Developed with educators, doctors, and parents

We want children to really feel what's happening in their bodies

And for parents to recognize the signals. That's our priority! That's why we don't use mandatory gifts, a quick crash course, or sticker charts. We believe in positive parenting with lots of compliments.

We work with experts who know a lot about parenting and the development of young children:

Prof. Dr. Alexandra Vermandel. She is a senior lecturer at the University of Antwerp and a medical specialist in the field of potty training. We worked with her on this training and the book “Handbook Potty training” (Publisher Acco, 2022).
Dr. Claudia Werner. She is an educationalist and expert in the field of parent-child training and interventions in childcare. She provides the explanation in the videos and takes care of the online Q&A Session for parents.
The training follows the JGZ Guidelines for Potty training with regard to prevention and intervention. We always work together with Centers for Youth and Family in the municipalities.
We have of course also tested the training with many different families. And we continue to adjust it if necessary.

Potty trained on time? Good for the child and the parents

If a child is potty trained on time, well before starting primary school? Then that is good for physical development, the sense of autonomy, self-confidence, school development and social development. It is also an important milestone in parenting for parents. Starting on time saves parents stress. Because young children usually become potty trained faster and easier than children aged 3.5 and older.

How is the Ready for Potty made?

The potty training program was first called Toddy's Ready for Potty and began as a web app with posters in 2022.

In spring 2023, together with our educator Claudia, we adapted the Ready for Potty and made it more accessible to a wider group of parents. With this "2.0" version, more than 900 parents participated during the first Rotterdam Ready for Potty in 2023.

A new style with picture book and posters

After completing the Rotterdam Ready for Potty , it was time to develop the training again. Based on insights and user feedback, we decided to add a picture book to the app and choose a new style.

With the funny picture book, we want to make the topic of potty training even easier to discuss at home. A book also provides more direct parent-child interaction, a daily reminder in the home situation, and playfully involves the child. The picture book and the renewed design of the app and posters were created in collaboration with the Rotterdam design agency Makii.

Scientific basis of our approach

Vermandel, A. (2022). Handbook Potty Training. Publisher Acco.
Youth Health Care (2011). Guideline potty training for urine and feces. Dutch Center for Youth Health Care: link to the guideline‍
Behavioral Agency Duwtje (2021). A nudge to the potty. Behavioral advice based on a behavioral analysis and pretest of concepts. Commissioned by Future Diaper Project.

Curious about the experiences of parents and professionals? We wrote about it in Vakblad VROEG.

Werner, C., Meijer, G., & Volkers, N. (2024, autumn). Getting out of diapers earlier helps child and environment. Vakblad VROEG, 41 (3), 38-40. [pdf on request, link to follow]