Begining Potty Training

Updated on August 16, 2011
E.K. asks from Kalamazoo, MI
9 answers

My dd turned 2 last month and I would like to start potty training her. She wakes up dry from her naps and seemS to understand the idea of the toilet- she knows mom and dad go pee and poop in there :) Im not sure where to begin with the potty training, whether to use pull ups or panties, how often to have her try to go, what to do when we go out to run errands... ect. TIA

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So What Happened?

My dd is only 2 but she wakes up dry from naps, and she has been taking her own diaper off and saying 'no diaper', so I think shes ready to start potty training. I would never push her into something I didnt think she was ready for just to make my life easier. Thanks to everyone for the tips, especially the advice on the pull-ups and now I think I have a good idea how to start :)

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C.J.

answers from Milwaukee on

Do NOT fall for that insane "Pull-Up" marketing. I think we would have been done 6 months earlier if I knew NOT to use them at all.

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N.W.

answers from Chicago on

If you want to be successful with potty training - NO PULL UPS!!! They cause confusion. Let your daughter pick out some undies with her favorite character and give her rewards for going in potty. Take her every 20 - 30 minutes. When you are out, ask her if she has to go potty. If she can understand, she'll tell you :-)
Good luck...

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R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I second what N2wynn aid, NO Pull-ups! Which is exactly what many experts say because they are made to draw the wetness away and keep little ones comfy, it says so on the Huggies website. If she doesn't feel uncomfortable what incentive is there for her to want to train? (I agree with the experts on this also.)

We're training bare-bottomed until little guy (28 mos) gets good at going on his own, then moving to undies, and using cloth trainers the rest of the time. Material rewards worked so-so ~ stickers and chart for 5 days , Dum Dum pops for 3, now it's "high-fives" and lots of praise that he wants : ) Each child is different, some don't respond to rewards at all, especially when you go overboard for one pee or poop in the potty rather than waiting for 5 or 10, you have to find what works for your child.

Do sit her every 20 to 30 minutes until you find her "schedule" then adjust accordingly, get a folding potty seat for when you're out a potty for the car, don't "ask" but "tell" her it's time to sit, otherwise she may say she doesn't have to go. And have a good sense of humor and lots of patience ; )

Hope it's an easy experience for the both of you!

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L.G.

answers from Detroit on

i used the "babywise" series advice. my daughter was trained in a week - i was fully confident taking her out in 2 weeks. here are the basics:
1. choose a week (at least) where you have little to nothing to do. clear your schedule. be prepared to do potty training, and that's it!
2. talk about it for a few days..find a doll that pees, or just pretend, and show your daughter how the doll/animal goes pee in the toilet, and then gets a reward (1 m&m or treat of choice). also talk about how the doll keeps her pants dry and gets a treat. then tell her she will be doing the same.
3. let her pick out some fabulous underpants. get at least 10 pr. also, be prepared with some easy on/off pants. get very excited and make a big deal out of the whole thing so she will be on board with it.
4. get a potty and keep it close. on starting day, put her in undies and tell her that when she goes potty or keeps her underpants dry, she will get a treat. stay close so that you can maximize each opportunity. if you keep on it, this connection will happen quickly.
5. give her lots of yummy drinks all day so she will have lots of chances to "practice".
6. when she starts to pee, move her to the potty quickly. if she gets some in the potty, give her a treat. periodically, ask her if her pants are dry and reward her for this. this, after all is the goal.
7. she will start to recognize the feeling and you'll see it on her face, or she will tell you. as she gets the hang of it, start moving the potty closer to the bathroom. i didn't like having to clean out the potty, so i quickly moved her to the big potty before the small one became a habit.
8. DO NOT use pull ups, and do not go backwards. pull ups send mixed messages. if you use a diaper for naps/bed, put it on the LAST thing and tell her it is only "just in case". make sure she knows she can still get up and go pee/poop if she needs to. take it off FIRST thing when she wakes up. do not use diapers/pull ups for you convenience, as they will confuse her.
9. be prepared for accidents, especially in the beginning. hang out in a tiled room. my daughter peed her pants 4 times in the first 2 hours! she did not like sitting on the potty if she didn't have to go. i called a friend (her 2 girls trained in 3 days), and she said to just wait for her to have to go, don't make her sit. personally, i don't think making them sit teaches them to learn the feeling. even now, 2 yrs. later, she still doesn't really like to be made to go when she doesn't have to, but she now knows that sometimes she has to for trips and such.

i know this sounds like a really intense thing, and it is. it is a hard week, mostly because it's hard to entertain a kid all day when you can't go off and do laundry or whatever, so plan a lot of things to do ahead of time. BUT, it is worth it. looking back, getting it done in 1 week was awesome!

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A.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have 2 boys, 2 1/2 and 5. We started with pull-ups and "getting used to the potty", taking them in there, having them sit, etc. Once they got used to that, then we started the tedious part of actually potty training with underwear. Be prepared for a lot of accidents and taking them to the bathroom a lot, reminding them to tell you. If it doesn't seem to be catching on, take a break for a few weeks, maybe months, and then start again. We had to do that with both boys and the second time around was soo much easier. Good luck, I've heard girls are easier than boys :)

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

ere's a wonderful, informative website you might find helpful. It gives a few variations on"readiness" checklists, plus tips on various training strategies, the best ages to start them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach: http://www.parentingscience.com/potty-training-tips.html

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

Just don't push it! She's only 2. When she wants to imitate mum and dad she will do it on her own time. Right now, whatever you're using----diapers or whatever----continue until she sets the pace and starts wanting to. Have her own special 'throne' available and let her know it's her very own. At some ;point she'll want to imp;ress. Rewards will be bigger girl undies, like pull ups and/or ultimately real under;pants.

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C.M.

answers from Detroit on

First be sure SHE is ready...not you. Otherwise it will be a matter of who is training who. JUST turning 2 could be a little young, but if SHE is ready.... I am old school...make sure she is dry at night first. Then you know her body can hold it for a period of time...potty training is not just mental. Talk it up a bit..."now you are a big girl and I am going to help you learn to use the potty " Get a potty chair, Get some panties...her choice, Tinkerbell, Barbie, flowers etc She WILL have a few accidents... until she knows what it feels like and the consequence of not getting to the potty ontime. Go cold turkey...either no pants or just panties...no pull ups. Plan that it will only take a few days. Don't try to go anywhere. That is too stressful until you have success at home. I have heard of some that train by giving alot of beverages so the trainee HAS to go alot and is able to really feel what the urge feels like. You might want to get a book about it so you can refer back to it when needed.

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M.W.

answers from Detroit on

Before you do anything, check out this website. Its great! Your daughter is the PERFECT age to do this! http://www.3daypottytraining.com/ This even worked with my very traumatized daughter (due to a timed interval potty training experience before) who was very stubborn about not going (and she had been so excited about going on the potty before bad experience).

What I did for errands is take the potty chair along in the back of my wagon until my daughter was comfortable on a normal potty. I'd just leave my cart with someone at the front door, and run to the car. Dump in the grass (so think about that when parking) and wipe out with Clorox wipes and ready for next time. Keep baby wipes in the car as well, along with a change of clothes - though we never had any accidents!

Best wishes!!

Best wishes!!!!

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