Potty Training a Girl

Ler her run around naked one day!

My daughter started undressing and running around naked a couple months ago and since she was naked she started running to the bathroom to go potty since I told her no pee pees on the floor. About two days later she said no more diapers and has been diaper free (except naps and bedtime) since.

Naked from the waste down has worked the best for me. When I nannied I did it that way for 6 kids boys and girls. It has worked for my three older kids too. Basically I pick a week to stay home or close to home. The first two to three days are naked all the time even at night. Then I put panties on the third or forth day depending on their progress and we go for a drive, walk something close but to show them that we can still go out and they can still go potty on the toilet. If they are truly ready they will be done in 5 days. I have not had a kid go any longer than that and I have heard the same from other moms. It's what I learned when I was in child development in high school. At night I would wake them up 2-3 times a night and put them on and by the end of the week they were waking up by themselves. I would not buy any diapers, pullups of any kind, it really did not help with my kids. They more confused them because they were diapers and they knew it. I waited until summer with most of the kids, but had hardfloors with some so the mess didn't matter. Its def a lot more work but it's only for 5 days so in the long run it's a lot easier. Good Luck!
W.

'potty power' is a video. my kids love it!

My daughter, now 25, took to potty training quite easily. Different story compared to her brother. It took her just the summer, now back then there no pull ups or anything like that just training pants which really are nothing but terry cloth underwear. I went and got her the silky pretty girl panties. I told her these were her special panties and she couldn't potty in them. She also had the regular training pants. So when she did have an accident she had to wear the plain training underwear of which she didn't like. She caught on that if she didn't have accidents she got to wear her pretty panties. By the end of summer she was fully trained even at night. She was about 2 1/2 years old.

There is a book out called "how to train in less than a day... it works... there is another newer one called how to tain in one day... they both have great ideas...it is a good read, before you try to apply it...

positive and consistent...are 2 important words

good luck

We have a 22-year old son who was potty trained in 1986 with a whimsical book and tape (I SAID 22 years ago!)called "Today I Took My Diapers Off". I have since given it to many parents who also liked it. Good luck, though. I still can remember all of the words and tune to the song. Hard to get out of your head; kind of like "Small World"!

I have 3 kids, 2 boys and 1 girl. My son trained at 22 mos, my daugter right at 24 mos (would have been earlier except I had my third child when she was 22 mos), and my son that's 21 mos is starting to go about once a day.

So, my biggest piece of advice is to use the real potty, not a potty chair (I hated the thought of cleaning it!). I bought a couple of those padded inserts that keep them up there. I also didn't waste any money on pull-ups, I just used diapers at nap and bedtime and underwear the rest of the time. Lillie really didn't wet after she realized how yucky it felt. She took about 4 days total to train to the point I could trust her to tell me when she had to go and when she didn't. She always wet her pullups, and still does out of laziness if she has them on too long before she actually goes to bed. Once it's proven that she can do it, it's an expectation. We made a big deal out of going and did a "potty dance," cheered, clapped, and got a potty candy (skittles) when they went. We play a little game when I change the baby's diapers..."Does Daddy wear diapers?" and he responds "NO!" and we go through the list of family and friends making it seem like a big deal to wear underwear. He gets to wear his around for a while after he goes, and he loves his "Choo Choo" underwear. Be consistent and don't stop if she seems to regress, just keep going.
It all worked for us, but Im sure you'll be able to pick and choose from all the advice you get. Have fun! It's such a great accomplishment when it's done!

The main thing is not to panic!! Potty training is maybe one of the hardest tasks to take on with children, and basically it all depends on the child. Is the child really ready to be potty trained? Mom may be ready, but the child may not,and you don't want to make it a tug-of-war situation. If your child is able to hold her water, then she is ready. Praise her and make a big deal when she uses the toliet ( make up a short song just for the potty ),tell her the water goes into the toliet. It may sound weird, but with kids you have to try all options. I am currently potty training a one and half year old boy, who constantly removes his own pamper during the day, so it was time for him also. Some days are good, and some not so good but it's about being consistant with the training. Let me know how it turns out.

I used the 3DayPottyTraining.com book with good success. Bowel movements took more than the 3 days, but we were in panties the first day with few accidents and BM's on the potty by one week. My daughter was almost 3 when we did this and I was really tired of diapers!

I'm sure you've gotten tons of advice...but here's what worked for me....

The rewards chart works well (stickers each time she goes...). I also gave my daughter an m & m everytime she went, and a sticker if she even tried.

Food coloring in the potty is fun...the yellow urine changes the color...especially if you use blue...the water turns green when urine mixes with the blue water! FUN!

Try when the weather is warm so she can run naked! That's the easiest!

Is she in a pull-up or underwear?

If in a pull-up, switch to those big waffle-cotton Gerber underwear and the plastic shell that goes OVER the underwear (that's more for your benefit, that last part).

My 3 wore cloth diapers (hemp, actually) and because of this, it is my theory that being able to "feel" wet and cold down there is simply not pleasant. It was a key factor in moving this development process along quite nicely when they became independently mobile.

