Since the 1970’s, potty training dolls have been used to help children learn to potty train. It was the work of two psychologists, Richard M. Foxx Ph.D. and Nathan H. Azrin, Ph.D., whose studies uncovered how special needs (mentally retarded, down syndrome, and autistic) children learn.

The doctors discovered that a typical child could be trained to use the potty in less than a day, and they documented their discoveries in “Toilet Training in Less Than a Day”, published in 1974. To date, more than two million copies have been sold worldwide.

There have been other published books on the subject of using potty training dolls for potty training, but the method didn’t get any real widespread attention until Dr. Phil did two television shows about it. The first show went live on November 8th, 2002, and on September 22, 2004 the second show was televised.

Do Potty Training Dolls Work?

Studies have shown that children learn what they see, hear, and observe. Children as young as 18 months old become intrigued by the behavior of other children. And by the time they reach 24-30 months, children can begin to understand the differences between boys and girls and even begin mimicking the parent of the same sex.

Having said that, wouldn’t it make sense to use a potty training doll to model the appropriate behavior for your son or daughter?

How Do You Use Potty Training Dolls?

There are two main methods for using potty training dolls.

The first is Dr. Phil’s method, which involves “teaching” the doll how to use the potty while your child oberserves. When the doll successfully goes potty, you throw a potty party. Your child sees this and it will prompt them to want to use the potty and have a potty party of their own.

The second method, Potty Training In One Day, involves teaching YOUR CHILD how to go potty, which in turn they teach to THE DOLL. You will teach your child the desired behaviors for using the potty as well as the consequences for “accidents. By having your child potty train as he/she teaches their doll to potty train, they will quickly and easily learn the proper behavior.

Which Potty Training Dolls Are Best?

We highly recommend the Potty Scotty and Potty Patty potty training dolls available either by themselves or as part the Potty Training In One Day package. Both Potty Scotty and Potty Patty are anatomically correct, wet-on-demand, and were specially made to help your son or daughter learn how to use the potty fast.

Click to learn more about Potty Scotty
Click to learn more about Potty Patty