" ones in Disney World!
• My oldest daughter had an obsession with Elmo. When she was training, we would call Elmo on the phone to celebrate. By the way -- Elmo was my mother or my sister and they knew that if they answered and I said, "Hello, Elmo!" that their voice should suddenly change. Elmo even called her a few times to tell her how proud he was of her.
• My youngest daughter has an obsession with Spiderman (yes -- she LOVES Spiderman). So, when it came time to pick her underwear -- the princesses, Elmo and Dora panties -- well, she had no issues getting them wet. So out of desperation one day I bought her Spiderman underwear for boys. And yes, Spiderman NEVER got wet! Amazing what kids can do if they want to! Mind you, it was slightly awkward to explain to the daycare teachers not to react to her boys' underwear -- but I actually learned that they (the teachers) prefer boys' underwear when training the kids, as it was much thicker and absorbent. No worries, we did finally get her to switch to girls' style underwear...but only monkeys and Mickey Mouse -- no princesses for her!
• It is truly possible for a child to hold in her BMs/poops for days. My daughter proved you could go 5 days, despite Mom giving her all the fiber in the world. My daughter refused to poop in the toilet, and we literally tried it all -- over-the-counter laxatives, prescription laxatives, fiber bars, apples galore. In the end, we discovered all natural Juice + Fibre juice boxes. They worked! She called them magic drinks and within minutes of drinking them, she could no longer hold it in. Of course, the celebration included candy, stickers on the reward chart and an occasion phone call to Grandma to share the news! To this day, I still have the letter I wrote to all the teachers in her daycare asking them to watch and if they see her hiding in the corner or sitting on her leg in an odd position, it was time to take her to the bathroom. And be sure to tell mom at the end of the day, so I didn't overdo the fiber that night!
• Moral of the story -- I tried it all (when it came to potty training) and nothing really worked until she was ready for it! Bribery helps though!
  

*Jackie from Brooklyn, NY:

• My daughter is not even a year old yet, but I heard some advice that I think is great for little ones being potty trained who are scared of toilets that flush automatically. I remember my niece, even at 4 years old (potty trained at 2), was scared that the toilet would somehow how suck her down. Someone told me to carry Post-Its and place them over the automatic flush sensor until your child is finished and safely away from the "toilet monster". A Post-It...so simple and so genius.

*Carrie from New York City, NY:

• For potty training boys: Drop some cheerios in the toilet for target practice.
• Also a tip for potty training boys: It's good to wait until the warm weather, so they can pee outside on a moment's notice without freezing or having too much stuff to take off. But, be prepared for them peeing places that you may not be thrilled with. In the case of my son: (a) At a friends country club. I turned around when I heard some gasps and he was peeing on a golf green. Not good. (b) At a playground in the Hamptons on Long Island. He found a drain meant for a sprinkler and started peeing into it. (c) In an NYC playground, he got up on the perimeter of a sandbox and started peeing. Luckily outside of the sandbox and not into it! I heard a mother saying, "Well, at least he's not peeing on the other kids."
  

*Dina from Tenafly, NJ:

• With my older daughter, I promised her a Pee-Pee Potty Party. We had cake and gave her underwear as presents.
• With my younger daughter, it has been longer process. She is the youngest one in her class. So, I have the teachers take her to the bathroom any time one of her friends has to go. She used to just watch them, but now she tries going too. I also bought her underwear with her favorite characters on it (Strawberry Shortcake and Dora the Explorer) and show it to her from time to time. She knows that when she is ready, she can wear them. Also, I bought a Tasha doll that is hiding in my house. She knows when she is ready, she can have it. My younger one has a fear of pooping in the potty that my older one did not have. From what I understand, I cannot force the issue and that time is the only thing that will help. We'll see. As of now, I am trying to bribe her with anything I can think of.
  

Parents of toddlers are constantly surrounded by other parents whose kids are the same age. Whatever your activity of choice -- a play group, an art/music class, a visit to the playground or a Gymboree class -- it's relatively standard for parents to gather and share war stories, advice and tips on their parenting experiences. When these conversations pop up, it's also somewhat inevitable for parents to create comparisons between their little one and other kids of a similar age. Is my child is on track developmentally? Is he or she keeping up with their peers?

