CezDay Publications

Bye-Bye-Diapers!
By: Eric Trager
Copyrighted 2020, All Rights Reserved

A Practical Guide to 4 Day Potty Training

(Ages 18 Months to 4 Years)

Table of Contents

Chapter – 1 Three Golden Rules

Chapter – 2 Pain and Pleasure

Chapter – 3 Preparation is Key

Chapter – 4 Let the Training Begin!

Chapter – 5 One Plus One Equals Three

You can truly make a big difference!

To begin, thank you for your purchase! Your support of this site allows others the opportunity to
help their child, just as you will be helping yours. We also ask if you could help by passing the
Bye-Bye-Diapers.com address on by speaking of your experiences (especially your success,
which you will have), in your Blog postings, Facebook, Twitter and Chat friends!

With that said, we truly hope you enjoy the information! Thank you for your efforts…..

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Chapter – 1 Three Golden Rules

When my son turned two, I began to think of that glorious day when I could finally throw the
Diaper Genie (God bless the thing!), away. That day did come, and after a lot of research, the
following is the method that worked well for my son, as well as my wife and I!
Before you begin, there are three golden rules that must be in total alignment:

1. Your child must be ready.

2. You have to be fully committed.
3. Strategies outlined in this paper must be followed.

To make this easy to follow, I am going to use more of an outline approach, and break each of
these down into simple elements.

1. Your child must be ready: The first is the fact that, no matter how hard you might try, if your
child is not physiologically or mentally ready, it’s not going to happen. Here is how you will know
when the timing is right:

Age: Most children are ready around the ages of 24 to 36 months (the broader range is 18
months to 4 years). The truth is that very few children are ready at 18 months. If you are
approaching 4 years, well, my recommendation is that you consult your pediatrician, as there
may be something physiological going on.

Awareness: This one is sometimes tricky to call, but you will know it when you see it. Start by
talking about going potty. Talk about it a lot, but do it without any pressure or expectations. You
will soon begin to see your child talking about potty just prior to them going. They will have an
understanding that they need to go, but they may not yet put the sensations together with the
knowledge that they have the control. Additionally, look for the high signs:

- Shows interest in the potty

- Starts to do the ‘pee pee cha-cha’ dance
- Wants to wear "big kid" underwear
- Wants to sit on the toilet
- Stays dry for at least two hours
- Does not want to wear a wet or dirty diaper
- Regularly has a bowel movement at the same time or in the same area

General abilities: Your child must be coordinated enough to pull their pants and underpants up
and down. They need to have the ability to concentrate, on any one given task, for more than
five minutes. They must be able to follow simple instructions (take your plate over to the
counter). They need to understand the meaning of words such as pee, poo, potty, wet, dry and
such.

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Timing: Try to time the start of your training with the end date in mind. This should be during a
period wherein there is nothing major going on with you, your family or your child (when life is in
a normal routine). Watch for periods wherein your child might be having other behavioral
problems that need to be addressed before you start potty training (every child has periods or
phases when the specific behavior needs to be worked on/with).

2. You have to be fully committed: Commit… do it… and be done with it! The number one
reason why parents fail is because their commitment waivers, or flat out fails. Prior to your start
date, make sure you have enrolled everyone around you in supporting the process. Part of
telling everyone “Potty training is starting on Monday” is the declared commitment. The other
half is requesting support. Don’t hesitate to involve others in the process, even if you are the
primary trainer. It is also best if your tone and attitude are one of love and joy toward the event.

3. Strategies outlined in this paper must be followed. The process is not rocket science, nor
is it the only way to potty train your child. With that said, it is a proven strategy, and it does work
well. If you deviate or modify it, you will run the risk of failure. Our advice is to put Yourself
aside, and trust the process.

(Just a little fun!)

Chapter – 2 Pain and Pleasure

We all seek Pleasure, and strive to avoid Pain: Being a Pleasure seeking, Pain avoiding
machine, is fundamental to being a human being. This is true on both a conscience and sub-
conscience level. Your child currently has a comfortable pee and poo removal mechanism, via
moisture barrier diapers, and your labor. The system is comfortable to your child, and it works
well, with very little pain. They are deriving pleasure from it on a conscience and sub-
conscience level as they know the system, and there is no work involved for them.

The ticket is the association and/or relationship they have with the current system. Once again,
we all seek Pleasure, and strive to avoid Pain. The ticket is to continually ask yourself the
fundamental questions of:

• “How can I substitute one form of pleasure, for another?”

