Potty Training - Fairbanks,AK

The biggest thing is do NOT push her...most mothers will tell you the same thing. She is in control of this and pushing her will most likely backfire. We started potty training our daughter at 2.5 and it took about three weeks to get her daytime potty trained without accidents. we loved using the "naked" method but really she just ran around the house in undies for three weeks. We used a gum ball machine for treats and filled it with jelly beans and when she went peepee she got 1 jelly bean and when she went poopie she got three jelly beans plus she got the bonus of being able to dispense her own candy which she found to be the most exciting thing. And if you do start potty training her and she all of a sudden stops showing interest then stop the process. Our daughter first was interested at 20 months but then out of the blue didn't care. And then bam she was interested again at 2.5 years old.

D.,
My youngest daughter is 15mo and doing the same thing, she cant quite get her diaper off but tries, I do my best to pick up on her cues and we go sit on the potty, she seems more comfortable if I sit on the regular potty by her in her kid potty. I learned a lesson from my oldest about this though, I have a now 7(almost 8) year old that went through this stage ( granted now almost 6 1/2 years ago), She went weeks with going on the potty all day only had maybe 1 wet diaper a day I was amazed I had never heard of a 14 mo old doing that! Then she had times after a few weeks when she didnt want to go on the pot, I tried to bribe her and give her gental reminders, the more I tried to convince her the less she would go, but because I knew she could so it I still tried to get her to go...... needless to say she stopped completely and didnt get potty trained until she was 2 1/2. I was onoly 18 when I had my first so I was VERY young, now with my youngest I have learned to sit back and let her do things at her pace not mine, toddlers can be extreemly stubborn and bullheaded. So the other ladies advice about not pushing her was right on the money, most children potty train between 2-3 years old, girls tend to be a little more difficult than boys especially the first born. I recommend a potty training movie or cd, they were wonderful aids in helping my first. However she did run around the supermarket singing " I am a super duper pooper, I can potty with the best my mommy's really impressed!" which to someone who hasnt been there sounds really strange- hahaha. Just remember have you ever heard of someone not getting potty trained at some point in there lives? It can seem up and down and sometimes frustrating but just take it easy I am sure your daughter will get it some day encourage when she wants to but dont push when she doesnt. The best of luck :) and dont forget to come back and tell us how it all goes.

My daughter also showed interest at this age, and we went with it while being careful not to push it. It was always her choice to use the potty or not. We kept her in diapers until she was 2--by then she was often dry and never had dirty diapers. Then we had 'underwear day' and celebrated her switch to cloth training pants.

I highly recommend the book 'Diaper-Free Before 3'. It has great tips for taking a gradual approach that worked very well for us. Basically, they promote treating potty training just like everything else--something you can help them learn about.

For now put her in loose-fitting panties that she can pull up and down herself, and either have a toilet seat insert and a stool so she can climb up on to the toilet (they come in sponge bob, dora, etc. at the store) or a little potty chair that she can just sit on (and show her how to dump it herself). She's definitely showing an interest so jump on it and let her learn. Don't let anyone insult her intelligence by saying it's too soon. She's ready! She can do it! I used the book Toilet Training in Less Than A Day to train my two-year-old. It worked like a charm. You can find it on www.amazon.com. But you could just let her take the lead and keep her in panties and praise her for using it (and maybe give a gold fish cracker or nut or something each time she uses it). Also (from that book) praise her for having dry panties (when they're dry). Likewise give her a treat when she's had dry panties. Show her how to run to the potty when she needs to go. If you see her starting to go when she's not on the potty, scream at the top of your lungs (that'll stop her), grab her hand and run to the potty. I did that before I even read the book (couldn't help screaming when my son started peeing on the carpet), and it helped a lot (he could see that it was unfavorable to pee on the floor). Make a joke/game out of it (running to the potty) and she'll think it's fun/funny. You can do it, and she can do it. This is a window of opportunity where she's interested. If you let it pass, it's gone (though with that book it still can be done later, but might as well take advantage of her interest).