My Toddler Is Potty Training Herself!

After potty training three daughters and a son,, The best I can tell you to do here is to keep the undies on and bring extra clothes... Keep asking her if she needs to go to the potty while you're out.

My son did the same thing. So when we were home I let him run around naked eventually we put him in big boy underware (the kind that has the plastic). If he messed those (happened a few times likely because he thought he was in a diaper again.) We'd talk about accidents and wash the underpants together.

When we was able to keep his underpants dry all day we finally decided to let him go out in public just keeping an extra pair of clothes. We have had a few close calls (where he would dribble a bit) where we would have to run to the bathroom. But overall he lets us know and we can make it to the restroom in time. We have had to pull the car over or find a spot for him, but I think that is common for any kid at this age.

He was keeping his diapers dry overnight for a while so we took the risk and just laid his crib padding under his sheets. We've only had one accident at night since we started about a month ago. Another suggestion I got was to leave his underware on under the diaper over night until you felt comfortable.

Congrats!!
My little boy did this, too! I made potty training much less traumatic (for me) than I thought it would be! :)
I went out the very same week he started using the potty all the time at home. I made him potty before we left the house and again when we got to super walmart -he always has a drink when we grocery shop so I didn't figure it would hurt to try again! He picked out his new "big boy" undies and has been doing great since (about 4 months now) with infrequent accidents. I still bring extra pants and undies but with frequent reminder and making him go when I do he's doing great.

I don't know if that helps you at all- good luck with her and with the new one too!!
J.

Nix the pull-ups! Especially if your daughter is ready, jump on the opportunity. Sounds like you got lucky like me. All I have to say is stick with it. We bought a pack of pull-ups and didn't end up using them. I decided to just get the training pants where the crotch is thicker and can absorb more, but called them her big girl panties. I only put those on her at night. But during the day, I put regular panties on her. Don't get me wrong, there were several days where I drove home from work on my lunch hour to change the sheets b/c she had messed in them the morning she woke up, but I found out that we were waiting too long from the time she woke up to when she would walk in our room to get us up. So instead, when I heard her wake up, I would rush in there, grab her out of bed, and put her on the potty. That worked out just fine. Just be patient and expect to do more laundry. There will be middle-of-the-night sheet changes, but at least she doesn't think it's ok to just go pee in her pants. This is just our experience. Hope you find one that works!

Base your use of pull-ups on your daughter not others. I say this because my son did great in pull-ups when we went out. It was a VERY rare day that he would have an accident. All you need is one package to know if they will work for you or not. But, from the sounds of it, she should do great. Make short trips, like to the grocery just for milk or something, and see how she does.

That said, she is doing great!!!!!! My daughter was somewhat the same only younger and now, she's backsliding. Being only 20 months old, I expected it. I think that mine simply doesn't want to stop what she's doing, but I certainly don't want to fight with her. You should also expect some regression with the move and new baby. Not saying there will be, but be ready. These are huge transitions for her. Lot of time and patience.

She seems plenty ready to me. I would try having her wear big girls underwear at home first (if you haven't already). When you venture out, though, remind her that she isn't wearing a diaper, and that she needs to tell you if she has to go potty. Once you're at the store, ask her often if she needs to go potty. If possible, show her that there is a public restroom at the store. And always have a change of clothes with you. Wost case scenario: She'll have an accident at a store, and you'll have to change her clothes. She seems like a smart little cookie, so I bet one accident would be all it would take for her to 'get it'.

Oh - I also used those 3-ply training underwear at first. I got them at Target. They're soft cotton like regular underpants, but they're thicker so they hold more liquid in the case of an accident. You can also buy plastic pants to wear over them, but I never used those.

Good luck...and best wishes with Baby #2!

Go with it! I would start with short trips like to the post office or a quick milk run. Then move your way up once she's done good with those. Make sure she goes before you leave the house, and maybe half-way through a shopping trip, then again as soon as you get home. Still take a diaper bag with you packed with extra pants and panties just in case. Don't forget to praise her when she does make it through an outing dry. Consider yourself lucky. Potty training is much easier when you don't have to contend with a screaming baby. If you do run into any setbacks once baby arrives, just keep emphasizing (sp) that she is a big girl and only babies potty in a diaper.

Does she tell you when she has to go potty? Would she tell you if you were in a store? Does she wear big girl underpants at home or is she naked? If she can tell you when she has to go and wears big girl underpants at home, I say go for it. Just make sure to take and extra change of clothes or two with you!

She sure sounds ready for outings! Just go cold turkey (except potentially at night and/or naps). Take her to the bathroom when you get to the store and again before you head home if you are worried, but potentially you will quickly see that she can hold it for a long time. Also, when we would go any distance we would just throw the potty in the car and then if we needed to go and weren't near a bathroom we could pull off the road and use our potty seat. Good luck! She may think that the new baby makes her a BIG GIRL and not regress when the new baby comes. You just never know...