• “How can I substitute a form of pain, with a form of pleasure?”
• “How can I create a new association, to pleasure”

By the way, this pain/pleasure association can be adapted to other forms of training and
behavioral modification. The key is to ultimately ask yourself: “How can I have my child’s brain
associate pleasure with the Potty Training process?” How does this apply to Potty Training (you
may ask)? Ahhh…. Read on grasshopper!

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Chapter – 3 Preparation is Key

Tools of the Trade: The following is a list of items, and products you will need. Some you will
have and some you will need to purchase. We have evaluated many products, and the ones
listed are ones we have found to work well. These have also been parent tested by many
friends and email correspondences from others like you. You will also notice that our
recommendations are not based on price, but are based on functionality (in fact, most of the
items are amongst the least expensive). Plan on spending around $90 (money well spent) and
purchase the items right up front (online purchases are the easiest; you can simply click on the
links below to see and/or purchase the items). Also, please email us with comments or if you
find other items that you have found to work well.

The Potty: We are recommending that you use the adult toilet (verses a training potty) for your
training. Here are the reasons why:

• It is cleaner with a simple “flush and go” process (child potties are messy and gross).
• You can eliminate the extra step of transitioning between the child potty and a real toilet.
• There will never be a problem should your child need to use the toilet when you are
somewhere other than you home.
• The start to finish process will happen quicker.

Toilet Seat Insert: There is a simple insert that you can use for your toilet seat. The best we
found is called Flip`N Flush. It is only $20 and it mounts between the seat and the lid. This is the
best one we found as you don’t have to modify your current seat/lid, and the seat stays up (for
men). It simply provides for a smaller hole for their little bottoms (and also helps with any
anxiety your child might have about falling in). Keep in mind that there is a normal size, and
elongated size. Well worth the money. Flip `N Flush and can be found at:
http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/Flip-Toilet-Seat-R.html

Step Stool: The trick here is to ultimately teach your child to go to the potty themselves. This
also teaches them pride; “I can do it!”. Pick one with rubber on the bottom and a rubber top.
Here is a recommended stool (it will also hold your weight, so you too can use it):
http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/Nuby-Step-Stool.html

Portable Potty: When you gotta go, you gotta go! Here is a great portable potty we found (and
still use for my 3 year old). You can use a regular Zip-lock bag with it, and it has storage on both
sides. It also folds flat and is another “must have”. You can find it here:
http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/Travel-Potty-Chair-CG.html

10-15 Pair of Underpants: These should be padded underpants specifically for this purpose.
Your child must have a wet sensation (more on that later), so nothing fancy! We do not
recommend pull-ups, although they are useful for sleep time training. You want to go from
diapers, straight to underwear. Here is a good selection of training underwear:
http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/CTGY/Potty-Training-Pants.html

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A Favorite Doll or Teddy Bear: Try to pick a doll or teddy bear that will roughly fit the child’s
underpants. There are potty training dolls, but we found that it is best when your child has a doll,
or bear, that they currently love (and you don’t need to necessarily spend the money on a
training doll).

A Dropper or Plastic Syringe: This is simply used to imitate pees. Try to get one that holds a
good amount of volume as it will save you time.

A Wall Chart and Stickers: We have included a link to free, printable wall charts at the end of
this report, for your use. Simply print those pages that you and your child would like to work
with. Additionally, you can use and/or make your own, which can also be an inclusive activity
with you and your child. The chart and stickers are used as both a reward and tracking system
(more on this later).

Special Surprise Toy: This is used as a part of your reward. The toy should be something
small, like a ‘dollar store’ type item. You don’t want them to always expect a toy every time.

Two Weeks Prior: Two weeks prior to commencing your training, you will need to start
familiarizing your child with the whole process. This is also time to start to get their curiosity, and
their “I can do it” going. Bring them in when you use the potty and talk to them. Sit them on the
potty using the toilet seat insert as their special seat. Talk to them about the concepts of pee
and poo. Start by getting your child used to sitting on the potty for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. At
first they will not want to sit more than a minute, but do not force them. If your child resists and
words of encouragement don’t work, you may consider offering a sticker or a small sweet as a
reward for sitting on the potty. Each and every time they do sit on the potty, end with major
praise, hugs and kisses.

While they are on the potty, apply light pressure over the lower abdomen and talk to them about
the feelings of pee and poo. Explain what happens, and where it comes out. Try and catch them
at a time where their bladder is full, but do not pressure them to go; it’s only a bonus if they do.
Should they go pee or poo, be sure to give them more praise. Be sure to share that praise with
others in the family as this should be an ‘event’. Let your child flush the toilet. Have them wash
their hands as you wash yours. Share the process, and the love!