Potty training is one of those milestones that parents use as a measuring stick for their child's progress. Experts say that two years old is the average age for children to develop an interest in potty training. So what do you do when your child is 3½ and still resistant to learning? From a practical standpoint, every parent knows that children develop at different rates. But from an emotional standpoint, it's hard not to be concerned when YOUR child is the one lagging behind.

ParentDish recently heard from a frustrated mom looking for reasons why her 3½-year-old son was so resistant to using the potty and what she could do at this point to speed up the process. We asked Dr. Mark Wolraich, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Child Study Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, OK, for his expert opinion, in the hopes that the answer would not only help this frazzled mom, but other parents facing the same frustration.

We have a very strong-willed son who is 3 ½. We've been potty training for the last 9 months. Our initial strategy was to put him in underwear (except for nighttime) and gave him rewards and praise when he went on the potty. He has been pretty good pooping on the potty, but peeing on the potty has been a real struggle. He was motivated and fairly successful at first, but the novelty wore off fast. Since then we have tried most everything -- different types of rewards, cumulative rewards, sticker charts, praise, taking stuff away, timed bathroom breaks, etc. He almost always puts up a fight and almost always is wet even before we get him on the potty. In retrospect, we know that we started too early and that the rewards didn't work for him...but now we're 9 months in and not sure how to proceed. Lately we have totally backed off – kept him in the underwear, not mentioned the potty at all and had no reaction when there have been accidents or successes, in the hopes that he will feel in control and motivated to try again. So far, it has only resulted in messy accidents. He doesn't seem very bothered to be wet and simply points it out and asks for another pair (as if they are disposable!) We question whether we should put him in a diaper/pull-up during the day, but feel like he'll just start peeing in those and we will be even worse off. We are at our wits end and desperately need help!

--Lisa from Short Hills, NJ

Dr. Mark Wolraich: My response to the parent is: It sounds like your son has figured out that he can get a good deal of attention for not urinating where he should. I think your backing off has been a move in the right direction. I would suggest putting him back in Pull-Ups so that you don't have to deal with messy accidents. He will reach a point where not going in the potty will not get any attention and will be bothersome because other children are not in Pull-Ups (like he is). If there is a preschool program that will not take him without being trained and it is one he would like to go to, you might find him training himself more quickly. The less you push him about toileting and the more he experiences the natural consequences of not urinating where he should, the more likely you are to make progress. Good luck and stick with it.

Looking to inject some fun into the potty training process? Potty training videos -- filled with sing-a-long tunes, loveable characters and valuable lessons -- can be a great way to help teach your little one the basics of bathroom etiquette. There is a wide spectrum of different videos to choose from to get your toddler interested in potty training, but these DVDs are some of our favorites. Whether your child prefers animated characters or more of a live action format, there is a training aid for everyone here!

As the popular book has taught us, "Everyone Poops." They also pee. Unfortunately, they don't do it in the toilet, at least not at first. That means potty training.

For some parents, quicker is better. But how quickly can you train your little one to ditch the diapers and start using the bowl? Some say it can be done in just a few hours. (Note: many pediatricians, including Dr. Mark L. Wolraich of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, do not believe that quick training is necessary.)

Self-proclaimed "Potty Pro" Teri Crane says in her book, "Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day," that "parents need a training tool that will teach them how to potty train their child in one day. The cost savings alone are enough incentive for most parents." Her solution is to "Have a One-Day Potty-Training Party!" Why will this work? Because "kids love parties."

Dr. Phil recently featured a quick-training method on his daytime talk show as well. This method starts by having your child "train" a doll. Then you really force the issue by having your child drink "lots of fluids" because "the sooner he has to go potty, the sooner you can begin potty training."

Sounds great, but what if it doesn't work for your kid? Dr. Alan Greene says on his website that there is no "best age" to potty train. Citing a study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Greene writes that "Our job [as parents is] to teach them and support them, not to force them." In other words, if the one-day method doesn't do the trick, you may want to give it a few days and try something else.

One other thing to keep in mind, and something that is not mentioned in many of the quick training methods found online is the difference between night and day -- literally. TheLaborOfLove.com points out that "Most children learn to day potty train really fast...the problem will arise with nighttime training, as this is more difficult -- not to mention children are generally older when they are fully nighttime potty trained." In other words, even if your child pees in the potty during the day, you may find that they still need a diaper at night. And that's OK.

