Potty Training Tips for 3 Year Old Girl

Updated on January 12, 2009
S.B. asks from Girard, PA
9 answers

i have little girl who just turned 3 this month (jan.) and refuses to use the potty. any ideas on how to start this process. i think she is nervous and so am i.

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.J.

answers from Harrisburg on

I am going to go a different route with this.....I am only offering this because i learned ALOT from the potty training experience. I would call myself blessed in this aspect because my then almost 3 yr old kind of did it herself with encouragement....I had an issue with her peeing in her panties and her pull up, and this is what happened.....Here it is.....My daughter at the age of 2 1/2, peed off and on on the potty....I used pull ups, and encouraged her to potty often....A few weeks later, I put panties on her, and she peed within min in the panties.....This is what i said to her....keep in mind what i tell you afterwards....,"Ilena, wow you really made yourself wet....does that feel cold?????She said yes....I said, well it wont feel cold if you pee in the bowl......let me show you....so I sat her on the potty, and we sat there for twenty five min.....with crayons, and a coloring book, and when she peed....in the bowl.....she emotionally realized that she did not feel wet....she was sooooooo excited, and so was i......She never had an accident again...(Like I said....I feel lucky)!!!!!I still put pull ups on her at night(she wakes up either in the middle of the night to go potty or wakes up dry), cause i found that plastic panties do not always work....She has now been potty trained fully for 3 months! She goes all by herself, wipes herself, and washes and dries her hands....EVERYTHING.... And she just turned three! Be patient(I know you are from the sounds of your post), and again....dont push her...
Once they realize how great it feels, and when they are ready...they just do it.....dont rush it, just encourage it.....I know that many moms have potty trained there kids by 18months too 2 yrs of age....I dont know, but that is just crazy...That being said, this is a great age for her to become independent....and she will....The last thing a child needs in the toilet training is a disapproving mother or father,(even disappointing themselves). Once achiving the urinating, bowel control is another issue(some children do not have an issue letting there bowels go, but then others....well they do). Some children will not release their stool to the point it causes complications, and physical damage. It is never helpful to force toileting issues. If she is resistant, look for causes. Example....does she eat enough fiber to produce soft stool? Sometimes the passage of time is all it takes for a child to master the toilet. Time works wonders. Ask her often if she would like to go to the bathroom with you. Show her(I am sure you are), ask if her she would like to go pick out her own panties. Just imagine her prepective....Some children often decide that it is less work to just go in their diapers. Try letting her run around in panites and a T-shirt for the entire day....do not go anywhere....When we say,"I have even talked with my child about potty training"(and I have said this too)....what we really mean is,"We have sat down and I have talked, and talked, and lectured". Talking often means telling over and over again, and getting no where......First sugestion is to stop telling and start asking questions......you might ask... if she wont go to the potty,"Why"? "how do you feel"? "Why dont you want to use the potty"? Another thing is too get her involved by teaching her to use her power to enrage in problem solving in all areas of her life, not just the potty thing....many forms....Ask her what she needs to do when she wakes up from bed, what she needs to do after breakfast, after she gets dressed...ect...Work with her on creating a routine chart...stop using any form of punishment, including timeouts(I know some woman will give a frown on this one). Your child will feel postive power if she chooses the time out. She will feel rebellious if you make her go......Pressure to suceed will only frustrate you both. make sure the message of love gets through much more during this process.....Potty training is just that-training.....We as parents can do so much to make it easier....If accidents happen, and they will, just be paitent....Good Luck, and I will send you a personal message with my email and phone number so you can call or write me whenever you want.....even if it is to vent, but never vent to your daughter or in ears reach of her....

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.G.

answers from Philadelphia on

I just started potty training my daughter on Friday. To prepare her I bought a bunch of potty books to read to her and always took her to the bathroom with me. I really talked up big girl panties and told her that I wear big girl panties and I go in the potty. I don't poopy or pee pee in my big girl panties. She was fascinated with the big girl panties and I always had to show them to her. I then showed her the drawer full of big girl panties that I bought for her and she told me that she wanted to wear big girl panties and we've been potty training ever since. I also bought Elmo's Potty Time DVD and my daughter LOVES it and I recommend it. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi S.,

My daughter has been potty trained since she was just over 2. She is now almost 3 and we've never had any accidents accept for at night, so I still use a pull-up. I started at 18 months by just putting the potty in the bathroom letting her get used to it, then I started sitting her on it with her clothes on. Then we moved to no clothes. One time she peed and it was all positive reinforcement from there. But, it never went any futher, She would pee in the potty all the time, but she also peed in her diaper all the time. I tried panties thinkning that she would not like feeling wet and cold. Apparently she does not care! Finally after months I did the "naked thing". I just committed to stay in the house for two whole days and put her in a dress with nothing on underneath. We put the potty in the playroom and just put her on it every 30 minutes. We did that for two days and have never looked back! I have suggested this to a few friends and it has worked for them too! Hope this helps! I also have friends that used prizes (m&ms marshmallows, matchbox cars) to help reinforce...

Good Luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi Sara,

i am a mom of 4. All of them are over 11y. Don't push her if she's not ready. If your having a power struggle with her it won't go well. Just give it a break. She will do it. Just take it easy.

I gave my kids rewards. My boys liked a simple page were they could put a sticker everytime they went. My daughter had no problem when she was ready going #1, but getting her to #2 on the potty was hard. She would scream & cry the she needed her diaper. She would hide and go off & poo. I finally got the idea of letting her run around & spray an air freshener in the living roon, when she went #2 on the potty. She loved it. It worked for her. Just try to think like your child thinks & think of things she likes.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.K.

answers from Erie on

You can check back through the archives there is TONS of info on this. go to the purple box on the left and click on the section about potty training. opps just checked i don't see one specifically on potty training you might check under all other and under preschool. Another way is at the bottom of the requests to just look back through all the previous posts. You'll probably get lots of advice anyway. It just seems like this comes up every two days.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I highly recommend the movie "Potty Power". I borrowed it from the library and it really helped my daughter. This might not make her fully potty-trained but it should help with her actually wanting to use the potty. :) Good Luck!!

p.s.- I liked this movie because it's a story about a princess (what little girl doesn't like princesses??) and my daughter loved the songs.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Patience, patience and more patience (for both of you:))!! I had absolutely no problem potty training my 2 older boys BUT when it came to my youngest.......different story!! My youngest is 3 and I just potty trained him about a month ago. It was a definite control issue for him and I kept procrastinating because I knew he was going to be difficult. So, the day I decided to just do it was when I ran out of diapers. He would absolutely fight me to put "big boy" underwear on but I just didn't give in and eventually he got over his tantrum. When I would bring him to the bathroom he would go into tantrums and throwing himself around while I carried him but I was persistent/consistent and it took almost a week before he stopped with the tantrums. By the way, during the first week of his tantrums and objections he DID go on the potty in spite of it all. He has only had a couple of accidents and wears his underwear to bed now. He's become a pro! I'm not a big believer in pull ups because I feel like it gives them permission to pee while they're sleeping in their bed but everyone is different and you have to do what is right for you, daughter and your situation. So, be patient, be consistent (no matter how difficult it seems. I told myself to prepare for 2 weeks of difficulties with my son and by week 1 it was over!) and every time you go to the potty take her with you and "show" her how big girls go on the potty. There's no one way or miracle tip on how to potty train. All children are different. Try not to let her feel your nervousness because that'll make her nervous too. I wish you all the best. Good luck!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

My advice would be to just put her in the panties. Tell her that she is a big girl and diapers are for babies. I would take her out and pick her favorite big girl panties.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches