Potty Training a 3 yr old

[Hartwood]

I recently moved in with a roommate who has a 3 yr old son.  I see her struggling with many aspects of raising her first child.  One issue that seems to stick out in my mind is his potty training.  It's not happening. Period.  He is in pull-ups.  There is a small potty sitting in the spare bathroom, collecting dust.  I have been living with her for a month now.  I stay at home all day with her while our husbands work and I have never once heard her ask him if he needed to use the potty.  I have even begun to catch onto his bm pattern.  I noticed twice when he was "straining"/red faced, suggested that he might be pooping, she didn't do anything, and a couple min. later he came up to her and said he had pooped.  In the morning, after breakfast, she asks, "Have you pooped yet?" instead of "Do you need to go potty?"  She says that everyone has told her that "he will know when he is ready."  But how can he know if she isn't building the knowledge for it.
I have never had to potty train a child, no kids for me just yet, so I don't feel like it is my place to say anything.  But I want to be able to help.  I almost feel like she is hendering the process b/c of what she is doing.  Please tell me some techniques I could suggest to her without stepping on her toes.  

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

This boy is likely ready to be trained, but he needs parental guidance and support in order to master this challenge. It won't spontaneously occur. All you need to say is that this boy is at the age when potty training can occur, and he needs her help. She can confer with the child's pediatrician for some guidance, and she can take a look at any number of parenting books to help her. Following is an example (but there are many) of such a book:

Stress-Free Potty Training: A Commonsense Guide to Finding the Right Approach for Your Child by Sara Au and Peter L. Stavinoha

[Hartwood]

Thanks!  I just needed the confirmation that he was prob ready.  I will suggested those books and try to help her move things along.