Here you will find details about the potty training in one day method that was developed by two psychologists, Azrin and Foxx. Their book, "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" has sold over 2 million copies since the 70's. The pair worked with kids who had autism, cognitive impairments, or Down syndrome and focused on improving their quality of life. The result was a fast-paced, intensive potty training boot camp method that used a doll that wets and vicarious learning as an aid to potty training.
The key to this potty training in a day method is positive reinforcement and over-correction. When kids get it right, they are rewarded. When they get it wrong (wet their pants) they perform practice drills. Be advised that this potty train in a day method is not for the faint of hart and will not be a good fit if its not aligned with your parenting philosophy. Also, whether your little darling is motivated, healthy, constipated, or uncooperative will have an impact on the success or difficulty potty training.
The idea of practicing potty drills with urine soaked underwear makes you want to call child protective services.
In fact, we at Little Darling would like to encourage all parents to replace wet pants before doing the practice drills -- the original method is just too 70s for us!
Potty training age: children of both genders above 20 months old are usually trained successfully in an average of 4 hours. Between 20 and 30 months of age most little darlings are ready for the 1- day potty method, however not all children reach developmental milestones at the same time.
The two psychologist also stress the significance of timing. Not all little darlings are ready for potty training in one day aka potty training boot camp. "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day, stipulates that several developmental milestones must first be met. Before trying the method it is important that children are able to:
Toilet Training in Less than a Day provides three simple readiness tests for bladder control, physical coordination, and instructional readiness to help parents determine whether the method will work for their child.
How long does potty training in one day take?
Azrin-Foxx's potty training in one day method claims to potty train the average child in a single afternoon. Toilet Training in Less than a Day provides detailed to-the-minute schedules of what to do during training and aims to teach children to use the potty completely independently in a single day.
Potty training in one day is based on
The main idea behind the method is that since teaching is the best way of learning a child will learn vicariously by teaching a potty doll to learn using potty. Since behaviors are shaped by consequences, so your little darling will become aware that the outcome of drinking is having to pee and that the result of using potty will be open admiration and lavish prizes.
![]() |
Azrin-Foxx's potty training in one day notes that fast-track potty training techniques require a lot of planning. To be effective, you must prepare and make sure that your child is ready to be potty trained. Select a 4 to 6 hours block of time for potty training boot camp - when you can focus entirely on potty training a child. |
Here Is What You Will Need For Potty Training In One Day:
We learn a skill best when we teach it to others and your little one will learn how to go potty by teaching the potty doll first. You'll need to guide your child through the process several times until she has understood the basic concepts.
Potty Doll is Using Potty Have your little one name the potty doll and put the potty doll's "big kid" underwear on. Give your LO the potty doll and let them give the potty doll a drink. Invite your toddler to walk with you and the potty doll to a toilet, show him how to pull down the potty doll's underwear, and observe the potty doll as it uses the toilet give the potty doll lots of praise. You can give the potty doll a snack or throw her a party for using potty and remind your little darling you'll do the same for them for going potty. Your LO assists the potty doll to carry the bowl to the toilet, empty it, flush, and replace the bowl in the potty. If you are planning to engage in this part of the training use a potty chair with a removable bowl otherwise things might get very messy. |
Potty Doll Wet Pants Checks Have your child check the potty doll’s pants. Dry? Good potty doll! Praise and reward the potty doll.
Help the doll practice going to the potty with positive practice runs by running to the potty from the site of the accident ten times. Encourage your child to escort the potty doll himself. The child indirectly learns what to expect when they have a potty accident. |
Toilet Training in Less than a Day gives concrete advice
on how to gradually "phase out" the praise so that children don't
become addicted to it, or worse, refuse to use the potty without a
reward.
Dry pants inspections should continue for several days
after potty training in one day has been completed. You can expect potty training
accidents or minor relapses for a year or so if your child becomes
troubled or ill.
Potty training facts: In 1973 Azrin and Foxx tested potty training in one day on 34 children. The average child finished potty training boot camp in 3.9 hours with a 97% decrease in potty training accidents the week after training. Other studies, also from the 70's, report less spectacular outcomes with a 74% success rate for kids under 25 months and 93% success rate for kids over 25 months. Eight weeks post training kids averaged less than one accident per day. |
![]() |
Using potty training in one day or other fast-track potty training systems does not imply that your little darling will be a flawlessly potty trained in days. Kids can be expected to be using potty all by themselves without reminder or assistance but may still have potty training accidents and will need assistance with some steps in the process.
Potty training in one day is very effective for many BUT ... it not a good match for any family. Before you select this method make sure its fits into your discipline and child-rearing philosophies.
Some parents are still kicking themselves for having tried potty training in one day and prefer to burn the book rather then resell it. This book advocates walking your child in wet clothes back and forth from the potty ten times and telling them how other people will be upset if they have an accident. It says to yell "NO" if your child starts to wet himself outside the potty and show extreme disapproval. Some parents feel children have become traumatized from this approach.
While 239 out of 472 parents give this potty training in one day 5 stars other parents are ashamed that they got "suckered into trying such demeaning and insensitive tactics" and "not seeing it for for the cruelty it is". One parent used "traumatic" to describe her daughter's reaction to this aggressive training and "humiliated" to be forced to "practice" in urine soaked underwear.
Here is what some parent had to say about potty training in one day:
"Potty training boot camp in one day is NOT for sensitive children. Instead of selling my copy of this book as used, I am going to do a service to the human race and burn it".
"I think this book has set me back at least 3 or 4 months. My advice is to try another book.....any other book!!!"
"I read passages aloud to my husband and he was just horrified. We didn't want to give it away or resell it; we deliberated for a couple of seconds and threw it away"
If you are set on trying this potty training in one day do some research on the modern variations of this approach that don't recommend keeping your child in their pee soaked underwear. Though the basic steps for toilet training in a single day are the same, different experts advocate small differences in implementation of potty training boot camp.
For instance:
![]() |
How To Potty Train: 10+ potty training techniques. Is this not the right potty training style for you? Use our "What's your Parenting Style" guide to select the best way to potty train for you. |
Return from potty training in one day to Little Darling Potty Training home page