The Day Prior: One of the best ways to learn anything new is through roll play. And, kids love
roll play, as it is a form of pretend. The key to this is to make it fun for both you and your child!
Tell your child that you are going to play a game, and that you and he/she are going to teach
Teddy (one of their favorite dolls or teddy bears, we will call it Teddy) how to do pees and poos,
just like mommy and daddy does. Remember, as we teach, we learn, so encourage your child
to teach Teddy (as you teach your child).

Start by placing a diaper on Teddy. Now Teddy does not need a diaper anymore because he
will be wearing “big boy/girl” underpants. Show your child were their underpants are stored
(make sure that they are in an accessible drawer). Have them pick out a favorite pair and, with
help, have your child put the underpants on Teddy. Teddy is not a “big boy/girl”.

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Next, get a sippy cup and imitate giving Teddy plenty of water. Teddy now needs to go pee,
because he told us so (can’t you hear him?)!! If he doesn’t get to the potty right away, he will
wet his underpants. Then, quickly rush to the potty; “hurry, hurry (excitement)”. Imitate taking
the underpants down, and place Teddy on the potty. Yah, he made it in time; he won, he is such
a big boy/girl! He did not wet his underpants and they are dry. Have your child feel the
underpants and see how soft and clean they feel (pleasure).

While Teddy is on the potty, the next step is for him to do a pee. Imitate this by using the syringe
behind Teddy to trickle water into the potty. Make sure that your child can hear and experience
this action of Teddy going pee. Now is the time for major excitement around Teddy being a big
boy or girl and how great the act is.

Continue the roll play with Teddy wiping himself, flushing the toilet and washing hands.
Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure! Next step is to continue the pleasure with the ‘sticker on the chart’
reward for Teddy. Keep giving Teddy praise, enough praise to where your child is full of
excitement (like the process is better than candy). None of this happens when you wear
diapers. Play pee, and poo. Roll play an accident (Uh-ohh, Teddy had an accident and did not
tell you he had to go potty). Have your child feel the wet underpants (pain association) and the
lack of pleasure (that comes with success). Have them take the wet underpants to the laundry
and get a fresh pair from the drawer for Teddy.

Children learn best when there is a repeatable process that they practice. Play this potty game
with them five or six times until they have mastered all of the steps. This should take one day.
Day two will transition your child from roll play to personal training.

(A little more fun!)

Chapter – 4 Let the Training Begin!

Day Two: Ok, so now your child knows the routine. The only difference is that they have not
had the experience themselves. They now need to make the association between their
physiological sensations, and the process they just learned with Teddy.

Setting the Stage: During the next three days (which I know sounds like a big commitment, but
remember “Commit, do it, and be done with it!”), it is important that you focus on the task at
hand. This means that you should avoid any distractions. Try to make arrangements for your
other kids to be taken care of by someone else, if this is possible. It is important that you be
prepared to be totally devoted to working with your child. Tell your friends, family and neighbors
to refrain from visiting as well.

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Plan on feeding your child foods that are high in fiber. It is important that your child have a soft
poo. This will help with both the sensations and time it takes to poo. We also do not want to
associate the pain of constipation or long periods on the potty, with the process. Additionally,
plan on giving your child a lot of water during this process. You want your child to have the
experience of peeing as often as possible. Prepare activities and play with your child close to
both the potty, and their underpants drawer. Be prepared for accidents (it is not an issue of if
they will happen, but rather when they will happen).
Working with Your Child: At the beginning of the day, get down to your child’s level and set
expectations for them. Talk to them about being a big boy/girl from now on, and that you are
going to help them. Talk to them about wearing underpants, just like Teddy. Remember that
this communication needs to be reinforced with excitement and plenty of love. Explain that, as
with Teddy, they need to work on keeping their underpants dry. Again, give your child plenty of
water, so they will pee often; hence practice often.

It is Very Important that you follow the exact process that your child practiced with Teddy!

It is Very Important that you celebrate each success!

Your child should have an experience of being proud of their accomplishments. Work hard to
elicit the right behavior by encouragement and positive reinforcement only. Pleasure is the key,
never inflict any form of Pain. This means that there should never be any scolding or negative
reactions to your child doing things the wrong way. If they make a mistake, tell them that it is OK
and that they can try to get it right the next time. Never show disapproval or disappointment.

Rewards: Rewards are absolutely key in the process. With that said, the very best reward is
one of praise, hugs and kisses! You know the magical words that work with your child; use them
often and include a lot of physical touch. The second form of reward is the sticker for the chart.
Along with the act of stickers being a prize, this is also a visual representation of progress. Next
are small toys or gifts. These can be promissory rewards (if you successfully pee, you will
get….). Finally, there are small sweets. Sweets can be an immediate reward for success, but
use them judiciously.

