18 Books for Potty Training

Potty training or toilet training is a big milestone for little ones and their caregivers. It can be a stressful situation for everyone, but you can ease into it by sharing stories about potty training and the process with your little one. Today I’m sharing 18 books for potty training – whether you hit up the classic Everyone Poops or try for a newer option like Potty TIme with Pete the Kitty you’re sure to find a few titles on this list that will help!

Plus, I’ve also included a few potty training books for caregivers on this list as well. If you don’t know where to start, page through these to find the system that works best for your family and give it a try. You can also check your local library as potty training is a popular topic for titles and you’re sure to find even more great suggestions there.

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18 Books for Potty Training

Big Girl Panties by Fran Manushkin

Big Girl Panties! features a light, positive approach to motivate toddlers to become toilet trained. What could be more rewarding for a little girl than wearing big girl panties, just like mommy? Adult caregivers and toddlers alike will love the snappy, rhyming text and colorful, hip illustrations. Valeria Petrone’s stylized artwork ensures that this commercial yet heartwarming book will have a special place on little girls’ favorite bookshelves. Soon they’ll all be saying, “Bye, bye diapers!”

Diapers Are Not Forever by Elizabeth Verdick, illustrated by Marieka Heinlen

Learning to use the potty takes patience and practice, and this charming, straightforward book helps pave the way. Young children learn how to use the potty and why it’s time to do so, while gaining the courage and confidence to face this important milestone in their lives. When little ones learn to “do what the big kids do” (go, wipe, flush, wash their hands), they won’t need a diaper anymore—they’ll have underwear under there! Includes tips for parents and caregivers from a children’s health specialist.

Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea

Dinosaur is absolutely 100% certain he doesn’t need to use the potty. Even when he’s making lemonade, running through the sprinkler, having a three juice box lunch, and splashing in rain puddles. See? He’s doing his victory dance. Wait—that’s not a victory dance…that looks like a POTTY DANCE! Run, Dinosaur, run! It’s potty time! Will he make it?

Duck Goes Potty by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

Little Duck learns how to go potty all by himself.

Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi

An elephant makes a big poop. A mouse makes a tiny poop. Everyone eats, so of course: everyone poops!

Taro Gomi’s classic, go-to picture book for straight talk on all things “number 2” is back in a lovely hardcover edition, as funny, reassuring, and encouraging as ever. The concept of going to the bathroom is made concrete through this illustrated narrative that is both verbally and visually engaging.

Everyone Poops is just right for potty-training, gift-giving, and everyday reading with smart, curious readers.

Go, Pea, Go! by Joe Moshier, illustrated by Chris Sonnenburg

Pea Junior has to go, go, go, go! The end feels so far away, but with his family and friends cheering him on, Pea knows he can make it and go number one!

A potty chart, a sheet of stickers, and the lyrics and music notation for the “Go, Pea, Go!” song are included to make an easy, all-in-one, go-to book for parents to help ease the pressure of the race to the Pea Bowl.

I’m a Potty Superhero! Get Ready for Big Girl Pants by Cottage Door Press, illustrated by Mabel Forsyth

Everyone needs to use the potty—even superheroes! Help your little superhero explore the idea of using a potty and learn where to go by following along with the superhero girl in the story. This adorable, rhyming board book is sure to help girls embark on an exciting journey and gain the confidence to go to the bathroom all on their own, making them feel like superheroes.

Poop! There It Is! by Xavier Finkley, illustrated by Nayan Soni

Every parent knows how difficult potty training can be. Shed a little humor on the subject by reading your child “Poop! There it is!”. Kids will giggle and laugh along with this silly book while learning the basics of potty training.

Potty by Leslie Patricelli

A new toddler title charts a crucial achievement. There comes a point in a toddler’s life when going in one’s diaper is only one possible option, and the question must be raised: “Should I go in my potty?”

With pitch-perfect humor and pacing, Leslie Patricelli follows the inner dialogue (sure to have little ones shouting responses) and hilarious actions of everyone’s favorite Baby, winding up with an over-the-top look of surprise and delight that will have both parents and offspring laughing out loud–“I did it!”

A Potty for Me by Karen Katz

Mommy got me a brand new potty!
But I’m not ready yet!
I want to run and play.
Uh-oh, I peed in my pants.
But Mommy says, “That’s okay!”

