The best potty training books for toddlers

Say hello to Millie and Mo – two adorable toddlers who are ready to ditch their nappies and learn how to use the potty. This potty training book follows the ups and downs of their potty-training journey, brought to life with fun flaps and mechanisms that your tot will adore discovering.

Why we love it: Each page has helpful potty-training tips endorsed by leading Early Years Consultant Dr Amanda Gummer.

Review: "My little boys loves this book. He went from sitting on his potty for just a few seconds, to sitting on it for a few minutes within the third time of reading this book. It has a boy and girl in it, so it is great for both genders. The wording in the book is great and my little boy loves to follow it along. It also shows having an accident with a piece of card you pull down. After reading this bit with him, he then said "oh no" when he had an accident himself. A great buy and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is going through potty training."

Princess Polly (and Pirate Pete Potty) are entertaining picture books that help parents struggling with potty training for toddlers aged 18+ months. Easily follow along with the fun pictures, showing little ones that even pirates and princesses have anxiety about using a potty. When your little one uses the potty correctly, they can press the 'cheer' button as a fun, noisy reward!

Why we love it: Having a bespoke guide for boys and girls is great for making your toddler feel special, and we love the 'cheer' celebration button.

Review: "My 2 year old hated the potty until I got this book. We read through it the day it arrived and tried throughout the day while reading the book while she was sat on the potty. The next morning she asked for it herself. She is getting good at asking when she needs to use the potty now although there are occasions where she won't ask and she still needs prompting sometimes, but I think that's normal as it's a learning process and isn't usually something that happens overnight. This book made using the potty a far less intimidating experience and she enjoyed reading and pressing the button with a cheering sound."

Pirate Pete and Princess Polly, the best-selling potty-training phenomenon, come to life with an interactive sticker activity book. Follow them on her potty training adventure and join in by adding stickers to the story. With over 70 bright stickers, Princess Polly's Potty sticker activity book is perfect for helping little ones feel confident and motivated about using the potty.

Why we love it: Sticker books are a great way to motivate your little ones and get them motivated and excited about moving on from nappies.

Review: "Fantastic! My little boy got well into Pirate Pete and it really helped with potty training. A note though, the story is the same as the book, so you might not need both. We did and he read both, but I think this would have done (and it's cheaper)."

Follow the antics of 27 very different animals from air, land, and sea as they all go to the potty in this beautifully imaginative rhyming ABC book. This great potty training book teaches your child not only about potty training but helps them learn the alphabet at the same time.

Why we love it: The menagerie of animals in the books will keep your little one engaged and entertained - plus, it's alphabet themed for added learning points.

Review: "The artwork​ in this book is incredible, and my daughter is in love with it. The poems are super cute and funny! The book itself does not only help with the potty training, but also teaches the alphabet and animals, so it is very convenient to get all that knowledge in one book. Five stars and sincere thank you to the author."

These classic books on a timeless subject have been reinvented for a new generation. In 1975, Alona Frankel wrote and illustrated her first book, especially for her son Michael, on how to use the potty. These books for your little boy or girl have sold more than four million copies worldwide and help parents everywhere deal successfully with an often difficult challenge for the whole family.

Why we love it: This all-time favourite now comes as a board book, which means it can withstand more wear and tear.

Review: "A very realistic book about moving from nappies to sitting on the potty, with age appropriate facts about little girls anatomy. My little girl loves it."

When you've got to go, you've got to go! But where? There comes a point in every toddler's life when the question must be raised – should I go in my potty? With pitch-perfect humour and pacing, On my potty follows one baby's thoughts and hilarious actions as they learn to use the potty for the first time.

Why we love it: This is a great first choice for a potty training book, the simplicity of dialogue is perfect for younger potty trainees.

Review: "This is a brilliant little book. We are potty training twins and they love this book. I really don't understand the negative reviews. If you enthusiastically read the story and encourage the children to follow and answer questions then it's brilliant! My twins ask for this book a lot."

This children's book by Taro Gomi takes a no-nonsense approach to bodily functions and encourages children to be unashamed about potty training. The book explains that all living things poo - some poo on land, some poo in water, some poo in a toilet and some poo in a potty.

Why we love it: This potty training book really meets every toddler's desire to talk about, investigate and look at poo.

Review: "My daughter completely refused to poo for ages (nearly 2 weeks, some resolve). We read this book with glee. She then did the biggest poo ever. Winner."

Join Bing on a toilet training adventure in this interactive sound book – perfect for encouraging young children to use the toilet with confidence. It can be scary at first, but with a little practice, your little one will be catching the Toilet Train in no time. They will love pressing the sound button and joining in the fun.

Why we love it: The noise button is a great way to engage your little ones when they're learning to potty train.

Review: "We've struggled to get our little one interested in a potty or toilet but as soon as this book arrived, we read it together. Not long after, I heard the button being pressed and my little one repeating it while sat on the toilet. Definitely worth it if you're struggling and your little one loves Bing bunny."

This engaging and sweet, funny lift-the-flap book shows children that all creatures have a place to poop: tigers in the jungle, kangaroos in the outback, and monkeys in the rainforest. With this playful book, your child will see that they have a place to poop, too.

Why we love it: Reviews say this book is great for older children who might be suffering with stool-holding.

Review: "I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Our two and half year old went through a very unpleasant phase of stool-holding due to fear - awful for her and for everyone else as well! I bought this book out of sheer desperation and it has worked like an absolute charm! She is now greatly improved and I can confidently say that this book has helped her on the way. It is very engaging with all the different animals - lots and lots to talk about with your little one - as well as working in the concept of doing a poo in a very benign, non-scary and matter of fact way."

Join in with Lulu's toilet adventures as she learns how to use potties and proper loos. Lulu is given a special present by Mummy - her very own potty. After receiving a potty as a present from her Mum, Lulu is sitting on her potty everywhere - in the kitchen, in her bedroom, in the playroom, and even in the garden!

Why we love it: The interactive elements of the book are super unique and engaging.

Review: "My daughter loves this book. Now she's started toilet training (we bypassed the potty) she loves opening and closing the "nappy" on the first page and loves me reading the book when she is sat on the toilet so she can be the same as Lulu. Great buy."

This book was created by a Teacher and Child Psychologist to support children who are potty training.
That's Me stories are simple, with the child at the centre. There's also a QR code at the back of the book with access to expert advice and tips on potty training.

Review: "The key stand out for this book is that it can be personalised, you can add your child's name, choose their outfit colour, and hair and skin colour. The illustrations are very simple, but my daughter liked that it was her name in the book so she didn't seem to mind there were no backgrounds! The story is straightforward and encouraging for children as it shows them tackling potty training and they can visualise the end goal easier. Overall I think it's a good book for teaching children about potty training, I would have preferred more personalisation options for the character and some backgrounds personally, but like I said my daughter liked it so that's the main thing!"