In general, I'm suspicious of "quick training" methods. One reason is that the various books and experts tend to gloss over a potentially difficult task. Just as investors should be skeptical of a financier who claims that they can give you inexplicably huge returns on your money (paging Bernie Madoff), parents should question the notion of potty training in two days or less. This isn't to say that it can't happen. Some children do learn to use the toilet with relative ease. But others don't. If you have a child who doesn't respond well to fast training, that can lead to frustration for the child and the parents.

Therein lies the biggest potential issue with quick potty training. If it doesn't work, the message being sent to your little one is that they failed. As Dr. Mark L. Wolraich of the University of Oklahoma told us in an interview: "'Quick training' treats toilet training as a problem or disorder that you are trying to correct." Is that really the message you want to put in your child's mind? That pooping and peeing is a problem to be fixed, rather than a natural bodily function? This doesn't mean that you will scar your child for life if you try a quick training method -- but at the same time, why create an extra issue for your kid, either now or down the road?

Obviously parents can take the idea of waiting until their child is ready for potty training too far. A 5-year-old who still wears diapers is no picnic. But it seems like one of the main reasons for quick training methods is parental convenience. "Wouldn't it be great if Johnny could go in the potty NOW?" a parent might say. "I am SO sick of diapers." That's fine, but you have to know your kid and what they need. If it looks like training in a couple of days will work, great. If not, don't force the issue. Give it some time. If your worst problem is having to change the occasional diaper for an extra few months, consider yourself lucky.

When you want the best tips and information on anything related to parenting, look no further than proud mother of two, Ann Pleshette Murphy. Touted as America's favorite parenting expert, Annie is the ultimate authority on parenting issues. She served as the Editor-in-Chief of Parents magazine for 10 years and is the accomplished author of "The 7 Stages of Motherhood: Loving Your Life Without Losing Your Mind" and "The Secret of Play: How to Raise Smart, Healthy, Caring Kids". She is also the long-time Parenting Contributor for Good Morning America, and has her own show, Parenting with Annie Pleshette Murphy, which airs on ABC News Now. Quite an impressive resume, to say the least! So naturally, when ParentDish set out to create Potty Training Central, we (quickly!) turned to Annie for her advice on potty training.

ParentDish: What potty training advice do you have to share with other parents?
APM: Remember, you can lead a child to potty, but you can't make him/her pee. Some children will take to potty training with enthusiasm and stay on course, but most take three steps forward and then one or two back, which can be frustrating and confusing to parents. Patience is key -- not only in terms of timing, but also in terms of the inevitable "mistakes." If you are a cleanliness freak, potty training can be stressful, so try very hard to keep your disgust or frustration in check. As all of the experts will tell you, children are very different when it comes to readiness, so just because your sister's son has been out of diapers for months doesn't mean your own diapered toddler is "slow" or "behind." It's best to wait until your child can follow directions, communicate a need to go, stay dry several hours at a time, and shows an interest in using the toilet.

ParentDish: What are the main tips or strategies you would share with other parents?
APM: I had great success potty training my children in the summer, when they could run around half naked and -- in my son's case -- occasionally "water" the lawn while learning to name what he was doing: "Go pee!" Moving the process indoors was relatively easy once I learned to put potties in several rooms – not just the bathrooms. It's very important to help your children by learning their biorhythms; in other words, if your toddler tends to have a bowel movement every morning after breakfast, put him or her on the potty around the anticipated time, and read a book or listen to a tape together. If nothing happens, don't force your kid to sit there. Just try again later. Also, some children are freaked out by watching their poop get flushed down the toilet; they seem to think part of themselves is disappearing. You can flush later or let them decide when to do so.

ParentDish: Are there any funny anecdotes or horror stories you can share?
APM: One of the funniest potty training stories I ever heard happened to a couple I knew who were shopping for a bathroom sink with their toddler. They were in a major department store, discussing the faucet options when they realized their little guy had wandered off. They found him sitting on one of the displayed commodes, proudly finishing the job they had been practicing all week. "Go poopie!" he exclaimed as his horrified parents looked around to make sure no one else had witnessed the deed. Then -- as they ashamedly admitted -- they grabbed him, closed the lid, and ran!

