05/14

The Time Has Come: Potty Training for Brooks!

One of the goals of summer at the Stuber house is to get Brooks on the road to potty training town.  We purchased the Elmo Potty and we have been hot on the literary trail for all books potty training related. Everybody poops, don’t you know?!??!  What was truly amazing is when we found the uber cool flip-over book called Potty Training Doesn’t Have to Stink, by Russ Jones for both kids AND parents!! Killing two birds with one stone was a great selling point, but the fact the book isn’t the size and complexity of War and Peace like most baby “manuals” had me at hello.

I met Russ Jones many moons ago in acting class and was supremely elated to find out he wrote such a perfect manual for the potty training sect.  He was kind enough to share his inspiration.

What inspired you to write the book?

My inspiration for this book came out of a bigger goal to make parenting easier for all of us. Most of the literature that my wife and I read as we were preparing to potty train was extremely long. Way too long for our busy, tired lives.  So, ironically, in an effort to ease the frustrations of parents, I embarked on a mission to read ALL the potty training books and along with talking to family, friends, and pediatricians, I wrote the book that I wish we had when we were potty training: a quick, easy-to-read guide (with enough humor to keep the subject palatable) that included a fun children’s book specifically written to reinforce the concepts that kids should know as they are potty trained. In essence, I wrote my dream “poop book.”

What’s one important piece of potty training advice?

If I had one piece of potty training advice, besides reading my book *WINK*, I would say to honor the individuality of your child. You know your child better than anybody else. Trust your gut and you’ll get through this milestone.  Oh, and get a travel potty.  I’m serious. When children are in the car and tell you they have to go, they don’t mean at the next convenient location!  You may never need it, but oh when you do… your car will thank you.

Could this book be more brilliant with a side for kids and a side for parents?