Online Parenting Course

Panic-Free Potty Training

Know when to start, what to do next, and how to handle setbacks, so you can help your child leave diapers behind with less pressure and more confidence.

Ages 1.5 to 5

37 video lessons

Self-paced

Resource vault included

Taught by Jess VanderWier, a Registered Psychotherapist and mom of three.

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Is this course for you?

If any of these sound familiar, you're in the right place.

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Daycare needs them out of diapers, and the date is coming fast.

There is a deadline on the calendar now, and every diaper feels like the clock running down. You have started reminding, bribing, and watching the potty like a hawk, and the harder you push to hurry, the more your child digs in. You just want them ready in time, without making them, or yourself, miserable to get there.

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You tried the three-day method, and it turned into a three-week standoff.

You cleared your weekend, followed the plan, and called pee and poop "yucky" like you were told. Instead of a trained toddler you got tears, accidents, and a child who now runs from the bathroom. You are left wondering what you did wrong, while a friend swears the very same method worked for her in a weekend.

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She'll pee on the potty all day, then hold her poop until the pull-up goes on.

The pee part clicked, so you thought the worst was behind you. But poop is a different story. She hides, she holds it, she melts down, and now you are quietly worried about constipation and the battle it has become. You have no idea how to help her over this one specific hump.

Get Started with Panic-Free Potty Training

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37 video lessons across 5 modules, to help you ditch the diapers and have dry nights

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Amazing printable resources: readiness checklist, temperament quiz, hand-washing and wiping posters, and routine charts

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A daycare and caregiver collaboration plan

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A troubleshooting library to help you solve the exact problem you're facing

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Self-paced, on any device, and yours to revisit at each new stage

Original price was: US$44.69.Current price is: US$37.99.

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Complete your purchase and start Module 1 tonight!

What You'll Learn

Know When (and How) to Start

  • Read your child's readiness. Use a clear checklist to tell whether your child's body and brain are ready, so you start at the moment that makes this faster, not harder.
  • Work with your child's temperament. Find out whether you have an easygoing, sensitive, or strong-willed child, and adjust your approach so you stop fighting their wiring.
  • Build the runway first. Lay low-pressure groundwork, even as young as 20 months, that makes the real thing click sooner instead of springing it on them cold.

Stay Calm and Lead the Way

  • Keep your cool in the messy moments. Learn what to do with your own frustration when there is poop on the floor again, so you stay the calm leader your child is taking their cues from.
  • Trade pressure for connection. Swap the rewards, the bribes, and "you're a big kid now" for the playful, connected approach that actually lowers resistance.
  • Respond to accidents without shame. Get a simple, neutral script that treats an accident as information, not a failure, so it does not spiral into a power struggle.

Handle Every Stage and Setback

  • Move through the five goals. Follow a step-by-step plan from first successes to underwear, outings, and dry nights, advancing on your child's progress instead of a three-day clock.
  • Solve the poop standoffs. Get specific help for the child who pees but won't poop, who hides, who holds it, or who is caught in the constipation-fear cycle.
  • Handle travel, daycare, and dry nights. Manage public bathrooms, long car rides, different caregivers, and the biology of staying dry overnight, without losing the progress you made.

See What's Included

37 Lessons

2+ Hours

43-Page Workbook

INCLUDES Audio-Only Version

37 short video lessons across 5 modules, plus the printable resource vault. The lessons are short on purpose, so you can learn one idea during nap time and use it that afternoon. Open any module to see every lesson.

1. The Nurtured First Foundation (The Mindset Shift)

5 Lessons

18 minutes

Before a single diaper comes off, you get the mindset that makes everything else work: why this is learning and not training, why pushing backfires, and how to stay calm when it gets messy.

In this module

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Meet Your Guide & Important Disclaimer

Video

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Welcome: Ditching Diapers Without the Drama

Video

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How to Navigate This Course

VIDEO

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Panic-Free Potty Training Workbook

PDF

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The Collaborative Mindset: Why Connection Wins

Video

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Managing Your Triggers: The Parent's Journey

Video

2. Readiness and Temperament (The Assessment)

3 Lessons

12 minutes

Two questions decide how smoothly this goes: who your child is, and when they are ready. This module helps you answer both before you begin.

