Potty Training - Agoura Hills, CA

Patience, that's the biggest recommendation. She will go when she's ready.

I'm on my third child and concerning potties, I recommend one with as few nooks and crannies as possible. I was happy with my first one, but the numerous crevices lead to a very smelly situation and I was quite diligent with cleaning.

I'm considering the Bjorn (spelling?) which seems to be basically one piece. The amazon ratings also seem very high.

good luck--the transition from diapers to potty to toilet is "busy", but it's rewarding to see the development. EVERYONE succeeds, just be patient.

Hi, D.! My daughter started showing interest in the potty before she was two. So, a week after she turned two, I put her in underwear and told her that she was a big girl now, and that if she has to go potty, she has to go to the toilet like her mommy and her 4 year old brother. ( I didn't put her back in diapers until she was ready for bed.) As a stay at home mom, I had the luxury of keeping a close eye on her and watched her closely for signs. If I saw her getting ready to pee, I would whisk her away into the bathroom and sit her in the toilet..then give her lots of high-fives and praises for going. She was so excited! Needless to say, there were accidents. (Just keep towels and a cleaning agent ready at all times!) If she has an accident, keep your wits about you and know this is part of the deal. Remind her, as calmly as you can (after the tenth time you've told her!!!!), that if she feels she has to go potty, she needs to go in the toilet.

The key, I think, is knowing when you BOTH are ready. Once you make the decision to potty train, you have to commit. NO going back and forth...I think it confuses them. It took my daughter 3-4 days from the very first day I decided to put her in underwear. Pooping took longer, but I did not waiver, I kept her in underwear. She learned soon enough that having poop in her underwear is NOT a comfortable feeling. (You may have to throw out some undies, but hey, it's all worth it!)

Remember...CONSISTENCY. Good luck, YOU CAN DO IT! :) lol

First of all I would say "don't push it" just let it be available when she is ready. I never pushed it and mine trained herself. I bought 50 pair of underwear seeing all my friends kids have accidents all day, but we never had an accident! This was two months before her third b'day when she did it on her own.
All I did was have four fun books around, even the one that has a flushing sound. And she LOVED to watch the DVD Once Upon a Potty.
My friends pushed it early and to this day I still see accidents. So I honestly would wait and go with her flow.

Our pediatrician recommended "Once Upon a Potty" DVD for our little one. It really helped.

Good luck!

I did this when my son was 22 months old: http://www.3daypottytraining.com/

And I know person after person who has done it with success!

C., mother of 3, sleep consultant, sleep blog writer

Hi D., you will probably get a lot of responses on potty training, some methods are sucessfull some are not depending on what you expect. For so many mommy's potty training is a battle, it doesn't have to be. I allowed the potty chair to against the wall in the living room, I kept a decorated jar of M&M'S on top of a book case and In used reward and discipline, I also used actual training pants, not pull ups, they are diapers with out tape, and they don't allowed the child to feel the discomfort of going on themselves, also I didn't use diapers at all, some people use diapers at night and at nap, time the problem with this is, it confusses the child, and tells them it's okay to poop and pee on themselves if they are a sleep but not when they are awake. Some cut the liquids off at night, my kids started waking up dry between 17 and 18 months so I didn't have to do that, when it's hot like this it's hard, but you want to set her up for success, be patient but firm, make it fun, children love to learn, mine had so much fun going to the store and picking out big boy and big girl underwear, minus the underwear shopping this is how I train my daycare kids as well. My husband and I successfully had our kids potty trained at 21, months, 19, months and 22 months with this method. J.

Hello Mommies,

All these suggestions have been so helpful.

I'm trying to train my 2 year old too.She's understood that you have to poop in the potty chair but she's still not trained for pee pee.How do I do that?

My apartment is all carpeted, so can't even keep her in underwear as that would be a real mess.

What do I do?

Hi D.. I bought a downloaded book called "Potty Training Made Easy, Fast, and Simple" from the pottytraining.com. I have a copy that I can e-mail to you for free. Send me your e-mail address and I'll forward it to you. It really helped me with my toddler girl and it was really fast. One of the things I did, when we were at home, was have her walk around completely naked. I know it sounds funny but it works. She would have accidents when she was just wearing her undies but none when she wasn't. Per the book, I asked her to sit on the potty every 20 minutes, whether or not she had to go. Then I would give her a reward, sticker or something, when she did. When we would go out, I brought along the portable potty I bought, which has been a lifesaver in a few occassions. That way, you're not stuck at home. The book has a few helpful tools which were really spot on. Good luck!

Hello D.: How wonderful your daughter is taking the lead. Now is a perfect time for you and she to understand your different roles to set-up an expectation for the rest of her & your life. You say she is "strong-willed." If you help her understand that she can make great decisions for herself now' then, that is more likely to run it's course as the teen's come (which can be the toughest for especially parents) - help her understand that she is making a great decision to get out of diaper's and start becoming a "big girl" and how we grow - little, by little and she will be making decisions for the rest of her life one decision at a time (so not to overwhelm her)and make sure you do 3 things:

1. Tell her how proud you are of her (with a great big smile and lot's of hugs -whether she succeeds/fails).

2. Guide her in the direction "you" want her to go. Example: "Do you feel like potty(/whatever word you use)?" or "Would you like to wear underwear or diapers/pull-up's today?"

3. Above all - Be Patient. I can't express that enough. Patience - even though she may be strong-willed, highly intelligent etc... She is still only 2 and will be little for a long time.

Just to let you know - incase: Many time's when children potty train - they may have a short-regression period - peeing in bed etc... No worries... Just put pull-up's back on and let her know "it's okay" she will succeed because that is who she is - a success.

Hope this helps. I am sorry couldn't get into it more. I am sharing my computer with my hubby for now. A little about myself. I am a mom of 2 boy's, 17yrs.(couldn't wait to be a big boy), & 4yrs (hates the thought of being a "big boy"(both strong-willed to the max. & highly intelligent kids (both completlty different)- I mean the kind of kids that make a parent feel "stupid" - and I decided to at least be a good challenge for them to help make a win-win situation. After all I am the older one and have more experiences, that, makes me wiser, plus I read a whole lotta books/seminars/classes etc....

I am married and am grateful I have a wonderful family to lead.

Best of blessing's to you and great job on understanding your daughter at such a young age.