All kids are different. But the American Academy of Pediatrics has agreed on similar signs exhibited by most kids when they’re ready for toilet training. If you think your child might be ready to give the potty a go, refer to the list below and see how he or she measures up:

Stays dry at least 2 hours at a time during the day

Bowel movements become regular

Child can follow simple instructions

Child can walk to and from bathroom and undress

Child seems uncomfortable with soiled diapers

Child asks to use the toilet

Child asks to wear grown-up underwear

While most kids demonstrate that they’re ready to be potty-trained between the ages of 18 and 24 months, this certainly isn’t always the case. And the toilet training process can take a year for some kids and much longer than that for others.

So, the Toilet Training School at Children’s Hospital in Boston is a six-week program, much like similar ones around the country that helps those children who just aren’t getting the toilet training thing done. The professionals in the program work with the kids to get them comfortable with the toilet and alleviate their fears. They use various strategies to make potty training a success. CNN has even more details on how the potty school works and different techniques the toilet teachers try.