Daughter Won't Tell Me When She Needs to Potty

I'm an early childhood teacher, and my opinion is that she's young to be completely potty trained. If she's pee peeing in the potty, that's great....just be patient. It's ok if she's not pooping in the potty yet...developmentally that's a skill that she still be acquiring when she's 3.

I had the same problem with my 2 yr old (now 3 1/2). In my daughter's case we believed she could not tell when she needed to go. We took her every half hour and she would still have accidents. Then one day we were playing and it was like a lightbulb went on over her head, and she gasped and said, "I need to go potty!" This was just after she turned 3. Since then she has gone potty on her own. Sometimes she still wakes up wet, but it's happening less frequently. Not sure if this is the case with your little one, but the situations sound very similar. We tried everything too, and one day I think it just clicked in her head and she realized the physical signs of needing to go. I hope this helps, I know how frustrated you must be. Hang in there!

We went through this with our daughter when she was a little over 2...our son was trained at 18 months, so I was very frustrated. I stepped back for a couple of months and left her in diapers. Finally, at Christmas this year, just before her 3rd birthday she trained without a problem, little to no accidents, didn't want diapers at night or at nap and did fine. She may not be ready yet, just take a longer break and see what happens. I know it is frustrating, but it will happen when it is supposed to. They say boys are harder...I disagree!

Good luck!

Stop for a few months (2-3) and try again. Both doctors we've been to and every thing I've read said that if they are still wet when they wake in the mornings and from naps then they are NOT ready.

She may not actually be ready. She may just find the poopy diapers uncomfortable after they happen but may not recognize the feeling of needing to go before hand.

I'd wait...she obviously gets the idea. I think once she is ready she'll tell you when she needs to go.

Just hang in there! It's not unusual for these things to happen, it just takes time and consistency. At 2 she's still young enough that it's really not too bad. She'll get better used to the "feeling" that she needs to go. Right now she may not be recognizing it. Just stay patient, my son took a full year to train, and my first daughter took several months. Good luck and hope this helps!

Two is still pretty young to be fully potty trained. My advice is don't stress it. She'll let you know when she is ready. All the bribing and rewarding in the world won't work unless she is ready. Just be grateful for anything she does do (like tell you when she is poopy), make a bog deal out of the times she goes on the potty, and play down any accidents or forgetfulness as no big deal at all.

A little about me:
Working mom of three amazing, beautiful little girls (almost 4, almost 2 and 8 months).

The book Toilet Training in Less Than a Day worked like a charm on my 27-month-old son, in less than a day. You can find it cheap on amazon. It only has you train for #1, but said that #2 would follow, which it did. He pooed in his pants about once a week for a month or so, but then stopped (he had to clean it all up, and got a cold shower to clean him up).

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I think 'bribing' is probably not so good, but do have rewards. Tell her that if she can tell you when she needs to go potty before she 'goes', that she can (fill in the blank -- watch her fave video, play w/a certain toy, play outside, etc. Whatever turns her crank but isn't unhealthy). After she does it a few times, then have the goal of doing it a whole day. Then a whole week (and she gets to choose her panties at the store, eat at McDonalds, or whatever). She'll get there! Just don't let her control you. Stay in charge (and I don't mean being dominating. Just don't let her keep you on a leash). What one other mom called 'relinquishing to her' is probably the same thing I call 'staying in charge'! LOL Just don't negotiate or 'fight' about it with her. Keep yourself in a position to 'win'!

And she is NOT too young! All 4 of my (now adult) children were fully trained by age 2, and all are fairly well adjusted adults!

I worried and stressed over potty training my son... everyone said it will be easy when he is ready. I was so sure he was ready, he had already turned 3! I think I stressed him out. When I finally gave up and resolved that he would be going to school in diapers, it only took a month or 2 and he decided the time was right and he just started going on his own. I wish I had listened to the advice given to me by so many, it would have saved me nearly a year of stress and there's no telling what my baby was thinking or suffering through.

Sounds like she is almost ready.

My advise for a frustration free experience is, Mom, let go of the control. Relinquish it to her. Have a training potty (or step stool) where she can easily use it (one in each bathroom), be sure she is in clothes that she can easily get off & on. Let her work it out for herself.

Take her shopping & let her choose her very own "big girl" underpants. Let her know they are waiting for her when she is ready for them. Put them away & don't mention them again. I guarantee she will not forget they are there.

My son's experience:
The weekend before my son's 3rd b-day we let him go without a diaper. He had been showing all signs of potty readiness. Well, he had a bunch of accidents & was feeling really discouraged. We told him not to worry about it, just let us know when he was ready. The day after his birthday he said to me, "Mommy, I want to wear underpants". He never had an accident after that.

My daughter's experience:
She started to train herself at 17 months. We were about to move so I did little to encourage her other than having potties available for her to use. After the move she was using the potty by her self through out the day. My husband looked at me and asked "Why do you still have her in a diaper?" We removed it & she dint have accidents either.

My son never wet the bed. My daughter (a year and a half later at age 3.5) is still in a night time pull-up. So, even if your daughter trains. Don't make a fuss if she is not as successful at night. They dont do it on purpose, they cant help it. Making it an issue is an esteem-killer. Not worth it.

Good luck to you! Be patient & everyone will feel the success!

P

She is still young. Both of my children girl and boy did not potty train completely until 2 weeks before turning 3. She probably does not understand the sensation of when she needs to go right now. She knows when she has went but not the feeling of needing to go. I would probably keep her in diapers for now and just take her every once in a while. I thought that my daughter was ready at 18 months but the poo scared her she did not like messing up her potty. So I just stopped all together until she asked to go one day when she was close to 3 and it was so much eaiser.

I have two daughters aged 5 and 2 and think that when your daughter's really ready she'll let you know. My niece is 8 and now has scars on her kidneys from numerous urinary tract infection from being forced to potty train. She would just hold it in. My mom always said that no one walks down the aisle wearing diapers so hang in there.

shes not ready. wait a few months and try again. if shes waking up wet and cant tell you when she has to go thats a good sign to just wait a few more months. but shes close!

We just finished potty training our daughter just a couple of months ago. She is a huge sticker nut, so we put that into effect. We got a board and made a chart. Then we went to the dollar store (Greenbacks, Dollar Tree) and found a couple of books of stickers that she liked. Then every time she went potty, she got a sticker. For every time she poops on the potty, she got 2 stickers. It got to the point when she would poop, she would look at me and say very proudly, "Two Stickers!!" and hold up 2 fingers. Once the board was full, we would either purchase a favorite book, or legos, or we would go to the park and feed the ducks. Don't give up on her. We started the potty training when she was 1 1/2 when I put her in pull ups. That was another step closer to being fully potty trained. Don't push. I had to learn that the hard way. Kaylee now can take a nap and wake up dry and will sleep at night, but wake up and go potty and wake up dry. When she went for a week of no nighttime accidents, her grandma (my mother) and I went and bought her panties. She was all excited because she had big girl panties. Good luck. I hope something works for you.