After reading several books on potty training (my son was a toddler before the internet) and having little success, I found helpful information tucked away in the back of the classifieds section of a women’s magazine.

“Anatomically correct dolls, order yours today,” it read. The ad explained that this was a great way to potty train her youngster. With the doll came a small pamphlet on potty training.

This is what I did, and it worked!

I asked my son for an anatomically correct doll. He came with a bottle too. I explained to my son that he was going to be two years old that he had to bottle feed his baby, but his baby would need to go to the bathroom soon after. I showed her how to put the potty on the toilet bowl for Dolly to pee on and how to empty it into the toilet bowl and flush afterwards.

The doll’s first few hours of feeding resulted in a humid environment as the doll urinated before my son made his way, doll in hand, to the toilet bowl. But then he became wise. He heard him talking to his baby. “Let’s go pee,” he’d say, and he’d run to the bathroom, put his doll in front of the potty, watch him pee, empty the potty, then flush.

A week later there was my own little boy, standing in front of the toilet bowl and urinating.

Success! And she had barely had to do anything at all.

Now I hear that this is the method recommended by Dr. Phil. He also suggests that when the doll successfully goes potty the first time, you and your child should throw her a “potty party” with loud noises and whatever else boisterous fun you can think of. Of course, when the doll’s potty success is followed by your child’s potty success, your little one will have a potty party too.

A few key points are also in order here.

Potty training should be attempted at the right time. Don’t expect your child to be ready before 18 months, and it could be as late as 2 1/2 years. Do not rush. Your child should be walking, and probably running, well and be able to communicate that he needs to go, now! Whether the message is urine, poop, pee, or whatever, your toddler just needs to be able to get the message across. Some of the signs that he’s ready to start potty training are dry diapers, a child distressed by a messy diaper, and consistently firm stools.

At first you’ll need to help your child, so you don’t want to miss the cues that it’s time to “go.” The message may come in the form of dancing with their hands on their genitals or frantic tugging at their clothing.

A potty or urinal is almost crucial. A small child may be afraid of that big noise, “what if I fall?” bowl. If so, the potty is the way to go. It is a miniaturized toilet that is completely separate from your own toilet. A potty, on the other hand, fits inside its own toilet, but is adapted to the smaller body of the child.

Today’s potty-training dolls, $20-$40 each, come equipped with bottles and their own potty. Two manufacturers are Gotz Aquini and Corolle. Corolle dolls have their own diapers and are designed to hold water and get wet when needed.