Potty Training - Fairchild AFB,WA

I think she's not quite ready yet. Showing interest and being able to pull pants up and down are only 2 signs of readiness (although important ones). She also needs to recognize when she is in the process of peeing. They can't really do it before that because they cannot control what they aren't aware they are doing.
She'll get it, hang in there :)

She's not really ready yet. She knows what the goal is, which is why she sits on the potty. So she's intellectually ready. But she cannot feel the urge or figure out how to release the muscle to let the urine flow out. So she's not physically or developmentally ready. You're right - it's just luck. It isn't that she doesn't "want" to go back and do it again - her brain isn't yet getting the "I've got a full bladder" signal.

I'd put her back in diapers, or at least in pull-ups that she can pull down but pull back up after trying the potty seat.

I know people talk about kids who train at 14 or 18 or 24 months, but those kids are few and far between. Those kids are probably not doing something else that your daughter is doing. The average is 3 years, and often later for boys. Just wait it out. She's growing and developing in many ways, and she's probably advanced in other areas - it's just not her turn for the potty. It all evens out!

maybe you should ask her every few hours if she needs to go to the potty.I did that for my son and after that he realized he needs to go to the potty

It's likely she's not ready, but clearly getting there. Here's a wonderful, informative website you might find helpful. It gives a few variations on "readiness" checklists, plus tips on various training strategies, the best ages to start them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach: http://www.parentingscience.com/toilet-training-readiness...

It sounds like you are happy to let your little girl take the lead. That usually works very well – almost all the kids I've known who trained in a week or less simply decided they were ready. They made the developmental leap because they wanted to. For most of them, this happened somewhere between 23 and 40 months (with boys usually a bit later). It's also helpful to know that nighttime training and pooping are often separate steps. Rarely, they happen before daytime pee training, but very frequently, they come later (especially night dryness).

One of the biggest features in readiness, in my observation, is the child's ability to notice sensations and realize ahead of time that they are getting signals to pee or poop. This takes awhile, and it has sometimes seemed to me that parents who make too big a celebration out of the occasional success are probably distracting the child from her sensations. Happiness and congratulations are positive reinforcers, and should not be stopped, but a quieter child might need a quieter smile and comment.

The other thing to consider, as you celebrate, is that the achievement is the child's, and you don't want to encourage her to think she's doing this for your happiness. She wants success, just as with walking and talking, when she's ready. Let her know you're proud of her, but be sure she knows it's even better if she's proud of herself.

From your description, your daughter is doing a great job of sorting out when she wants or needs to try the potty. She can only do this at her own speed. Quiet encouragement will help her get there.

Actually, she may not be quite ready. Cues are that she can stay dry a couple of hours in a diaper, lets you know she needs to pee or poop and then follows through on the potty, doesn't like being wet or poopie, understands the meaning of the words you use for peeing and pooping, etc. She needs to exhibit at least a couple of these unless you want to force the issue and stress you both out. It sounds as if she's beginning to latch on to the concept but not quite there yet.

You say "she doesnt understand how to actually go potty on it." Have you shown her by example and let her see you go? Kids learn best by seeing the same-sex parent and then modeling them. If she has gone a couple of times in the potty she may start to get the idea after watching you, and maybe sitting on her potty while you go will reinforce her experience.

Personally, I'd leave the potty where she can see it and use it, wait a bit and take cues from her as to when she's ready, and remember, experts say the average length of time to fully train a child is anywhere from 3-6 months so there's no need to rush : )

Set her up for success. After 2 years of changing her diaper, you have a pretty good idea of her potty schedule, so take her to sit on the toilet just before she usually goes. Make this part of your regular daily schedule. Once she starts to undertand what the potty is for, she will get the hang of it. If she is interested, don't let the golden opportunity pass you by. Once she gets older and more involved in her play, it's harder to get her to stop playing long enough to go - especially if she doesn't mind being wet.

Have you tried giving her a cup of water or juice while she's sitting on the potty? Or running the water in the sink while she's sitting? Sometimes just a trigger like this will get things started, then she'll start getting the idea.

Most 2 year-olds are "ready", they just need a little help from us. Keep putting her on the potty at regular times during the day so it becomes an expected part of her day - after wake up from sleep or nap, after a meal or snack, and even increasing to once every hour or half-hour. Don't ask her if she wants to, just take her there routinely. Most children take quite a while to be able to tell you, or think to tell you that they need to go, so just go.

I, like you, introduced my daughter to the potty really young - she was about 14 months. She was out of diapers completely by 26 months.

If you are comfortable with ditching the pants, it seems to me that allowing naked time greatly enhances the body awareness they need for potty training. Some kids don't mind being in wet pants but most of them will really notice when pee starts going everywhere. It is indeed messy for a little while and not for those with fancy carpets perhaps. Summer is coming, though - the backyard is a great place for bare-bottom playtime. I would just keep the potty nearby in plain sight where my children were playing. This maybe doesn't work for everyone but my three girls were all potty trained by 2 and a half I think in part due to their love of being naked.

I think some of the other posters are right in saying that the problem is she doesn't yet recognize the urge to go before it happens. The easiest way for them to make the connection is for you to help her with the association. What we did with my son was to have a day where he went completely without bottoms and I was at his side every moment. The second he started to go pee I said "Pee pee goes in the potty" and moved him to the potty. First time I don't think we made any of it in. The second and third time was about half in and by the fourth he gave me about 5 seconds notice, saying "potty" before he started going and everytime after that we got it all in the potty. On day 2 I put the pants back on (without underwear, for ease of up and down and also because underwear feels too much like a diaper). We had one accident first thing in the morning and that was it. We certainly had our ups and downs and after 5 months he still has 2-3 accidents per week at school, but none at home.

I would say go for it, but be prepared for a full commitment and don't go back to diapers except for nap and bed. Good luck!