Potty Training - Park Ridge,IL

This is a good age, anytime later will be more difficult for her tp adopt. I started my daughter at 2.7 years - over a long weekend. No going out just make her sit on potty every 1/2 hr to 45 mins. All the time in panty. We never went back. I showed here that I am throwing all her diapers. After two day she had two accidents and hola the bedtime and nightime came along very well.

All the Best!!

We did the same thing, trained our son when I was about 3 months pregnant with my daughter. When we trained my son we said no more diapers, and we didn't use pullups...although I wish I had at night. We take him to the bathroom in the middle of the night, it works but I can't wait until he gets up on his own to do this.

I would just put your daughter in the underwear during the day and while you're out. They have to know what it is to be wet...and hopefully not like it. That way they want to stay dry and go to the potty. I wouldn't use pullups at nap time either...make sure you cut the liquids before nap time and take her to pee a couple times before...she should be fine. And then when she wakes up take her to pee right away.

They are going to have accidents, just be sure to always bring spare clothes/underwear. You have to constantly be watching them and take them. We had the issue with my son that he gets involved with playing and wanted to hold it too long...so by the time he ran to the bathroom he would partially pee in his pants, on the floor and then finish in the toilet. They eventually get the hang of it and go on their own...just takes time.

Good luck!
P.S. I had my husband take a week off of work and we trained our son in a week...non-stop and didn't take him out of the house til he was trained...kind of old school training, but it worked.

You did not start too early. Keep her in pull-ups when you go places. Realize that she will not be completely trained by March, i.e. go to bathroom by herself, pull down her pants by herself, wipe herself, pull up her pants by herself, never have accidents. Is she going on the potty? If not, just keep doing it and eventually she will get it. This is such a gamble, every child is unique, perseverance wins the day.

Hi Michelle-

I am a mother of 3. 15, 11 and 2. I began to potty train all of them at the age of 2 and by the age of 2.5 we were done. I did try something a little different with my 2 year old. We did not use pull up because a pull up is just another form of a diaper. We let him wear underwear on top of his diaper so when we go out there are no accidents and he still has the realization that he has on his big boy underwear and believe it or not he tells us that he needs to go potty...Not sure if this helps or not but its worth a try!

Just to add, very quickly - we potty trained my daughter around 2-1/2 as well. I actually kept her in panties in public places but I made sure that as soon as we got to our destination, we would go to the bathroom. At the mall, every 45 minutes we would go. Granted, I did wait to start taking her places until after about a week of solid potty training. Though with your little one on the way, yes, I suppose it is possible she might regress. We are expecting a baby for July but I"m hoping that since Siena has been potty trained since September, that the habit is formed and she won't regress. Best of luck to the both of us!! :)

Michelle,
I was due for my second baby when my son was 2.5 too. The pediatrician recommended not really pushing it until after I delivered. I would keep her in pull ups for now. It will make your life easier once the new baby is here to not have to worry about taking her to the potty all the time and cleaning up accidents. Our peds also said that really most kids are not ready until 3 years old. However, I know that girls are easier boys for some reason. My second child is now 3 and we are just starting. I decided to not push it until summer when it is warmer and he can just be in his underwear during the day. I use goodnites at night because they seem more comfortable than diapers or pull ups and they absorb more. Good luck!

Going back and forth from underwear to diapers would definitely confuse her. I would let her wear her big girl underwear but put a pull up on over the underwear. Tell her that "we are going out to the store (or where ever). You can use the potty at the store if you need to; but we are going to put a pull up on over your big girl underwear just in case we don't make it to the potty in time. This approach has worked well for me. She still feels like a big girl in her underwear but you won't have to drag along a full change of clothes. I sometimes bring an extra pair of underwear with me anyway but you can always put the pull-up on if she has an accident. Good luck!!

When I was potty training my oldest daughter (now 4 1/2), I used the pull ups only when we were out of the house and when she was sleeping. Whenever she was awake, she was in big girl panties. I never went back to diapers once we started with pull ups.

I started the training when she was 2 1/2 but then I got pregnant with twins and was put on bedrest. The training hadn't been going well before that so I wasn't concerned about stopping due to the bedrest. I was also concerned that she would regress after her sisters arrived, like so many of my friend's kids did. Two months after the twins arrived, my daughter basically trained herself over a 1 week period. I guess my point is that you have your hands full. Don't put pressure on yourself or your daughter to meet a certain deadline. When the time is right, it will all fall into place. I know you didn't ask about that, but I just wanted to add a little bit of my experience. GOOD LUCK!!