Keep in mind that rewards reinforce the pleasure process. Pleasure is then “anchored” to the
act, or process that you are working on. The brain will then make a positive association.

It’s Potty Time! This is one of the hard parts. It is important that you keep telling your child,
every 20 minutes, to use the potty. It is important that you “tell” them that it is time to go to the
potty. Take them by the hand and quickly walk with them to the potty. Make it quickly so they
will not have any time to protest. Try to keep them on the potty for 5-8 minutes, even if you have
to keep them occupied. Make games out of the process. Who can get there faster, read them a
book, sing creative songs, bring a toy, watch a video; whatever it takes!

Make sure that you watch closely for the tell tale signs of when your child may need to pee or
poop; by now you most likely will know the clues! When you see them, rush your child (with
love) to the potty before there is an accident. Once your child has successfully used the potty
two or three times, you can start to extend the frequency that you bring them to the potty.

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Day Two Expectations: By the end of day two, your child should be very familiar with the
whole process. Additionally, they should be comfortable with sitting on the potty and will
hopefully have had a successful pee or poo. They will have plenty of accidents on day two, so
be prepared. Remember to only use positive conversations.

Day Three: Woohoo, it’s day three! So on the second day, it was all about “telling” your child to
go to the potty. Today is the day where we begin to “ask” them if they need to pee or poo. Be
consistent and ask them about once or twice an hour. Toddlers are usually too busy to think
about it themselves, so you have to look them in the eyes when you ask them. Be sure to tell
them how proud you are of them that they are wearing big boy/girl underpants (with lots of
ooohs, ahhhs and love). Also remember to continue to use your chart to record all activity.

Day Three Expectations: Day three will show improvements. Your child should start to
consciously begin to understand the correlations between physiological sensations and the
readiness to go to the potty. They will still need a diaper or pull up for night time, but should be
mostly dry during the day. Your child will still need help with the steps, but should be on the
program. Remember to remind them to use the potty, but never make it a negative association.

Day Four: By now you should be well on your way. Remember, accidents will still happen, but
they should be happening less and less. You should also continue to ask your child to take any
soiled underpants to the laundry room. This will reinforce the sense of personal responsibility for
their accidents (without any guilt or shame). Children also love taking part in ‘adult’ activities.
Make sure your child also uses all of the toilets in your home. This will help them to accept the
usage of any toilet rather than being attached to one.

Day Four Expectations: Some kids are harder to train than other, but hang in there, it will
happen! Remember: Commit, do it, and be done with it! Stay relaxed when accidents happen.
By day four your child should start to tell you when they need to go potty, be able to pull their
pants and underpants up and down, stay on the potty for 5-8 minutes, flush the toilet and wash
their hands. They should also be the primary participant when accidents happen. They will,
however, need assistance with all of the steps. Although they will mostly have successes, they
will still occasionally have an accident.

Beyond Day Four: You will still need to continually monitor and remind them to go to the potty.
Be sure to watch for the high-signs and proactively participative in the process. Do not, though,
be overly insistent or remind them too often as they may begin to feel annoyed or nagged,
which may lead to a setback. As time moves forward, back off of the rewards and reminders,
but stay consistent with the positive reinforcement, hugs and kisses!

Nighttime: Nighttime dryness will take much longer to accomplish. Be very patient. Use Pull-
Ups and watch for dryness in the morning. Be sure to get them to use the potty prior to going to
bed. Also watch that they do not drink too much water or milk prior to going to bed. There will be
a point where your child will be dry 98% of the time in the morning. This is the time for you to
transition into underpants for nighttime use. During this time, you will also notice that your child
will wake up, on occasion, with the need to go potty. Be patient and kind.

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Potty Training Charts: Progress charts are vitally important to the process. Rather than
including charts in this document, we are including a website that links you to a lot of free,
printable charts. These can be found at:
http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/toilettrainingcharts.htm

Chapter – 5 One Plus One Equals Three

Our objective here is to help you to create an easy transition from diapers to underpants. And,
you will be a participating partner, rather than the bad guy. Additionally the dynamic of pain and
pleasure associations can be applied to other behaviors that are or are not desired. All you have
to do is think it through, and apply the principals.
Many people have given to me throughout my life. I hope this serves as a small contribution in
return. I truly hope you have gained from this report, and only ask that you pass it forward
(share the web address).
Remember, you have the power to continuously create situations with your child where one plus
one, equals three!
Wishing you peace, great success and a lot of love in your life…

Warm Regards,

Eric Trager

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