ParentDish: Are there any products you found helpful or indispensable when you were potty training your kids?
APM: My kids had an easier time with potty chairs that sat on the floor rather than on the toilet seat. It was important for them to be able to put their feet on the floor rather than have them dangling.

ParentDish: Is there a specific method or training video you used when potty training? If so, would you recommend it to other parents?
APM: The book my kids loved during their potty training days was "Everyone Poops" by Taro Gomi. No potty training advice, just lots of inspiring illustrations!

**Get more parenting tips and advice from Annie at her website: AnnPleshetteMurphy.com.

I once forced my daughter to have an accident. Yes, I insisted that she pee in her pants. She was around three and we were stuck in traffic on NYC's West Side Highway, along with everyone else desperate to escape the steamy concrete jungle on a Friday afternoon in July.

It actually turned into a shouting match, with Lucy, on the verge of tears, yelling "Mommy, I have to pee really badly!' and me growling: "Just go in your panties! Do you see a bathroom anywhere? Do you?!"

It was not one of my shining moments as a parent, and by the time we made it to a bathroom, Lucy was a soaking, sobbing mess. Fortunately, we had a suitcase full of dry clothes in the trunk.

OK, so it's possible that other moms don't actually encourage their kids to soil themselves -- though to be fair to me, what else could I have done in that situation? The fact is that every day, all over the world, toddlers are having accidents, authorized or not. It's just a part of the toilet-training process. While it's tempting to remain housebound during this phase, it's not realistic. Here's a round-up of tips from moms who've been in the potty-training trenches:

• Insist that your child use the bathroom before you go out. She'll say she doesn't have to, but make her try anyway. There's no guarantee she won't announce that she has to go 10 minutes after you depart (or worse, forget to announce it and wet herself) but at least you'll know you did what you could.
• Always carry extra underwear and at least one change of clothes. Seems pretty obvious, doesn't it?
• Choose outfits that will cooperate when time is of the essence. Skip the overalls and go with easy-to-remove pants -- or dresses for girls. Dark-colored clothes will better camouflage wet spots than light ones.
• Learn where the toilets are at places you frequent so when he's gotta go, he can -- and not in his pants.
• Curb your child if you must. Personally, I've always been a little annoyed by parents who let their kids drop their pants anywhere. The idea is for them to learn to hold it until a toilet becomes available. But sometimes there's no other way -- in fact, both of my daughters have peed in parks and on the side of the road on more than one occasion; we even had a name for this -- the "grass pee." Just try to be discreet.
• Consider keeping a small wastebasket lined with a plastic bag in the car for long trips. In a pinch, it can become a makeshift toilet; you simply toss the plastic bag.
• Don't get angry or make your child feel ashamed if he has an accident; be calm and matter-of-fact about it, clean it up and move on.

**Check out more from Christina Frank on her blog, Living in Splitsville.

In our quest to find parents the very best tips and advice on potty training, ParentDish interviewed several parenting experts and authors, to get their take on the process. Beth Feldman, co-author of Peeing in Peace and founder of RoleMommy.com, shares her answers to our burning questions.

ParentDish: As the parent who has been outspoken about many parenting issues and milestones, what potty training advice do you have to share with other parents?

Beth Feldman: My biggest piece of advice to parents who are struggling with a toddler who refuses to ditch their diapers is to take a step back and realize that as stressful as it may seem, by the time they hit college, potty training will have become the least of your worries. Seriously though, do not put pressure on your child to pee or poop in the potty. What you can do is reveal to them that if they can't do it, they're going to miss out on fun things with their friends like camp and school. In order to be a big boy or a big girl, they've got to leave the diapers behind...literally.

ParentDish: What are the main tips or strategies you would share with other parents?