2.5 is not too early by any means. Most research is showing now days that you can start as early as 18 months in most children. The earlier the better because they don't start developing habits like going in a diaper and not minding it. I did both my girls at 2.5 or maybe a little younger in less than a week.

My neighbor's daughter I trained at 19 months. That took more than a week but she was totally trained by 2.

I will try my son earlier and see how that goes. I read that in Europe and Asia it is standard practice to train much earleir than we do here in the states. I'm going to see how that goes.

And yes, I did pull-ups for trips, but I told her she had to tell me if she had to potty. We still found a bathroom when were out, but they were just for accidents...just in case.

I usually put them in diapers until they were at the stage of telling me they had to go. Then when they got to the tell me stage I just brought a diaper with and if they had to go and we couldn't find a potty QUICK then I would just put the diaper on, have her pee in it, then take it off and toss it. Worked perfect.

I kept diapers in the car for about a year after they trained, just a few, because once I was in a bad traffic jam as my 4 yr old told me she had to pee. NO way to move, get off, nothing for a LONG time. Luckily I had a diaper and she put it on and was set.

Oh, and no, you didn't start too early. I start my daycare kids potty training as soon as they can walk and most are in undies by 27 mos.

Since we had cloth diaperd our daughter, I bought cloth trainers. I had 2 pair with actually had an insert in the back to add a soaker. These were her "traveling panties" as I knew they could hold at least one pee - but they were cotton or sherpa (I forget), and pulled on like regular panties instead of snapping closed like her diapers. She never had an accident in her car seat. For some reason it just seemed to register with her that doing so would be very uncomfortable. She was day trained by 22 mos. Here we are at 38 mos and still in our night time diaper, but, with mid-night trips to the potty several times a week at her initiative.

I would be cautious about training so close to your due date, though, as it is not uncommon for older siblings to regress in some areas when a new sibling comes along. The potty seems to be a popular area for this regression.

We had this same problem many years ago (he's now 16) He did not want to wear pullups for trips but I was worried about accidents. I bought another brand of pullups and put a picture of our van on the package. We called them "Van pants". He had no problem wearing them and was ready to give them up when fully trained. Good Luck!

If it's going well, she tells you when she needs to go. I would take her out in underwear.

When my son first started I kept him in diapers/pull ups when we went out. But it wasn't working, he wouldn't tell me he had to go he just peed in them. I made an emergency pack with pants and underwear in a plastic bag (I reuse the ones that onesies and underwear come in). He only ever had one accident in public. Honestly that one accident changed everything. He never wanted a diaper again after that. He wore underwear every day, always told us when he had to go and would go when we reminded him (before we would leave). I think he remembered the embarrassment and really learned from it.

Kids are smart, and know the pull ups are different. My son has been potty trained for over a year and if we think he may fall asleep during quiet time we will put him in a pullup (since he "naps" in my bed) and even if he doesn't sleep he pees in it, and he knows he does. We asked him once would you pee in your underwear? and his answer was no...you can't pee in underwear, but these aren't underwear. So we don't use pull ups anymore for anything except night, and if he falls asleep in our bed, or the car...he has been dry.

Just put her on the potty last time just before you walk out hhe door and put her on the potty as soon as you get to where you're going. Remember to praise her and kiss her for being such a big little girl each time. Don't give her anything to drink on the road. Kids "pee" right after a drink (nighttime too). She has to go potty before going to bed and when you wake up during the night out her on again. Don't turn on lights. Softly tell her we're going potty and carry her to bathroom and balance her (unless she has he own little tykes typ potty). Carry her back to bed and kiss her goodnight.

We're in the same spot. Baby due in April and an almost 3 year old potty training. So far we have had luck wearing a pull up in the car and removing them when arriving at our destination. I have been taking her into the bathroom as soon as we arrive anywhere so she knows that there is a place to go. Other than the car ride her pull ups are only for nighttime, not even nap time.

Next we head back to school tomorrow. I hope our success continues when she has to ask someone other than Mommy and Daddy to help her at potty time.