Potty Training a 2 Year Old Girl

I think you are doing all the right things. She is still young and my ped tells me not to push my daughter. I have a two year old daughter also. She is doing very well on the potty. We have been potty training for about 4 or 5 months and she still has accidents once in a while. My ped also tells me to NOT use pull ups just let her go in her panties a few times she wont like it. I know its a big mess for us moms but its gonna happen anyway. I do put pull ups on her at night. Good Luck...

Angie

My daughter will be two at the end of the month and is at the same level as your daughter. I've heard that the winter time is harder to train them. They don't like the cold plus to many clothes on. So I would wait till the weather gets warmer.

H.,
it sounds to me like you're doing everything right. your daughter sounds like she's right where my son is, and he is 26 months. i don't think it's a quick process....a friend of mine told me she was "encouraging" her daughter (but not forcing) for almost a year before she was completely trained. i think if you're going to go with the flow and not pressure them (go on their timetable, in other words) it can take awhile. there are theories about a couple days of hardcore training, and i've heard they work, but they involve having them on the toilet constantly, or letting them run around bare butted, and things...i haven't looked much into those, still trying to allow him to figure it out. good luck!

Buy her a "potty training" doll for Christmas. The one that has her own potty chair. She can play with the doll, learn when to put her on the potty, etc. Maybe this would help her to adjust to her own potty training event.

Also, buy her "big girl" panties. At first, put them on over her diaper so she can learn how to take them off and on. Then later, get rid of the diaper altogether.

Take care and God Bless :)

Let her pick out some underwear she likes at the store. Put her in underpants and DO NOT put her in a diaper or pull up again (except at night). If you go back and forth, it confuses them. Talk about it all the time. Take her to the potty every 30 minutes. Do not ask her if she has to go, just take her. Be sure to lead up to it and not interrupt something fun without warning or she will freak. Be consistent. I trained my son by 21 months with this method. It will work.

When I was potty training my daughter almost ten years ago(although it seems like yesterday). I was at my wits end. She knew that she was supposed to go on the potty, but no amount of praising her or treats seemed to give her the motivation to break away from the habit of using in her pants. I even tryed the stickers chart myself. She would even change her own pants after going in them.
Then I desided to make her think that going potty in her pants was some how hurting something she held as important, or even loved. I took her to the store and let her pick out her own special panties. I think they were Barbi, and later she got some Blues Clues. I told her that if she went potty in her new panties that it would make it hard for Barbi to breath and then she would get mad about being pottied on. So that she wanted Barbi to still like her and be her friend she had better put her peepee and boomboom in the potty chair and not in her new panties. IT WORKED!!! It may seem a little out there, but you have to talk to them on their level and make deals that they can understand, and that they'll find important. Good luck.

Patience. It took us about 6 months from her being interested to being completely potty trained, meaning no diapers ever, no accidents. I know this is going to sound gross but my daughter learned a lot from me. Poor little thing always wants to follow me to the bathroom, and yes in public bathrooms I have gotten the "YAY Mommy you went pee pee!" Its funny. Good luck and have fun with it because it is funny and something you will always remember. It sounds like your doing great and one day she will get it and never look back.

I tried everything with my daughter (including the sticker chart with big prize after so many) I found that mine needed instant gratification--I got a "potty prize bag" and put several 1 dollar gifts in it and put a pair of rain boots she had wanted as well. Naturally she wanted the one more expensive gift first and that gave her the incentive to start going on the potty. I did it on a day we were going to be home all day and it also happened to be raining---She wanted thoes boots and she did what she had to do to get them. She has been going on it ever since, cleaned out the rest of the bag (Stickers are good to put in the bag, too) and now going without any prize--and we are talking about a kid that would NOT even try to go for me. I showed her everything that was in it before I started doing it and called it the potty prize bag--you could even try not showing her what is in it and let it be a suprize. Good luck with everything. You will eventually find something that works for you.

We introduced the potty chair at 18 months. We didnt push it but did have her sit on it to get used to it. We didnt push it until she turned 2. We started her on the "M&M treat" method. Every time she went in the toilet she got ONE M&M. That way it was a treat but it didnt spoil dinner or lunch etc. She did very very well on it. Only took 2 weeks or so. We just got her out of pull ups during nap time and shes doing pretty well but bed time we still need the pull ups. She still struggles with pooping in the toilet but we'll get there. Dont worry, be consistent, and patient. It will pay off. Did you know that the average time it takes to potty train is 6-8 months! I was amazed! But stick with it, try the M&M's, it may or may not work. All kids are different but thats what worked for me and my little girl! Good luck!

Maybe she doesn't recognize the urge yet. What I mean is that she understands that she is pottying, but she doesn't understand what it feels like to need to potty. OR she doesn't have control over it yet. Meaning, she cannot hold it to get to the potty. That takes time. Just keep patiently trying and if she goes in the potty again, make another huge deal of it. Put that sticker proudly on the chart and leave it hanging there. She will do it again when she is able b/c she wants to make you happy.

Hi there! If she is actually telling you when she has gone or is going, then she is ready to go on the potty by herself for sure! Some kids do it in one week, some kids take a month. All kids are different so don't stress, that is the first rule of thumb. Do you have potty chairs in common areas of your home (i.e. potty stool in the living room or kitchen or family room) to help? When they SEE the chair, they are more likely to use it by themselves. Put her in training pants, no pull ups. I highly recommend the Gerber pants or Potty Patty pants which are super duper thick and hold accidents better. Yes, you might have to clean up some messes in the beginning, but once she feels herself wet or dirty, she won't like it and will hopefully start to use the potty! Try to stay at home (if possible) for a week or so without leaving for too long of a time. Short trips, etc. This helps with the training. I also recommend a very simple potty seat like Baby Bjorn. It is very lightweight, easy to carry and not complicated like most other seats. Make it simple. Those elaborate potty seats are a total distraction to them. It can also be carried from room to room if you are going to be in another part of your home. I usually had two potty chairs in two parts of the house and would point them out during the day (i.e. "Hey, your potty is over here, don't forget to use it.") Honestly, I never used sticker charts or anything like that. Just did a lot of clapping and hugs after a potty episode. After a few times, they tend to not care about the stickers so much anyway. I guess my only advice is to keep it simple. I did this with all three of my kids and they all started using the "big" potty shortly after they turned two. :-) Best of luck to you!

We did the sticker chart on all 3 of our girls, and it worked really well. You could have a small goal of every 15 stickers equals one item at the dollar store or something. When ours got fully trained, they got a big gift, ie. bicycle, etc. That was quite the motivation, and sure beats paying for diapers. Making a big deal out of each time they go is a great positive reinforcer. Good luck!