Beth Feldman: Here are some of my tried and true tips:

• Don't rush your child. If you don't have a deadline from summer camp or pre-school then what's the hurry? Your child will give you signs that they're ready for the potty. Like when they start ripping off the straps on their diaper or climbing out of their Pull Ups and walking around the house butt naked.
• Invest in rubber sheets. If you're ready to throw caution to the wind and let your little one sleep in their bed in their undies, then get ready for a few weeks worth of smelly bed-wetting. It's not pretty but that's why you'll need those rubber sheets underneath your regular sheets -- they work wonders while protecting your mattress.
• As much as it drives you nuts, when you're out with your kids in a restaurant and they want to go to the bathroom, take them there as many times as you want. Unfortunately, even though my kids are fully potty trained, we still spend plenty of time in restaurant bathrooms – I'm starting to think I can actually create a Zagat's guide to public toilets.
• When you're ready to dive in and have your child give up their diaper habit, take them underwear or panty shopping. Nothing beats Monday-Friday Disney Princesses or Superheros for those Spider-Man fanatics.
• Once they are able to make it five days in a row without an accident, surprise them with their favorite treat, a small toy or a piggy bank and quarters.
  

ParentDish: Are there any funny anecdotes or horror stories you can share?

Beth Feldman: Biggest setback -- automatic toilets. Just when my daughter had gotten the hang of peeing in the toilet, we went to Disney World and the remote-controlled toilets flushed so loudly that it scared her from peeing on the potty for several days.

This was my favorite essay I've written about our visits to public bathrooms -- this is the down side of potty training -- once your kid becomes addicted to restaurant bathrooms, you'll be pining for the good old days of pull-ups and diapers.

ParentDish: Are there any products you found helpful or indispensable when you were potty training your kids?

Beth Feldman:

• Since we were always on the run, we had this great toilet seat cover from One Step Ahead that folded up and fit in our diaper bag. That way, whenever we'd go to a public toilet, we'd be able to slip the seat right on top and my kids' tiny tushies never touched the millions of germs lurking on the seat below.
• I highly recommend Piddlers Toilet Targets for boys. It was a great way for my son to practice his aim.
• I loved the Once Upon a Potty books since you could select a book for boys or girls. It's always great when you can personalize the experience for your child.
  

ParentDish: Is there a specific method or training video you used when potty training? If so, would you recommend it to other parents?

Beth Feldman: I'm not really into the technical videos -- I prefer funny videos and this one from the Once Upon A Potty folks fits the bill.

**Be sure to check out more great parenting tips and advice from Beth at RoleMommy.com.

It's no wonder that potty training is a milestone parents worry about. It's a lot of work, and when it doesn't happen right away, the results are...messy. So it's easy to see why a one-day potty training method sounds enticing. From diapers to big kid drawers in one day? Sign me up! But is it really possible to potty train a child in one day? Real parents weigh in and share their stories with us.

Though Dr. Phil made the one-day method famous, it's actually been around for a while. Here's the general idea:

• Set yourself with supplies: A child-sized potty, big kid underwear, salty snacks, lots of liquid, party supplies, and a doll that "wets."
• Clear your schedule. Nearly every parent Potty Training Central talked to warned that it's one long day.
• Keep the potty nearby. Many parents corral kids in the kitchen to make messes easy to clean up, others wait for summer and use the backyard instead.
• Help your toddler "teach" the baby doll how to go potty. There are special dolls for this, though a less expensive version will do.
• Put your tot in big kid underwear, then give them free reign on salty snacks and drinks. The extra salt makes them thirsty, which means they drink more and have more opportunity to practice.
• Wait. Read books, play games, make it fun.
• When you see the signs, tell your kiddo to head to the potty. Make a really big deal. And once they're successful, celebrate with a "potty party."

Wendy Sweeney, a Chicago mom of six, shared her experience as a "Potty Whisperer" with the "Today" show last year. Sweeney's made a career out of toilet training toddlers and special needs children using the one day method. Calling it "Booty Camp," Sweeney holds the hands of anxious parents while their kids negotiate the potty and clean up their own messes. "Never ask if they have to go," Sweeney tells "Today," "If you ask them if they have to go potty, then you are the one who is in charge of their body. We're trying to transfer that responsibility over to them. So we just tell them if you have to go potty, go in the potty." Sweeney charges $250, but has a 98 percent success rate.

