My 2 1/2 year old daughter has recently started to potty train. It seems odd to me, but she has a terrible aim. It will literally shoot straight out sometimes and go over the potty seat onto the floor, cabinets etc. There have also been times where she will hit her leg and then won't want to finish going potty. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this, if it is normal and if there is anything I can do about it?
I would also suggest facing backward until she gets the hang of it...seems to be easier for my little guy to keep the mess inside the bowl.
Ha! I did this as a child. Goodness, that's terrifying to admit, isn't it?
It has to do with what angle she's sitting at, especially with super bendy little girl hips, she can LOOK like she's sitting normally, and actually have her vagina pointing straight at the wall.
What my mum had me do was lean over to look at the "smiley cat face" reflection in the toilet. (AKA, the light shining through behind your bum. The 2 little round cheeks and then the curve of the bowl and up making a feline smiley). This essentially meant that I was folded in two, with my elbows on my knees, and my face as close to the seat as I could get it.
Three other visual tricks:
- Foam... aka trying to make some
- Putting a blue tablet in the tank to try and change the color with your pee... granted you have to be a LITTLE dehydrated in order to make that work.
- Cheerios. The aiming thing one does with little boys. It doesn't work as well with girls, and you'll get more "spray" in the beginning, but it does EVENTUALLY work.
What all four of these techniques have in common, is paying conscious attention to directionality and body movement... in a way that's fun for little kids.
Good Luck. I have more boys in the house then I can deal with (only live with my husband and son, but between my son's friends, my husband's friends, and MY friends... There I am, mopping the bathroom floor twice a week and I SWEAR, swiping the bowl off almost daily... When it's not ME peeing on the floor. Sheesh. My point being: I feel your pain.
I'll up Zoe one on the embarrassing--I do this *now*!
But I didn't used to!!!
Something about my anatomy changed after baby #4 ... so some females are just shaped that way.
Now I have to take the advice I gave my my first daughter and *especially* my second (sigh) ... to *remember* to tilt my hips back/lean forward before I pee! (What a pain in the neck, to have to *think* every time I pee, especially after so many years of being relatively thoughtless about it!)
Anyhow, from personal observation (sigh), some of it is capillary action ... the water flows along the surface before it falls ... hence my changes changed the flow. And I don't recommend holding the legs tight together, with my daughters this just made the flow go forward more (although splatter less).
She's leaning too far back when she sitting on the potty. just have her lean forward. I have seen this a couple times with my girls, but usually for me I have to worry about the little boy I babysit and potty train.
Another mom I know trained her kids sitting backwards on the potty. They couldn't fall in that way and they can use the tank as an arm rest....
Good luck!
My daughter is almost 3 (she'll be 3 in August) and she does the same thing when she goes potty. What I've been doing is actually having her take her panties and pants off all the way so she can kind of spread her legs, and lean forward while sitting on the potty. That seems to keep it in the toilet. :) Good luck with the training!
Isn't that funny? I saw the topic and was sure it was going to be for boys!
I nanny a little girl who is 2 1/2 as well. She was potty trained when she turned two. She also peed on the floor and it seemed like her "stream" would just shoot strait out. I couldn't figure it out! So, what I did was have her sit facing the back of the toilet. That way if it went straight out it would normally hit the back of the toilet...AND she could see what was going on and shift her hips to get the pee to go down. When she got the hand of peeing down we turned back around. When she pees she can still get it on her thighs sometimes, but now she knows to adjust how her little bum is sitting.
It's worth a shot!
L.
It's how she's seated on the toilet seat. It sounds as if you have a seat that fits over your toilet. Her position and the fit of the seat on your toilet are the cause.
Watch how you sit her on the toilet. Her anatomy doesn't allow for the natural flow to flow up and out. So it's a splash.
You might want to get her her own potty chair that sits on the floor, so she can sit herself down when the need arises. It's leads to a much higher success rate. Also, as you have a 17 mo old little boy, you could start him in the same process. Monkey see, monkey do. Your daughter will be the model for his behavior and because you have them so close in age, he will do things much, much earlier than she has. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. I have a daughter and 2 sons. My boys didn't point and shoot until they were much older, to where the could clear our toilet. So everything was a sit down performance until they got tall enough to be successful.
So go get a potty chair that sits near the toilet in your bathroom. It will fit her and your son better, it's more accessible, as they get a little bit older, they will take the initiative to use it (pull up pants, no buttons or zippers) and will be so proud of themselves.
Happy Mother's Day!!!!
Yes, that's normal. My oldest is that way. She tips her hips back when she's on the toilet and it aims the pee forward. I just tell her to keep her legs together and lean forward a bit.
My daughter had a similar problem and I asked her doctor about it. He said she had an extra flap of skin that was effecting the direction of the flow. He told me it's common and can be fixed with a little cream (estrogen? I can't remember). I think he also said it was likely to just resolve on it's own, which it did. She learned to spread her legs and lean forward like the other posts mentioned but now she doesn't have to do that. I think it's worth bringing up with your daughter's doctor. Good luck!
Have her sit on the toilet with her legs spread apart, this helps to focus the aim downward and also prevents any urine from getting trapped and causing bacteria buildup which can lead to infections. Also, have her lean forward and rest her hands on the front of the toilet seat instead of leaning back. This will force it downward and help her focus on going in the toilet. If this still doesn't help, this potty seat is perfect for proper positioning and comfort so she can sit normally and relaxed with her legs apart and fully supported.
http://www.punkinbutt.com/potty-patty™-potty-seat-p-...
A.
As I have only potty trained a little boy I have to give you the advice from my s-i-l. She has two little girls and her youngest just started climbing up and facing the back of the toilet and no longer has this problem. It is also much easier for her to get up and down unassisted! I also agree with the previous post. Have your son go once in a while and get him accustomed to the potty! Your daughter will be a great teacher for him! Good Luck!
