Last Updated on February 5, 2021
Well, it is all dependent on if you feel your daughter is ready or not. There is no set time to begin potty training. It all boils down to your daughter being willing and ready to move along onto the next stage of independence. She may be ready to begin potty training at 18months or she could be not ready to begin until she’s 4years old.
So like most parents you may want to begin their training at the age of 2 or 3years old. having said all that, the good news is that girls tend to be potty trained a lot faster than boys, usually about 3months earlier to be exact. Although this is not a hard and fast rule.
Most times her potty training may be even be much more quicker if she has an older sibling because toddlers like to intimate their elders. What is very important is carefully choosing the time when to begin with the potty training, although try as best as possible to avoid starting training when you have big plans in the pipeline such as preparing the nursery for an upcoming sibling.
All these big changes can overwhelm her including the new challenge at hand. You need to wait a bit until the dust settles so she is comfortable enough for you to start her off with the potty training exercise. If your little princess has begun saying ”NO” to everything that comes her way, don’t despair it is just a phase that she is going through she will soon out go it. However you may have to delay your potty training until she has come out of this annoying phase.
What equipment will you need to get started with the potty training exercise?
For starters you will need a potty, so go shopping for one, and let your daughter know that you bought that potty especially for her and nobody else. Personalize it with all those sparkly stickers you know she will love, write her name on it etc… this will help your daughter to feel more secure and more comfortable to use it than the actual toilet. You want to do away with any anxiety of using the toilet as much as possible so have your child rather use the potty than the toilet at first, doing this will ensure that there aren’t any unnecessary delays with the training.
It will also be very convenient for you both because hopping on and off the potty is way easier than her trying to step up on the toilet. Also you can carry the potty with you around the house to wherever it may be need, such as having it near her play area. Once your princess is comfortable using the toilet then you can try fitting a training seat which can fit right on top of the toilet seat.
Make sure it is fitted perfectly and wobbly free otherwise se may change her mind about the toilet because of fear of falling! You may need to place a step stool at the foot of the toilet to enable her to climb up more easily. Bring in the fun factor while potty training your daughter, things such as her favorite story book or her favorite video on the tablet to make her certainly enjoy her potty training time a bit more and help encourage her to use it more too.
Potty training, how to get started.
Start with an open bathroom policy so your daughter can be able to observe you using the toilet. Kids learn mostly by imitating their elders. Let her test drive the potty first with the diaper on just as a way to encourage her to have a go at the potty before you can actually start the training process. You can also use her stuffed animal or doll to demo to her how to use the potty and also to amp up the interest.
If she still has a bit of resistance to the potty then don’t force her, just give her some time to warm up to the idea of using the potty, she will come around eventually.
How to motivate your daughter to use the potty.
Woo your daughter in and drive some interest in the potty training exercise by inviting her on the all special shopping spree for big girl things. Let her choose all the cute knickers with her favorite cartoon characters on them. Amp up her interest way ahead of the shopping time, tell her how you can’t wait for her to join the big girls club so you, her and big sister can be one happy unit! This a sure way to get her all excited about trying out and using that potty.
The best time to bid the diapers farewell.
You have to remain as consistent as possible if you want to be able to get your child out of diapers soonest. Which means all potty training partners need to be all on the same page as you in terms of progress that you and her have made. Go for fulltime underwear usage during the day time so as to not confuse your daughter about what is really happening you can use the pulls ideally at night.
Always have a clean pair of pants and underwear at bay in case of any accidents, and also for when you may those visits outside of the comfort of your home. If you are still a bit uncertain of letting your daughter go completely diaper free then speak to other moms and let them share stories of their success journeys.
Being able to recognize signs that it is time for her to go pee.
On very hot days or warm days have her go commando. But be sure to have a potty in an area where she can easily access it whilst playing and try as much as possible to encourage her to use it very now and again. Always be prepared for those unforeseen accidents every now and again so always have your carpet cleaner at close bay to be able to quickly manage those accidents should the need arise.
But also you can always protect your carpets with those plastic mats. Toddlers are little wanders by their curious nature so be sure always monitor and know their whereabouts so you know exactly what she is doing at what time. Don’t forget to look out bathroom needing signals, If she keeps hopping from one foot to another or is clutching or squeezing her privates then you know it is time for her to go.
Quickly rush her to the toilet so she may be able to relieve herself quickly. You will need to do this as often as possible until she is fully cognizant of when she needs the bathroom to use her potty. Remember kids learn by repetition and routine so try to be as consistent as possible, the more times you do this the quicker she will be learn and ultimately be out of diapers in no time.
When is the best time to shower her with praise during potty training?
Your daughter will experience a few accidents as goes along on her journey to being fully trained and ultimately independent. Don’t worry those random accidents are only normal and all part of the learning curve in your little princess’s journey towards her freedom and gaining of another motor developmental skill.
If she can go 3 consecutive days without any accidents then you can celebrate this milestone with her by offering her a reward. This will help her stay motivated and wanting to do her best all the time. Just be careful to not go overboard with the rewards because you don’t want to make her anxious and self conscious whenever she wasn’t able to hit those milestones.
Keep pushing for the best and don’t lose sight of the bigger picture, remember that with any other skills that your child has learnt the were good day and bad days but at the end of it all with your help and guidance she will ace it! Try to find easier ways to help her along such as dressing her in loose clothes that she will be able to undress quicker and without much effort.
Always maintain your cool, sure cleaning up messes is an unpleasant job but yelling will just derail all that time and effort you put into the training because it may cause her to become hostile and even resistant to the entire process.
How to know if your daughter is ready for night time potty training.
With time and lots of effort into your daughter will fully master stage 1 of her potty training, now comes the next  part of your daughter’s potty training experience, night time potty training. You need to be sure that your little princess is ready to plunge onto this next step. To ascertain if your daughter is ready for this you will need to observe if she wakes up dry from her afternoon naps or better still the nights.
If on most mornings she wakes up dry then may be she is ready to start off with the night time training.