Teaching tots to be responsible for their own bodies is key to the one-day method. It's easy, during the potty training stage, to unintentionally find yourself in a power struggle with your little one, but by putting toddlers in charge that problem can be eliminated. Cathy DeValk, Iowa mom of four, has trained three of her four kids using this method and says she'll need to buy a second copy of her favorite book to train her fourth. "Basically you are giving the child a lot of opportunity for success," says DeValk, "And having the child 'help' train a baby doll how to go pee/poop in the potty. The child takes responsibility for cleaning up messes, and for cleaning up the used potty chair." DeValk says all three of her kids were trained in less than a day and were dry at night too.

California mom Kathy Partak saw the Dr. Phil special and decided to give the baby boot camp a try. She loaded up on fun snacks, diluted juice, and bought a doll, too. "(My son Mason) was two-and-a-half years old and we went from diapers to underwear. No pull-ups, no diapers at night (Partak woke her sone once or twice a night for a week), and no diapers at pre-school. His pre-school insisted that they have diapers on hand "just in case," and I put my foot down and said absolutely not." But Partak, whose son is now 5, says that she thinks the one-day method isn't necessarily appropriate for every child. "The child has to be ready and the parents have to be committed."

It's recommended that kids be at least two-and-a-half before even attempting one-day potty training. But even then there's no guarantee. Jennifer Chambers, Oregon mom of two boys, agrees. She tried the one-day method with both of her boys, with little success. "My kids didn't care. They had to be ready," says Chambers, who says both of her boys stopped wearing diapers -- suddenly, and with little fanfare -- at about three years old. And Colorado mom EllynAnne Geisel worries that parents are are too stressed about potty training in general. "Children eventually stop wearing diapers and using the facility. Then they move on to other behaviors for which even more books have been written. We can get so caught up in our attempts to control our children's habits that we forget they are children who will one day group up to be teenagers...another story altogether."

If you've got a toddler who's old enough (2.5 years) and who's showing interest in potty training, then the one-day method might just be for you. Load up on juice and treats and donate the rest of those diapers. But keep in mind that no potty training method is one-size-fits-all, so be ready to change course if necessary. And remember, almost every kid gets it eventually...yours will too.

At Potty Training Central, our mission has been very clear: to get our community the very best tips and advice on potty training. So to help us reach our goal, we turned to our very own ParentDish contributor, Kathy Peel -- also known as America's Family Manager. Kathy is the founder and CEO of Family Manager Coaching, as well as the author of several books, including "The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home: Fast Solutions to Hundreds of Everyday Dilemmas" and "The Family Manager Takes Charge: Getting on the Fast Track to a Happy, Organized Home." Our ParentDish editors interviewed Kathy to get her wisdom on the potty training process.

Kathy Peel: When our first-born son reached the happy-toddler age of twenty months, I launched into senior manager mode, scanning current literature and surveying carpool moms about potty training. I sorted through a growing pile of sources (colored tabs were involved) sprouting tips, methods, and child-rearing philosophies all the way from Dr. Dobson to my most opinionated single girlfriends.

After a couple of weeks, I forced shut my three-ring binder and told my husband that many sources I'd read said that girls mature earlier and are easier to potty train than little boys -- and I was out to prove the experts wrong. I was dead set on potty training John by his second birthday. I shared with Bill two important points parents need to discuss before potty training their child.

First, they need to decide what terms they'll use in the teaching process -- and my research varied wildly. Some experts approach potty training quite seriously, suggesting moms not use terms such as "pee and poop," "go big potty," or "number one and number two." I just couldn't buy their hard-line method because, to me, there's something about hearing a two-year-old say he needs to defecate that doesn't sit quite right.

Bill and I decided to go the initials route: "T-T" and "B.M"-and now that our sons are grown, responsible and well-rounded young men, I know there was no harm down. The only glitch was when our third-born son didn't pronounce consonants clearly for a while. He could pronounce the term "T-T" just fine, but "B.M." came out -- so to speak -- "Mia" (pronounced: me-a). This proved to be confusing to babysitters when James would repeat "Mia! Mia! Mia!" They wondered if this might be his grandmother's nickname or if he'd been watching Italian movies. And one time the term caused unnecessary trauma on a family vacation when we stopped for the night at the Casa Mia motel in west Texas. James feared we were staying in a big bathroom.

