I Have to Go

Potty Training is a serious business for parents with toddlers. It is the "last big hurdle of toddlerhood" (M. Kennedy, Last Straw Strategies, Barron's). At around 2 1/2 or 3 years of age, you decide that you've had enough of diapers and it's time to use that cute potty trainer that you've bought from the mall for your child. However, it's not as easy as it sounds. Pooping is a bodily function that you thought would always come naturally, but if your child is not yet ready for that 1st venture into the unknown called THE POTTY, he/she and her tummy can decide to go on strike, believe me. There goes constipation. Make sure you're stocked up on suppositories.

Is your child ready for potty training? Parents...are you ready?

A book I found useful to prepare my toddler waaay back then was this Sesame Street Toddler Book titled I Have to Go.










Little Grover was riding on his choo-choo train when suddenly, he feels something in his tummy and says, "I have to go." On his way back home, he passes by Little Big Bird, Little Ernie and Little Bert, Little Cookie Monster and Little Betty Lou. One by one, all of his friends would invite him to join in their games, and every time Little Grover would answer, "I have to go." His friends wondered, "...but Little Grover, where are you going?"

When Little Grover reaches his home and tells his mommy, "I have to go," Mommy immediately understands and leads him to the bathroom. And Little Grover went, all by himself.




Question-and answer was the tool I used to let my toddler (and students I have currently used this book with) get the concept of pooping and potty training across. What does Grover mean when he says "I have to go?" What is going on inside his tummy? Why does he need to sit on the potty? Why does he need to pull down his pants? Did he have a diaper? And so on, and so forth, letting the toddler answer for himself and understand the situation that Little Grover was in.

Of course it takes more than just a book to teach potty-training, but the visuals from a book, like blue Little Grover as well as discussing and making light of a situation that toddlers find embarrassing (when they have those 1st pooping accidents) can help prepare them for this task.

I still use this book with my pre-schooler from time to time when she finds it hard to poop due to constipation. Actually, she reads it inside the comfort room until you know what comes out.