Potty Training-toddler Girl

My daughter was intrested in the potty at 18 months, but not really potty trained until 2 1/2. It is more about how often you can run her to the potty when they are really young. If you wait till she is a bit older she can decided when she needs to go. My daughter went through a stuborn period and I ended up giving her a treat each time she went, like 2 M&Ms.

Hi,
I used the monkey see monkey do method. I placed the childs potty in the bathroom and everytime I went I took my daughter in with me and had her try to go at the same time. It worked very well and so I tried it with my second daughter also and it worked with her too. Obviously it won't work for everyone but hey it's worth a try. Good luck.

I'm sure this isn't the advice you were looking for but my addvice is to not even try until she shows ALL the signs of readiness. Dry after naps, more than 3 hours dry, and so forth. Having hte potty around is good, but don't push it, if she is reluctnant drop the whole subject and try in a couple weeks. And try not to stress about it, I know everyone looks forward to getting your kids out of diapers but if there is crying and messes on the floor it's just not worth the stress. My son turned the whole thing into a power trip causing a strain on our relationship and I wish I had just waited instead of pushing it. Good luck and happy pottying. ~V.

Hi S.! :)

I HIGHLY recommend using the "doll method".
I trained my son using a "Potty Scotty" (Potty Patty for girls)doll. Not sure if you've heard of it--but basically--you toilet train your child in 1 day by having them teach the doll to use the toilet. In teaching the doll, they teach themselves. It worked like a charm for my son, who was 2 year, 2 months, but he did have problems with the pooping thing (some kids just do I guess) until one time he went in his pants and i backed him up to the toilet and "flipped" the poop in his undies into his toilet. He was shocked and said, "No!! Make messy!!" I thought--ah ha! So i took him around and showed him how dishes go in the cupboard, clothes in the closet, toys in the toy box and then explained that poopoo belongs in the toilet. You could see the little lightbulb go on in his head as he understood. I've had no problems with him since. :) He caught on REALLY fast and we both had a really pleasant experience with the method.
Anyway, Everyone I know who've used it had great results (my mom even trained ME on it hehe) and it's a lot of fun too! I recommend doing a search for Potty Patty on google to see a list of stores or using Ebay. (I'm a fan of ebay lol)
Best of luck to you and your daughter on this fun milestone!

~M.

S.,
To add to Mia's reply, the book, "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" offers an excellent method for training your child to use the potty by first training a doll and then going through the steps with your child. It focuses on positive reinforcements and encourages cleanliness and personal responsibility over just using the potty.

I'll have to admit, though, it wasn't exactly less than a day for my dd. We started around her 2nd birthday and she got the concept great. Then she was stubborn about it for quite a long time and eventually was fully potty trained by her 3rd birthday (except at night- she still wears a diaper).

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Hi, I'm a mom of a 3and a half year old as well as do Home Day Care, Advice be consistant, I have a 18 month old little girl that does the same as your daughter. 15 months is alittle young but it's good to start putting her on the potty. Whe you are really truely ready take 2 weeks and just put her in nothing or underwear NOT pull up's they don't work and every 20 minutes put her on the potty. Watch how much she drinks and how often she goes, that will help you know when she might need to go next. Good Luck it's a Challenge but they do get it.....

Both these ladies had very good suggestions! I did all of those with my son (letting him pick his own underwear, monkey see monkey do, etc).....At 15 months my son also showed signs that he was ready to be trained, and he even went on the potty a few times.....I also bought him the video "Once upon a Potty" (they have a boy and a girl version) and he watched that every day, at least 20 times a day! LOL...
15 months turned out to be too early for him though. Then I found out I was pregnant on his 2nd birthday, and shortly after I was getting so exhausted and tired of changing diapers. On a Saturday, I decided it was time to do some intensive potty training; every time he needed a diaper change, I'd tell him "you know, if you went on the potty we wouldn't need to change your diaper and you could keep playing" and I'd have him sit on the potty each time....and every time I went too...and I used star stickers and a potty success chart....the very same day he started actually going on his potty and we made a big fuss each time he did, gave him a star on his chart, watched the potty video, danced and sang.... it's been almost 2 weeks now and he hasn't worn a diaper since then....
Haha yesterday at the park he had to pee but didn't tell me; I saw him over in the grass pulling down his own pants to pee in the grass! Oh man everyone was cracking up!
Good luck to you and your daughter!! I hear girls are generally easier than boys to potty train....
Four of the most important things are:
1) Be consistent....if you slack off and allow her to take a break (wearing diapers for convenience) she can regress.
2) Remember to give her lots of praise, even if she only sits on it and doesn't go. It will encourage her to do it again.
3) If she has an accident, don't make her feel embarrassed or badly about it....that can make her not want to tell you that she needs to go, slowing down the process.
4) Don't get frustrated, she will pick up on it and she will get frustrated as well.

Hello, I have 5 children and all have been potty trained at about 14 months, if you use a reward system they catch on real quickly. We used thos frozen koolaid pops, but you can use what ever, if she goes potty on the potty she gets a reward, just remember when you first start she wont have an interest in sitting on the potty., just put her on vetry fequintly so you sont miss when she has to go, it also helps if you put training underwear on cuz they can feel when they are wet and you can see if she goes and grab her and put her on the potty

Hope this helps
J.

Hi S.! Don't get too discouraged if she doesn't get it.. or want to do it right away. My daughter was the same way. She exhibited what I thought were "the signs" and we went to Target, bought the potty, and she refused to go in it. We tried off and on for about 6 months.. then decided to give it a break. One morning she woke up, took off her diaper, and said "Mommy I want to go in the potty today." Since that day, not ONE accident!! (Knock on wood) One big step in assuring she won't want to have an accident is to take her to the store (Walmart, Target, whatever you prefer) and let her pick out her own panties... And dont get discouraged if she picks the boy ones. When we started this... the movie Cars was huge so she wanted Cars panties... eventually you throw in the Princess ones and she doesnt know the difference.

Hope this helps!

Dear S.,

Well this is a grandmommie friend. I think that she is too young for pottie training. But you are doing the right thing to encourage her, my daughter potty trained herself very early because she loved the potty chair that we bought for my niece who is a little older than my daughter. I think that was unusual. She used to do a little dance around the chair, and then suddenly she was sitting down on it and going to the bathroom.
A miracle I would say, especially since later on she was a bit difficult. One never knows.

Isn't that just the best age?
Good Luck, C. N.

Hello S.,

Well my daughter just turned a year. I have started potty training. what i find easier is when i go i take her too. after she takes her naps i usually change her diaper, but i take her first. my mom got her this potty that when she goes it makes music, kind of a congratulations thing, its pretty cool.
ofcourse she doesnt always go, i do not like to force her, but when she does it makes her really happy.
she also loves hanging out with other kids. im a stay home mom and i am expecting my second, due in april. wish that i could find a job where i can work from home. any suggestions.
thanks and good luck

Hi S....wow 15 months is really early and a huge up hil battle... remember going to the bathroom on the potty is a self help skill ... can your daughter pull her paints up and down without any help...you don't want a 1 1/2 year old that's always yelling for help in the bathroom .. i was a preschool teacher and potty trained dozens for kids and the younger the hard .. potty train shoukd take no more than 3 days if they are ready .. and when is does happen isn 't a wonderful .. and much saving on diaper. I don't mean to come across mean .. just some experience .. hope i helped.. S.

It is great that your babygirl is trying and ready to experience something new. Just remember that the average age of the "potty muscle" is not fully developed until they are about 3 yrs old. Be patient.
I let my daughter make that choice for herself. It worked wonderfully. Good luck.