The second point that parents must decide is what type of reward system they will use when the desired behavior occurs. When I canvassed preschool moms on the topic, one said she kept candy jars in their bathrooms and another confessed that after weeks of frustration, she offered a trip to the toy store for cooperation. Their methods sounded unhealthy and expensive. But the prize for the strangest strategy goes to the mother who told me that she moved their pet bird into the bathroom to give her son some company while he sat. (Stool pigeon crossed my mind, but I kept silent.)

I tried playing mood music and letting the faucet trickle. I promised John that he could wear special Incredible Hulk underwear for a successful bathroom visit. I even bought the lauded Tinkle Star potty chair which played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" upon victory. Except for the times we poured in water to test it, we never heard the song. After two frustrating months, I threw up my hands and decided that if John wasn't potty trained even by time he turned three, so be it. As it happened, about six months after his second birthday, he decided that he was tired of diapers and wanted to wear big-boy underwear. He had a few accidents over the couple of months, but all in all, he did a great job of potty training himself.

It was then that I recorded in my notebook a third point that I wanted to remember next time around: Don't make a big deal about potty training or try to push a child before he's ready. This saved me a lot of angst the next two go-'rounds.

**Be sure to check out more from Kathy at FamilyManager.com and read all of Kathy's blog posts here on ParentDish.

You've cleared your calendar, covered the furniture with plastic and canceled your subscription to the diaper-of-the-month club. Your little one has exhibited all the signs of being ready to use the toilet and you are both ready to commit to potty training. But if your child is going to take that first, giant step towards Independence and lose the diapers forever, you need a plan. There are many experts out there who claim to have the best method, but every child is different and only you can determine which will work best. Here's a rundown of some of the most popular methods to consider.

Potty Training in One Day
It's Saturday night and your little one is all set to begin big kid daycare on Monday. Just one problem -- his new caregiver has a strict "no diapers" policy. What's a working parent to do? If time is of the essence and potty training just can't wait, Potty Training in One Day may be the method for you. Going from diapers to underpants in one day may sound too good to be true, but some experts say it works for most children. Initially developed by psychologists researching ways to toilet train special-needs children, this method makes use of a doll who models the behavior you are trying to teach your child. Together, you and your child 'teach' the doll to use the potty and immediately celebrate the success with a big party. When your child emulates what he has just seen, he gets a party, too! And if he doesn't get it the first time, repeat, repeat, repeat. According to experts, this repetition will result in muscle memory and eventual potty success.

The Naked Method
This method is exactly what it sounds like: With no diapers, pull-ups or underpants to stand in the way, your child is allowed to remain au naturel and ready at all times for nature's call. Of course, this method is only suitable for the parent who can avoid leaving the house for a few days and there is an obvious drawback -- when the inevitable accidents happen, the mess is going to end up on the floor, the couch, or possibly your lap. But many children who wouldn't think twice about going in their underpants will be surprised to see what actually happens when there is no barrier and will choose to go in the potty rather than make a mess.

The Frequency Method
This method is labor-intensive and requires a lot of patience, but is less messy than the Naked Method. Taking your child to the bathroom and having her sit on the toilet every thirty minutes will help her get used to the feel of the potty and eventually result in success, whether intentional or accidental. In addition to regularly scheduled trips to the bathroom, watch her closely for signs she needs to go and when you see them, whisk her away to the potty. You may get lucky and catch her in the act.

Positive Reinforcement Method
For a child who thrives on praise and enjoys rewards (and what child doesn't?), the Positive Reinforcement Method can be a winner. By offering special toys to play with only when he's on the potty and by rewarding success with special treats, your child will be encouraged to do his best to win the prize. Whether it's stars on a chart, a favorite piece of candy, or a new toy, the key word here is 'positive'. Never punish accidents and always follow through with the promised reward.

Disposable Training Pants Method
Absorbent like a diaper but designed like underpants, disposable training pants offer a toilet training child the best of both worlds. Because she can easily pull these pants up and down herself, she can take responsibility for getting herself to the potty when she needs to go. And if she doesn't make it, the mess is contained and easily disposed. While some experts feel these diaper-like pants can actually hinder training, many parents swear by them.

Whichever method you choose, remember to make it fun for your child. Present learning to use the toilet as a positive and exciting adventure and chances are your child will be happy to play along. Don't despair over setbacks and remember that even little children easily pick up on a parent's stress and frustration. Keep it light, keep it positive, and soon you will be diaper-free!