I Can Go Potty!; Traveling with Children

Can you imagine the trouble Jackson Pollock's mother went through toilet training her son ? ("Jackson, poop belongs in the potty, not thrown on the walls, and please don't give me that line about abstract expressionism!") It is a truth universally acknowledged, to paraphrase Jane Austen, that a toddler in possession of a full diaper must be in want of toilet training, and I Can Go Potty! offers one of the more reassuring guides I've seen.Humorous, informative, kid-friendly 6-year-old Jillian shares with young tykes the entertaining saga of how her younger brother Andrew learned to do his business first in the potty chair (which, Andrew discovers, also makes a perfect rocketship/submarine/jeep seat, not to mention a great place to stick stuffed animals), before stepping up to the Big Toilet. Along the way, Andrew also learns proper wiping, the importance of washing one's hands with soap and water, and the relationship Golden Rule (put the seat down when finished). Kids will enjoy the bouncy tunes "A Big Kid Is What I Want to Be" and "When It's Time to Go," which offer gentle encouragement and helpful reminders, while parents will appreciate the closing Q&A session on a wide variety of topics, including how to determine when a child is ready for potty training, strategies for getting started, and what to do if a child is resistant. Sure to be very popular with first-time parents, this engaging primer is warmly recommended. Aud: P.Traveling with Children, hosted by Tina Vlerebome, takes the potty issue (among others) on the road, so to speak, as it offers tips for families traveling on planes, trains, automobiles and cruise ships, domestically and abroad. Although the video opens with a long scroll of disclaimers (including "the author and producers do not guarantee that any suggestions in this program will be effective in the user's particular situation"), I saw no tips or suggestions that appeared to be dangerous, but many that could be truly helpful. In the traveling by car segment, for instance, we see Vlerebome and her crew (kids and hubby) smartly making advance preparations: checking www.mapquest.com for mileage and directions to their destination, getting a pre-trip tune-up for the car, and packing such vital items as a cup holder for the infant safety seat and a portable TV/VCR unit to put that cigarette lighter jack to good use. Ditto for the ensuing segments, as well as the sections on staying at a hotel and foreign travel.Where the program disappoints (and disappoints mightily) is that after offering unbiased, objective information on travel by car, air, and train, the section on cruising essentially turns out to be a pitch for Carnival Cruise lines, featuring loads of stock commercial footage. In fact, Carnival (which I've heard described as a "floating meat market," although the children's programs elaborately detailed here suggest they are trying to shed their lust boat image) is the only cruise line mentioned, omitting such obviously more family-friendly choices as Disney and The Big Red Boat.Aside from the blown credibility on the cruise section, Traveling with Children does provide harried parents with plenty of good advice, ranging from the obvious (watch your step when boarding a train) to the not-so-obvious (taking a quick Polaroid picture of your children at the train terminal or airport can be very helpful in the unlikely event of separation). A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)