Potty-training is the process of teaching a very young child to use a potty or toilet instead of diapers. You can use it as a name: Potty-training is going well this week. It is also the right-now form of the verb: We are potty-training him. Parents talk about it as a season of family life, with wins, wet trousers, and a lot of washing. Advice is everywhere; none of it fits every child. The word sounds like a neat programme, but it is mostly patience. Some children learn in days, some in months, and nights often come later than days, so done with potty-training can mean different things in different houses.