Oh Crap! Potty Training

Oh Crap! Potty Training, written by parenting coach and potty training specialist Jamie Glowacki, is an intensive guide that reframes potty training as a developmental process rather than a stressful confrontation between adults and toddlers. Glowacki helps parents navigate the complicated emotional world of early childhood, presenting a structured yet flexible method that focuses on communication, confidence, and consistent follow-through. Rather than relying on bribes, complicated schedules, or waiting for a child to spontaneously “announce readiness,” Glowacki shows caregivers how to recognize natural learning stages and support independence at a pace that respects both parent and child.

The book blends personal coaching experience with developmental psychology, offering a roadmap that adapts to the unpredictable and often messy reality of toddler behavior. Glowacki challenges the modern trend of waiting longer and longer to begin potty training—arguing that postponement creates more resistance, more power struggles, and more stress for everyone involved. Instead, she urges parents to take an active teaching role and view potty training as a skill-building process just like learning to walk or speak. Throughout her method, she highlights the emotional dynamics that shape a toddler’s decisions—control, vulnerability, and the desire to feel competent.

What makes her approach distinctive is its clarity and structure: a phased method she calls “blocks” that gradually builds children’s awareness and autonomy, starting with full-body awareness while naked and progressing to self-initiated bathroom use and nighttime continence. Glowacki also dedicates significant space to addressing predictable challenges such as resistance, fear of pooping, nighttime dryness, and restarting after setbacks. Her tone is direct, humorous, and practical, aimed at cutting through parental overthinking and replacing anxiety with confident leadership.

The Philosophy Behind the Method

Glowacki begins by reframing potty training as teaching rather than negotiating. Potty training is not a debate or a battle for dominance; it is the introduction of a life skill that requires guidance and repetition. While modern parenting culture often treats potty training as something that should happen naturally when a child chooses, Glowacki argues that toddlers rarely decide on their own to abandon the ease and comfort of diapers. Since no toddler volunteers for self-hygiene, waiting for them to request training is unrealistic. Adults must initiate and lead.

Her philosophy centers on three foundational principles—clarity, consistency, and confidence. These are essential to the method because toddlers rely heavily on their caregivers’ emotional signals. When parents send mixed messages—uncertain tone, fluctuating rules, or hesitating instructions—toddlers respond not with cooperation but confusion. Glowacki stresses that children learn through modeling and emotional resonance before language comprehension matures. A confident tone communicates safety and stability, whereas anxious energy breeds resistance.

Clarity means communicating expectations without phrasing them as optional. Instead of asking whether a toddler would like to use the potty, parents must convey the next step without negotiation: “It’s time to sit on the potty now.” When caregivers present toileting as an optional choice, toddlers either decline or become overwhelmed by uncertainty. Glowacki warns against reward systems such as stickers or candy because they teach children to perform the behavior only ...