Another Potty Question... Well, Yeah!

It sound too me like she is ready to start down the potty training road. I would buy a potty seat and maybe some books. read them to her and try sitting her on the potty about 20 minutes after each meal or snack. Don't make a big deal out of accidents... only give praise- not criticism. After she seems to have a pretty high success rate... get CLOTH training underwear. Pull ups really blocked my daughter potty training because to them they don't ever feel 'wet' And I don't think kids usually understand that pullups are not a diaper. Sure- you will have a lot of accidents at first... so always keep an extra pair of pants and underwear on hand.

Other than that... be patient... My daughter pee-trained before she was 2, but it took her until after she was 2 1/2 to be poop-trained. At three she is 100% potty trained, but I still have to remind her to go when she starts doing the "squirm"- or gets the dreaded "blank face". I think that our biggest hold-backs were pull ups, having a new baby in the middle of potty training (oops), and getting angry or frustrated with her. (It is really hard not to get upset after you have a bunch of accidents, or when they have one 2 minutes after you take the to the potty - but it is ESSENTIAL that you don't). Our successes... switching to underwear. focusing on just praise, and a potty chart!

anyways, Good Luck!
-M.

There are a number of different training approaches/ages, any of which may be more appropriate for different mothers and different children. And both physical and emotional readiness is essential for the most common approach used today in this culture. Other strategies are possible, too, like early training – and all strategies have their particular advantages and special challenges.

Read about just about any potty training question in helpful detail at http://www.parentingscience.com/potty-training-tips.html. It's a really helpful resource, and has answers to questions most of us will never think to ask.

She sounds ready to me. We potty trained my son at 20 months using a 3 day method and he got it almost immediately. Do some reading about different methods and remember to make it fun and not at all negative when she has accidents. If you want more details about what I did PM me. We never forced him to sit and did one day with no pants where I watched him like a hawk and moved him to the potty as soon as he started to go. The trick is to have them recognize the sensation that they have to go. Our son's daycare thought I was crazy for trying so early, but agreed with me that he seemed ready. So I tried it and now he's known as the boy at school who was potty trained before he was 2. I figured it I gave it 3 days and it didn't work I'd just stop, what did I have to loose?

My SIL had similar signs from her son when he was about 2 and she kept saying he way to young. So for almost a year she was telling him to go in his diaper because he wasn't ready to go on the potty. Now she's trying to train him and it's a power struggle. He tells her he has to poop, but refuses to sit on the potty and just hides and does it in a corner. Not something you want to have to deal with.

put clothes on backwards for nap/bed time! sleepers jeans whatever put em on backwards it works, when my daughter was that age n she started taking her clothes/diaper off we just put em on backwards n she couldnt get em off. she probably isnt ready id wait until spring n see what happens, thats when i plan to start my daughter n she will be 3 n i am pretty sure she will be ready by then, just wait to see what happens

Check out the link Peg gave you to see if your daughter meets most of the readiness signs...just taking off her bottoms and diapers isn't enough. If you then decide you want to try and train her get a potty chair (take her with you and get her input on picking it out as it will make her more willing to use it) and have it where she has easy access to it, whichever room she's in most. Have her go bottomless to make it easy for her, and plan to spend at least 3 full days devoted (no computer, TV or cell phone for you) to watching and playing with her and getting her to the potty at the first sign she needs to go. Keep her in cloth training pants and plastic pants for naps and when you go out (Gerber makes both and they're sold at Target, Walmart, etc.) and save the cute big girl panties for when she is going on her own with few accidents. You should know in a few days if she's ready or it's wishful thinking on your part.

As far as keeping her in her pants and diapers if you decide not to train yet, you just have to outsmart her. Put her onesies on backwards, it makes the snaps a bit higher in back and might deter her in unsnapping them, and put her in overalls put on backwards (make sure the straps are snug enough at her shoulders to not slip off) over them. My little guy went through the same thing and this stopped him after a few weeks, I think he forgot about doing it once he was back to wearing them the right way ; )

Happy 2012!