She won't like having a cold damp rear end.

Also? If you aren't already, take her to the bathroom with you. Most of what these kids learn is by copy-catting anyway. She'll see you use the toilet, you'll encourage her to do so also, *ding* lightbulb goes off, etc....

Good luck!

With both of my children, one boy and one girl, I took a week off of work, put them in the cloth training pants and made sure we had a training potty nearby. We made lots of trips to the potty and cleaned up lots of messes the first few days, but by the end of five days both of my children were potty trained for the daytime. For that week we did not leave the house, and I made sure I took them to the bathroom everytime they said they needed to go.

Good luck.

I have two boys and when my little girl came along I thought it would be so easy for her. You know the saying its easier with a girl. Not quite true. My daughter refused to go on the potty. When she was 3 years old I bought her a little potty and she still did not want to go on it. I started bring her in the bathroom with me and for a couple of months nothing. Then oneday I just decided to put panties on her. She had one accident and was very upset. I am thankfully saying that it has been 1 month and she wears panties everyday and now even at night. If your little girl is ready you can try putting her in panties just make sure you have clothes on that are easy to get on and off. But I suggest that you use a big potty. Its alot easier.

I would say the most important thing is to know what works for your child in other situations. For example, a quieter, more sensitive kid might do better with a more gradual approach. On the other hand, my daughter has always responded to a "challenge," so when she was at a point that I knew she could do it, one morning I didn't put any diaper or pants at all on her, showed her the potty chair, and told her she needed to use that from now on--two days later, she was completely trained.

I would also suggest some little prizes--stickers, bubbles, etc. (Try to avoid using candy.) Once you're past the little accomplishments, have a couple of bigger prizes for the bigger accomplishments--first dry outing, first poop in the potty, etc.

A great book is called "Once upon a potty" they publish a boy and girl version. Good luck, D.

change from diaper to pulups,buy few training pants nice ones that looks like real undies,start off with pulups during the day by taking her to her potty every 45min-1hr interval,when she use it,pls give her a compliment,it encourages kids to learn faster and to pay attention to what you are teachig them.After about over 1wk slowly introduce training pants toher during the day and continue with pulups in the night,she will in no time wean herself off pullups.ALL effots requires your dedication from you,do not panic if she occassinally wet herself just continue with the innitial routine and encourage her to speak up when she needs to potty.GOOD LUCK IT WORKS.

My daughter who is now 4&1/2 potty trained very quickly. I was lucky. We took her to the store to buy "big girl underwear" and told her that she needed to keep them dry and clean. I set a timer for every 30 min for the first couple of days and to take her to the bathroom. After that she pretty much did it on her own. The big thing is if they do have an accident let them know that they arent in trouble. Good luck.

pretty lace panties or her fav play pal like dora

All great ideas, but you also have to remember that each child moves along at their own pace. My own daughter started out potty training at about 22 months old, she was doing great, but stopped cold turkey about 4 months later. It then took till almost her 3rd birthday before she was consistently going on the potty. My first granddaughter didn't start till she was about 2 1/2, and it took all summer. My little granddaughter showed alot of interest in it very early (under 18 months), but when I tried to be consistent about sitting her on the potty, she didn't want to, she just wasn't ready. About a week before her second birthday, she started going on the potty one to two times a day, telling me first, then going on her own. Then exactly a month to the day later, she started going 5 or more times each day! I've done absolutely nothing (to speak of), but she really wants to do what her big sister does. She's not quite 26 months old now, so this is all quite current. She still does the average 6 a day (most days - weekends are better than at preschool), but doing very well with it.

Let her observe you and talk about what you are doing until she grabs on to the concept. Also, you know her routine so put her on the pot periodically thru out the day and she will make the connection that this is the process and she will make potty. Children are very bright and they learn from visuals and are creatures of habit. Talking to her about it is key. My son is 6 years old and we did it successfully this way.

hi Jen,

I have two daughters (one now grown) and a preschooler and they potty trained COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY! My older daughter seemed to potty train in just a couple of days and it was pretty much her idea.

My youngest, however really took a lot of doing. It is important not to pressure or rush potty training until you know the child is ready. With my youngest, we tried the little potty chairs in each level of the house, buying the 'big girl panties' and those things kind of got her interested. What worked well was I gave her M & M's whenever she went on the potty and later when kept a couple of very 'special' books in the bathroom that I would read to her when she sat on the potty.

Ultimately we had to just stop putting pull-ups on her and put panties on - and there were a few messes to clean up, but that's when things really took hold for her.

hope that helps. :-)

Dear Jen,

My daughter is three and she has been potty trained during the day for almost a year now. She would go on the little potty whenever I went on the big one. That lasted for about a week. Then she had to go on the big one. i had a bowl of goodies in the bathroom so that if she went she got one. In the bowl, I had tatoos, m&ms pennies and different goodies. If she told me she had to go I gave her two of them. I bought the little toilet ring at walmart to put on top of the toilet so she wouldn't fall in. If you have any more questions feel free to e-mail me. Good luck.
B.

