A method and apparatus for training a child in the use of toilets by means of operant conditioning is provided. In the first phase of the method, the child is put in diapers configured to produce a selected stimulus when wet or soiled. Over time, the child comes to associate the stimulus with urination. In the second phase of the method, the child is provided with a child toilet configured to produce the same stimulus as the diapers of the first phase when sat upon by the child. The child encounters the familiar urination stimulus each time he/she sits on the toilet, and thus comes to associate the toilet with urination.