“Potty train your child in five hours?! Are you kidding?”
That was my first response when I first stumbled upon the book “How to Potty Train Your Child in Five Hours.”
I thought it was another scam trying to steal money from desperate parents for something that is not possible.
Not until recently when I really sat down and read the book again.
Boy was I wrong!
Author Christopher Westra who holds a Degree in Psychology surely knows his stuff. He also successfully dissects a complicated topic such as potty training into small and actionable steps.
Potty Training Your Child in Five Hours
He applied what he knows from potty training as well as from psychology by creating a method he calls H.E.A.R.T – The Five Core Principles of Potty Training.
The letters in the H.E.A.R.T. Method stand for:
Harmonious Training Environment
Energy Investment of Trainer
Attitude of Trainer
Repetition & Repetition
Training Methods
He shares his personal experience in potty training his own four boys and perfects this method by researching in persuasion, influence and modeling.
The name sounds like a thesis written by a professor but nothing comes close to that as, contrary to my first impression, the book contains nothing but clearly defined step-by-step instructions.
So, is it possible to potty train your child in 5 hours? After reading the book, I am completely convinced that it can be done.
You’ll find many tips and techniques in the book: from mental preparations a trainer needs to do to preparing the training environment, from choosing a location to handling accidents.
In Chapter 1, Christopher offers 4 factors that a training environment consists of. The objective is to make the environment fun and exciting. Also, he advises the best hour of the day for potty training as choosing the wrong time can greatly reduce the effectiveness of the training.
To make potty training successful, trainer plays a vital role in the whole training session. Trainer’s mentality must be right: proper mindset and desire for success. Christopher will tell you what proper mindset is in the book.
The Method Demystified
The gist of the book starts from Chapter 5. This is where the actual training takes place. It consists of picking a training location, setup and supplies that you and your child need, the mood and emotional response (what to say to your child) of the environment, tasks you need to do during the first hour of the training and the remaining four hours, what to expect during training, how to handle accidents, what to do when things click, and how to close out the training.
The whole session of 5 hours revolve around the trainer and the child only. Nothing else.
As the conclusion, the author answers most commonly asked questions about the H.E.A.R.T. method. Questions like, “Is rewarding my child with food OK?” and “How do I know if my child is ready for potty training?”
A Word of Warning
But there’s one problem with the method though. If you can’t allocate a straight five hour for the potty training session, you might have to give this book a pass. Because the only requirement for this method is just that: a five hour of uninterrupted session.
If you can, I believe it’s a five hour well spent. Why not? Think of the diapers you save and time taken to change those diapers.
Of course, after the training, there are some minor follow-ups to take to make sure that your child is fully potty trained.
Summary
The book is only 31 pages. Christopher won’t waste your time on fluff. It’s a quick read and the effectiveness lies in the implementation of the method.
The book is well-suited for busy parents who want to potty train their child “once and for all” and who don’t have time to have indefinite sessions of potty training.
“How to Potty Train Your Child in Five Hours” is very moderately priced. It’s excellent value.
Get your own copy of “How to Potty Train Your Child in Five Hours” here