Potty Training a 2 Year Girl

I think 2 is a bit young for potty training, but that's just me. I have a 3 year old and when her 3rd birthday was getting close, I started talking about how she would be a big girl when she was 3 and would get to wear beautiful big girl panties and use the big girl potty.

I tried to get her excited about it and made it something for her to look forward to. I also always took her to the bathroom with me when I went. The little 'potty' was in there for a couple months prior to her turning 3, so she could sit on it and get used to it, even with her clothes on, if she wanted to.

On her 3rd birthday, I presented her with several pair or big girl panties with her favorite characters on them. No more pull ups! She only had a few accidents, and very quickly got the hang of the potty. Now, only 4 months later, she uses the 'big potty' and cleans herself and then gets on a stool and washes her hands!

If your little one keep stripping, maybe she is uncomfortable? Bored? Try giving her things to do and interaction with her more and see if that helps. Let her take her dolls to the potty, and keep encouraging her to tell you if she has to go too.

Maybe the 3rd birthday approach would work for you?

Good luck!

Put that precious little girl back in diapers and forget all about potty training! Tell her only once or twice A WEEK that when she's ready to be a big girl and wear big girl panties, she should just let you know. She knows exactly what she's doing -- causing you to react. If she pulls off her diaper, you could say something like, "big girls don't walk around with nothing on their bottoms." Above all, look for ways to praise her. Did she finish her veggies? Great job, daughter! Did she put her toys away? Wonderful! Try very hard not to react to anything she does that's negative. If the negative behavior is dangerous to herself or others, calmly tell her and then walk away. She seems to be seeking your attention any way she can. So give it to her several times a day when she's being very good! This worked wonders on my first daughter. Good luck!

Hi S.,
Go and get a cheap baby doll that wets. I gave my neice a baby doll for my great-neice. The baby was on the potty, and my Sister took the doll and showed her how it peed in the potty.... my great-neice got it right away and has never peed in her panties since!!! Good luck!!

Hi S.. We've all been there and i promise you she will learn to go potty on her own and soon. Here's the secret I finally got with our THIRD child! :) Routine, Routine, Routine. Until she starts going to the bathroom on her own your secret weapon is routine. If you are a full time worker your daughter may go to a daycare. Most of the time children at daycare have less "accidents" then say from the time you get home and get supper and homework, sports, bath and bed. The key is routine. At school the structure is so scheduled that even their potty time is on the chart. In a structured enviroment children learn when to go potty and when not to go potty. I bet if you were to set your stove clock timer to 1 hour, when it beeps no matter what you are doing you jump up, run to the bathroom and sit there for a while. Bring something to read and wait right outside the door if you're sure she want fall in. Let her go in alone, do the work, then you can come in for clean up afterwards. :) Then reset the stove clock for 1 hour and try it again. She may not have to go that next hour and every child is different. You may push it 2 hours but the key is to establish a routine that you can adhere to. Without a timer going off our time is so busy at home we lose sight of how long its been since the last potty and before you know it an accident has happened.
Final thought - rewards are always good. Put a jar of her favorite candy in a bowl on the bathroom counter. Something fun and festive looking. When she goes potty and has washed her hands she can get herself a treat. Boy will she be so proud of herself for doing a good job. She may even want to continue! God Bless and trust me, it will happen.

Hang in there. This is all normal. I would encourage you not to push the issue. When she is ready, she will show the interest and take the initiative. My daughter turned 2 in Jan. as well and has shown interest. We encourage her to go and ask often, but if she doesn't want to, we just put on a diaper and don't worry about it.

The book Toilet Training in Less Than a Day worked like a charm (in less than a day) on my 27-month old son, whom I had been trying to train otherwise for six months (before finding that book). If you do exactly what it says to do, it works. You can find it on amazon. Good luck!

my son turned two in january as well, and is not making any marked progress towards potty training. he was doing REALLY well around 18 months (he was begging to go potty, so we got one and let him try... ) he was practically trained and then he just stopped. he will go on the potty if we put him on it, but rarely asks to...
i think that a lot of times they get tired of being pushed to go potty. the more you fight it the harder it will become. try not to turn it into a power struggle, because she will control what she is able to, and unfortunately she is able to control when she goes potty ( for the most part)
try backing off for a little while (make sure she is in diapers or pull-ups), maybe try some one piece outfits she can't get off if you don't want her stripping down... make a really big deal out of it if she does ask to go potty.... celebrate with her, clap, cheer (do whatever it takes to show her you are excited and proud)
most important (in my opinion, and remember that this is all just opinion and you should do what feels right for you and what works best for you) try to stay relaxed about it and give her time. she won't be wearing diapers to college.... one day its going to click for her and she is going to decide that she is ready and it will go much more smoothly... until then, hang in there!