Children will love following along and lifting the flaps to see the child play, sit on thepotty, eat, sit on the potty, sleep, and then sit on the potty…until finally there is success.

Written from a child’s point of view, this new potty-training book will help children join in the final refrain, “I’m so proud of me!”

Potty Superhero! Get Ready for Big Boy Pants by Parragon Books, illustrated by Mabel Forsyth

Everyone needs to use the potty—even superheroes! Help your little superhero explore the idea of using a potty and learn where to go by following along with the superhero boy in the story! This adorable, rhyming board book is sure to help boys embark on an exciting journey and gain the confidence to go to the bathroom all on their own, making them feel like superheroes!

Potty Time with Pete the Kitty by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Kitty walks toddlers through every groovy step for using the potty, from getting ready, to washing up—all leading up to one rockin’ celebration! 

Time to Pee! by Mo Willems

Potty training is an adventure when introduced by celebrated children’s author and illustrator Mo Willems. With Mo’s signature wit and style, readers embark on a hilarious journey from inkling to tinkling. Featuring a crew of supportive sign-wielding mice, first-timers are amused and inspired to reach for the stars and pee.

Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman

A bunch of friendly vegetables wear colorful underwear of all varieties—big, small, clean, dirty, serious, and funny—demonstrating for young ones the silliness and necessity of this item of clothing. The unexpectedness of vegetables in their unmentionables is enough to draw giggles, but the pride with which the big kid attire is flaunted in front of the baby carrots in diapers will tickle readers of all ages. With rhyming text that begs to be chanted aloud and art that looks good enough to eat, this vibrant story will encourage preschoolers to celebrate having left those diapers behind!

We Poop On the Potty by Little Grasshopper Books

The perfect book to make parents and kids laugh during potty training! Who poops? Everyone poops! Where do we poop? On the potty!

• Sly, funny illustrations teach kids how every creature, big and small, poops—even grown-ups!
• Kids learn about how pets, animals in the wild, and animals underwater, poop.
• Whimsical illustrations raise the question of how unicorns, dragons, and aliens poop, too!
• Each page emphasizes that wherever animals may poop, humans poop on the potty.

Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right by Jamie Glowacki

Worried about potty training? Let Jamie Glowacki, potty-training expert, show you how it’s done. Her 6-step, proven process to get your toddler out of diapers and onto the toilet has already worked for tens of thousands of kids and their parents. Here’s the good news: your child is probably ready to be potty trained EARLIER than you think (ideally, between 20–30 months), and it can be done FASTER than you expect (most kids get the basics in a few days—but Jamie’s got you covered even if it takes a little longer). If you’ve ever said to yourself:

• How do I know if my kid is ready?
• Why won’t my child poop in the potty?
• How do I avoid “potty power struggles”?
• How can I get their daycare provider on board?
• My kid was doing so well—why is he regressing?
• And what about nighttime?!

Oh Crap! Potty Training can solve all of these (and other) common issues. This isn’t theory, you’re not bribing with candy, and there are no gimmicks. This is real-world, from-the-trenches potty training information—all the questions and all the ANSWERS you need to do it once and be done with diapers for good.

The No-Cry Potty Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers by Elizabeth Pantley

Potty training your child doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. Parenting authority Elizabeth Pantley helps your child get on the road to bathroom independence without frustration, confusion, or tears.

Elizabeth Pantley’s easy no-cry solution will help you:

• Determine the right time to start potty training
• Create a simple and effective potty plan
• Increase your child’s self-esteem and independence
• Motivate a reluctant potty user . . . and more!

Plus, this is the only potty training book with complete bathroom safety checklists and childproofing strategies.

Potty Training in 3 Days: The Step-by-Step Plan for a Clean Break from Dirty Diapers by Brandi Brucks

Ditch the diapers in no time with this step-by-step plan. Filled with expert advice accrued over thousands of cases, this potty training book makes it easy to get your child to start using the toilet. This guide covers everything you need to know, from prepping for your potty training weekend to supporting and encouraging your child once they’ve made it through the three days.

Go beyond other potty training books with:

• A proven plan―Potty train your child fast with a 5-step plan that includes useful tips and tricks for succeeding every step of the way.
• Insight into your child―Understand what’s going on in your child’s head, how to recognize when they’re ready for potty training, and more.
• Ways to stay cool―Keep calm through every accident thanks to a kind and conversational approach that takes the stress out of potty training.