I am in the transition period with my son. I always have pull ups and underwear ready to go in a bag. If we are out and my son has an accident and its really messy, pull ups are a great way to get through until you can get home.

good luck!

Make a trial run. Go somewhere when you don't really have to. Take her to the store or a park, etc and see how it goes. SHe is definitely old enough to be potty trained, and if you don't take advantage of this, she may lose interest and be a lot older before she is interested again!

I'd get cloth training pants. They are enough to hold leaks when she can't hold it, but WAY cheaper than buying pull-ups over and over.

If she is consistently going at home, I would let her wear big girl panties. Bring some extra clothes and make sure that you know when the bathroom is in any store that you go to. Also, I would take her out to places close to home for starters so that she won't be in the car for very long.
Congrats and good luck!

You just need to do it. She may have an accident while you are out. Take a few changes of clothes . Reward her when she stays dry. Follow a routine to have her at the bathroom every two hours or even one hour and gradually increase the time. I think it is great you did not have to do much. Take the potty in the car . If you travel a distance, have a pull-up on and remind her to keep it dry and still take the potty breaks at the same interval. It may back fire when you move or have your next child or it may not.

Good Luck,
J. R

She's doing it! Just let her go! My Dr. advised me to let nature take it's course, and that is exactly what I did with all 3 of mine. It worked like a charm. No accidents, even on road trips. I would always be prepared for the worst. (Extra pants, panties, cleanup materials, etc) If she is doing this well, I would not try to slow down the process. You may have an accident, but it's not worth the regression trying to wait for an ideal time. You may cause some issues about it. Awesome job, most are older before they get to the stage she is at with their potty training!

Your daughter is ready! Not letting her is just going to hold her back and you may miss your window to do it. Go ahead and put panties on her. Make sure she uses the potty before you leave the house and then ask her every 15 to 30 minutes if she needs to go. Pack a an extra set of clothes, some wipes and paper towels incase she has an accident. My daughter also trained her self at 22 months. I was shocked she was ready that early but it worked. She wet herself at a store once and she hated the feeling so bad that she never did it again. I just wiped up the mess, changed her and went about our day.

Pull ups may not work for some of those moms out there but they worked well for my kids. I used pull ups when they were starting to potty train and I never had any issues. I would suggest pull ups for trips to the store or where you may be gone for a long period of time. You can use them at night too. The pull ups may not have worked for them but it doesn't mean that it wont work for you. You have to try it out for yourself and find out. You can't always go by what other people tell you about things like that. I would say go ahead and give the pull ups a shot.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7, and 4.

My advice is also to nix the pull-ups, and I base this on the fact that she will pee/poop in her diaper if she has one on. A pull-up feels a lot like a diaper to kids. It is thick, and it pulls the wetness away from their skin, just like a diaper. But they are right, you won't know until she tries them. From experience, if she is keeping her big girl panties clean and dry, she will continue that when she is out. When my daughter had been trained for 2 days, she wanted to go with daddy to the store. He was nervous about taking her in panties, but we did. She was fine. Like you've been told, just ask her while you are out if she needs to use the potty. My daughter was 27 mos. when she was potty trained, we never used pull-ups, and she didn't have accidents as a rule in public.
Good luck to you and your family on the move and the new baby.
R.

Hi J.,
My 31month old started potty training herself when she was about 24months. When we would go out for the day, she would almost always tell me that she had to go potty! When she started doing this, we started giving her choices, panties or a diaper, when she had the "Not So Sure" look in her face, we would put the diaper on her and carry extra clothes and diapers, just incase she did take off her diaper while in public. So I would ask your daughter if she wants to give the Big Girl Panties a try when out in public, as long as she's ready to tell you that she has to go! But make sure you bring extras in case she does have an accident! Good Luck!

My daughter did something similar - she wasn't so adamant about the no diaper thing, she just didn't use them - she would wait and go on the potty. It was a much smoother process than I expected and much shorter than the process of potty training my son.

My advice is to take the plunge. There's never going to be a clear "she's ready" time. I say that as soon as you get to the store take her to the bathroom and don't bring a cup. Keep it a short trip, and when you're done hit the bathroom again before the trip home.

I understand why you wanted to wait and she is young, but you also don't want to discourage her either. That could set you back a long time. There is the possibility that she will regress, but not all kids do. My son was pretty young when my daughter was born and he didn't suddenly start peeing his pants or asking for diapers again, so it's not a guarantee that it will happen either.

Gerber still makes the plastic lined underwear, they're a little hard to find, but good for that in-between phase especially when you're going out, they contain the majority of the mess.

seeing as how she's going on her own at home and knows the feelings of both, i would get a mattress protector for accidents at night & put away the diapers.