In this module

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The Two Keys to Success: Development and Temperament

Video

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Understanding Your Child's Unique Temperament

Video

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Assessing Readiness: Is It Time to Start?

Video

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Temperament Assessment Quiz

PDF

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Readiness Checklist

PDF

3. Building Pre-Potty Skills (The Runway)

6 Lessons

14 minutes

A low-pressure on-ramp you can start at any age. These are the small, everyday habits that make potty learning click faster once you do begin.

In this module

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Introduction: The Low-Pressure Runway

Video

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Language Matters: Shame-Free, Anatomically Correct Talk

Video

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Creating a Positive Potty Environment

Video

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Modeling and Play: Familiarizing Without Pressure

Video

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Foundational Skill: Handwashing

Video

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Handwashing Poster

PDF

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Foundational Skill: Wiping

Video

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Wiping Poster

PDF

4. The 5 Goals of Potty Learning (The Implementation)

7 Lessons

34 minutes

The heart of the course. You move through five goals at your child's pace, from the very first success to dry days and nights, measuring mastery instead of counting days.

In this module

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Overview of the 5-Goal Framework

Video

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Goal 1: The Setup

Video

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Goal 2: Supported Success

Video

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Goal 3: The Step Back (Building Independence)

Video

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Goal 4: Dry During the Day (Underwear, Outings, and Daycare)

Video

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Goal 5: Dry During the Night (Biology and Transition)

Video

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Conclusion: The Journey Ahead

VIDEO

5. Troubleshooting & Common Challenges (The Reference Library)

16 Lessons

49 minutes

We polled parents on what actually trips them up, then made a short video for each one. Jump straight to the roadblock in front of you and get a focused answer.

In this module

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How to Use the Troubleshooting Library

Video

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Responding to Accidents and Regressions with Compassion

Video

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Managing Pushback and "I Don't Want To!"

Video

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From Diapers to Underwear: Overcoming Clothing Resistance

Video

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Responding Effectively When a Child Lies About an Accident

Video

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Peeing on the Potty, but Refusing to Poop

Video

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My Child Hides to Poop

Video

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Constipation: The Potty Learning Blocker

Video

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When They "Hold It" (Withholding)

Video

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Sensory Sensitivities and Potty Fears

VIDEO

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Navigating Public Bathrooms and Travel

VIDEO

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Transitioning Equipment (Small Potty to Big Toilet)

VIDEO

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Aligning with Daycare and Other Caregivers

VIDEO

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Daycare Collaboration Plan

PDF

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Mechanics: Aim, Spray, and Messes

VIDEO

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Keeping Your Cool (In-the-Moment Regulation)

VIDEO

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Closing - You've Got This

VIDEO

See How Jess Teaches

Jess doesn't lecture, and she doesn't hand you a rigid 3-day plan and wish you luck. She walks you through the real moments, the standoff at the potty and the accident right before you need to leave the house, and shows you what to say and what to do. Watch a few minutes and you will know if she is the kind of guide you have been looking for.

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Taught By:

Jess VanderWier

Registered Psychotherapist & Mom of 3

Jess VanderWier is a Registered Psychotherapist and the founder of Nurtured First. For years she has helped families move past the power struggles and the pressure to fix behavior fast, toward an approach built on connection and child development.

She has cleaned poop off the kitchen floor more times than she can count, and she has felt the anger rise when an attempt that started too early turned into weeks of standoffs. So she knows potty learning from the inside, not just from across a therapy room. She teaches the way a good friend would, warm, honest, and full of real examples you will recognize from your own bathroom floor.

What makes this course different

Your Plan to Become Their Confident Guide

It follows your child, not a three-day clock.

Most potty programs sell you a deadline and one script that is supposed to fit every kid. This one moves at your child's pace and starts only when they are genuinely ready, because a body that is pushed too soon digs in and the whole thing drags out longer.

A therapist's read on the why, not just a hack.

This is build by a team of experts, who are trained to work with sensitive, neurodivergent, and children who struggle to pee or poop on the potty. They know there's no one-size-fits-all approach, instead, Jess teaches you how to work with your individual child.

A troubleshooting library for when it gets hard.

