After potty training my son,cousins, little brother, and my daughter, I will give my humble secret to potty training with love and patience. You cannot, however, be afraid to look hideously goofy (seriously).

Step 1: Watch for "the Look."

As early as possible (in age), start to watch for signals on your child's face when they look as if they are using their diaper. Every time they make "the face" , carry them to the restroom and sing the phrase "it's time to pee pee in the potty!" to your favorite tune. This is most effective when you make the faces with them.

Step 2: Model How to Use the Potty.

It is most important to wait until your child is mentally ready to use the potty. This means they are expressing an interest in what goes into the potty, how the water flushes and are able to sing little pieces of the song with you (about the time they start to walk). When they can follow you into the potty, allow them to do so as far as you are comfortable. Sing the song and make the faces. Have the potty chair in the same vicinity as the adult potty (if the adult potty is too big, they may be afraid to use it.). Eventually your child will do whatever you are doing (or imagine you are doing), whether or not they really need to use it. If they even come close to they potty, it's important to give lots of praise (the bigger deal you make of it, the better they remember to do it again.).

Step 3: Finally!

The hardest part of the final stage is waiting for your child to actually poop and pee inside the potty chair. The more you model and reinforce the use of the chair with praise, the sooner this will happen. If you potty train before the child is ready, you will have small successes and many "accidents". This is normal. If you spank or use any kind of "punishment" for an accident, you will only prolong the potty training process. If you are unsure about your child's readiness, go ahead and start to use "pull up" diapers. It will send a signal to the child that he "should be" ready (it is also helpful to put some "big kid underwear over the diaper.). Once your child is using the "pull ups diapers" and can pull them up and down for himself, I can just about promise his consistent use of the potty is near. Most important, I doubt that you will have many (if any) accidents. I hope this was helpful to you. Good luck.!