Practical potty training: SouthFlorida.com

When she started the project, early childhood expert Karen Deerwester said she had no idea there were 200 questions about potty training.

This month, her book, The Potty Training Answer Book, hits bookstores. This easy-to-read guide provides practical answers to 200 questions that parents really have about how to help their children make that transition from diapers to using the toilet consistently.

"There's a lot written about how to potty-train," says Deerwester, who writes the Toddler to Preschooler column in South Florida Parenting, teaches Mommy and Me classes in Boca Raton, and consults nationally on early-childhood parenting issues. "But I don't think there's enough written about the emotional aspects of this. The pressure on parents is enormous. 'Why won't my child do this?' they ask. Well, the answer is maybe they don't want to."

Much of the advice in her book is easy to follow and exceedingly practical, and it addresses the emotional issues that may come into play for children or their parents.