Most potty advice stops at the happy path and goes quiet the moment things stall. This course hands you a short video for the exact roadblocks that derail families, from poop holding to public bathrooms, so a setback has an answer instead of turning into a crisis.

It treats potty learning as learning, not training.

Accidents become information, not failures. There is no shaming, no calling it "yucky," and no sticker chart to bribe your way through, because those tend to work for a week and then backfire into resistance.

It works on you, too.

The hardest part of a mess on the floor is often what it stirs up in you. A whole part of this course is about keeping your own calm, so your child always has a steady leader to follow.

It grows with your child and your real life.

Whether you are laying early groundwork with a young toddler or resetting a stalled attempt with a stubborn three-year-old, the approach meets you there. Come back to it for daycare, travel, and dry nights as they arrive.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Who is this course for?

Parents and caregivers of toddlers and preschoolers who are about to start, in the middle of, or starting over with potty training, and who want a flexible plan that follows their child instead of a rigid three-day deadline.

Will this work for a sensitive or strong-willed child?

Yes, and it is built with them in mind. Sensitive and strong-willed children are often the ones a three-day approach backfires on. The temperament module helps you spot your child's style and adjust, giving them the extra time, choice, and connection they need to feel safe learning this.

How do I know if my child is ready for the potty?

There is no magic window, and starting too early often makes the whole thing take longer. The course gives you a readiness checklist covering body, brain, and emotional signs, so you can tell whether to begin now or spend a few more weeks on the low-pressure runway first. The runway itself can start as young as 20 months.

My last potty training attempt was a disaster. Can I start over?

Yes, and starting over calmly often goes faster than grinding through a stalled attempt. The course shows you how to reset, step back to more support, and rebuild without the power struggles, which is where a lot of families find themselves when they come to this.

Why pay for this when there are potty-training books for $15 to 20, or free videos online?

Books and free videos can genuinely help, and plenty of parents start there. The difference is that a book hands you one timeline and a script to read, while this shows you how, with Jess walking you through the exact words and what to do when your child pushes back. You also get a plan that bends to your own child and a troubleshooting library for the roadblocks the quick guides skip. If a free tip has already solved it for your family, you may not need this. If you have tried the tips and every attempt still ends in a standoff, this is the part they leave out.

How is this different from The Potty Toolkit?

The Potty Toolkit is a printable you and your child work through together: stories, games, scripts, and posters you can hang by the potty. This course is the full method on video, where you watch Jess teach the readiness check, the five goals, and every common roadblock, with a resource vault included. Many parents use both, the course to understand the approach and the toolkit for hands-on practice with their child. If you are in the middle of a hard standoff and need to know what to do next, start with the course.

How long are the lessons, and how do I fit this in?

The course is built from short video lessons, so you can learn one idea during nap time and use it that afternoon. There is a quick-start path if you are stuck right now and need help today, and you can skip straight to the stage or roadblock in front of you instead of watching all 37 in order.

Can I go at my own pace?

Yes. The course is completely self-paced, with no scheduled sessions and no deadlines. Watch it in order, follow the quick-start path, or jump to the troubleshooting library for the exact problem taking over your house today.

How long do I have access?

The course is yours to come back to as your child grows. Potty learning is rarely a straight line, and night dryness in particular can come much later than dry days, so you can watch what helps now and return for the next stage when you need it.

What about pooping problems, like holding it or hiding?

These are some of the most common struggles, and the troubleshooting library covers them directly: the child who pees but won't poop, who hides, who withholds, and who is caught in the constipation-fear cycle. One important note: if there is any pain, hard stools, or ongoing constipation, please see your child's medical professional, because that is outside what a course can address.

Does this replace professional support?

No. This is parenting education. It does not diagnose anything and it does not replace medical or psychological care, and it does not address chronic constipation, urinary issues, or developmental differences that can affect potty learning. If your child has pain, significant anxiety around the toilet, or you have concerns about their development, please work with a qualified professional.

What if it doesn't work for my family?

You have 30 days from purchase to request a course refund if it is not the right fit and you have completed 50 percent or less of the course content. See the refund policy for the full terms, including account standing and offer-specific conditions.

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Panic-Free Potty Training

Original price was: US$44.69.Current price is: US$37.99.