Thus far I've potty trained three children, all girls. My oldest at about 24 months, my second at 28 months, and my neighbors little girl at 19 months.

I start out for two days naked in the bathroom or a large room with a floor that is easily cleaned. I gather books, toys and so on to keep us busy for a few hours. I fill a few cups with juice (to keep it really tastey and inviting)....then we wait. No pants on so I can see when they start to pee pee. With plenty of juice it typically doesn't take long.

When I see the pee pee I hurry and sit them on the potty. I show them the pee pee on their leg and the floor and say that goes in the potty. I might let them pee pee on themselves the first time and talk about the potty. Then we spend the next few times quickly sitting on the potty. For some reason they don't care for the sensation of pee pee running down their legs and they might actually start to hold it. If they do that, you know they are ready to be potty trained.

We might run around for the rest of the day with no panties. I have lots of carpet cleaner around for accidents and I keep the potty chair real close.

Once they have a few accidents it doesn't take much more for them to realize what they are supposed to do.

After a day or two of that...very time consuming. We put on big girl panties...thick cloth diaper like panties (don't do pull-ups...those are just diapers to most kids...save those for when they about have the potty training down and you need to go to the store or church).

We still keep the potty close and then I remind them every 10 minutes or so to tell me when they need to go potty. Over and over and over I remind them. At this point I also try to watch and determine when they might go poopies. I try to catch them and put them on the potty whie they are doing it. (that typically takes longer and seems to be more stressful for most kids...but don't worry about a little crying...they will get over it and never rememeber a thing later)

Once I get them to tell me they need to pee pee on the potty then I will sternly scold them if they have an accident. Nothing too dramatic but stern. I often will give a chocolate chip and chear like a mad woman when they make it to the potty. If you have older kids to chear too that works nicely.

I will also take them with me every time I go potty. I even chear for myself when I go so they get the idea that it is a great thing to do. MOst kids love the praise.

I will not allow mine to potty in a diaper...we won't wear one after we have started to train. Only at night if they aren't waking up dry yet. Not even for naps do we wear diapers. Otherwise they will hold their poopies to go in the diaper during nap time.

The first week to two weeks I will even sit them on the potty every hour or so (or shorter intervals if they drink bunches of fluids...good idea to give them tasety stuff to get them drinking more for this time).

After a week or two they typically can tell you they need to go.....but if you go outside to play, you will need to remind them to tell you every so often because that is the time they will forget.

Constantly remind her she is a big girl. Maybe even let her pick out some panties when she starts to get the hang of it. A little chocolate chip or m&m as a reward helps too. Only one and only when they actually go on the potty....don't give in. After a few weeks they totally forget about the treat.

Both of mine had few accidents after the first two weeks. The 19 month old has had about one or two a week for about a month, but she's doing really well for her age. Only problem is she's holding her poopies until bedtime at night and pooping in her diaper. Momma doesn't feel comfortable putting her to bed without a diaper yet. I figure she will keep doing it until momma just tries it or maybe by the time she turns 2 or 2 1/2....maybe.

I've heard of mom's giving their kids pull-ups to go poopies because they are afraid of the toilet. Me personally...I think it is ridiculous. I'm one of those moms that believes I'm the mom and you will do what I say. Doesn't matter what kind of fuss they put up...mine had to sit on the potty to pee pee and poop. At first I might get a little crying, but I made them sit no matter what. I would hug them and reassure them that they were going to be fine, but they had to sit....period. Pee pee and poopies go on the potty and that was that. No diapers, no pull-ups, no accidents in your panties.

My oldest is five, her sister is three and they aren't psychologically damamged, they don't have potty issues, and they love mommy very much. So I'm not sure what they big deal is with these moms that are afraid to make their children do what they are supposed to do. It is what is best for them and they will not be damaged because they cried for a few minutes or got a little scared of the potty.

Now my oldest wanted to sit on the big toilet...so we got her one of those little seats to use for few weeks but even then she didn't want that after awhile.

Her sister preferred the potty chair because she's very tiny and the toilet swallows her whole. She's three now and I've finally had to put the potty chairs away and make her use a stool and the toilet seat to go potty. I got tired of finding surprises in the bathroom in the potty chair. Not good. :)

The 19 month old would rather just sit on the potty and hold on.

So you may need to try the chair, a little seat to put on the potty and so on. Every child is different.

Good luck!!!

When my daughter was ready, I put a little kid potty in every bathroom. We potty trained in the summer so I even had a potty outside with a box of tissues within reach. I put her in big girl underwear and made sure I didn't have to go out much for about five days. (To me, this is why it worked so well, but that's the tricky part!) I was prepared to deal with the mess if she didn't make it to the potty on time, BUT being able to stay at home basically 24/7 meant I was NEVER tempted to put her BACK in a pullup (like for a trip to the grocery store, or library etc-- a place where if she made a mess it would be rough all around). I also made her an "I can pee and poop on the potty" booklet. She got one sticker every time she peed and two for a poop! I also only used positive encouragement. After five days, she was fine, even through the night in underwear.

Good luck!