Parental Guidance (PG)

So you became a parent, and you stayed up nights reading all the books, watching all the videos, taking all the classes. And the best answers still came from one source--other parents, right?

Well, to that end, we’d like to tap the greatest parenting experts ever--you--and share your tips on what works and what doesn’t in a weekly column.

The first question:

Your mother, with arched eyebrows, says you were toilet-trained at 18 months. Your pediatrician says, “Don’t sweat it, the kid will potty train when he’s ready.” But your child’s day care says he’s got to be out of diapers or else. Help! What’s the secret of successful potty training--and when?

Please share your strategies with us in 100 words or fewer. Each Monday, we’ll ask a new parenting question and publish responses on a subsequent Monday. Send to Parental Guidance (PG), Southern California Living, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; e-mail socalliving@latimes.com or fax (213) 237-0732. Please include your name, hometown and phone number. Submissions cannot be returned. No telephone calls, please.