potty training

Jennifer - posted on 11/23/2008 ( 2 moms have responded )

my 2 year old little girl is just not interested in potty training.

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Julie - posted on 11/23/2008

I don't have a daughter of my own, only two sons, but I did most of the potty training for some little girls I babysat. A few things I have found have helped: 1. Take her out into social settings, mommy/toddler groups, playgroups, daycare type places and that kind of thing (fast food resturants work too because there are a lot of kids there, but i dont like to encourage kids to eat that kind of thing) and "notice" occasionally that other kids her size are using the "grown-up" bathroom. 2. (works best if you have hard floors in your home instead of carpet) Now, this one can be aggrivating for mom, but if she is interested in using the bathroom, but is having a hard time figuring out what it feels like to "need to go", put her in "big girl" underwear around the house (i found out that all kids treat pull ups like diapers...). make sure to keep a change of clothes nearby and be prepared to give lots of hugs, because this one can be hard for the little ones too. this only took a week once i started it, but i have to stress DO NOT DO THIS UNTIL SHE IS DEFINATLY READY TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. doing this before can be traumatic. 3. none of the kids i have ever potty trained liked the potty. they see it as something dirty because it holds onto the pee and has to be dumped then cleaned. the $10 child seats that fit over the regular toilet seat and a stool worked 100 times better 4. talk to her. let her know that this is part of growing up and is an easier way for her to help out with keeping herself clean. kids at that age love to help! 5. don't potty train until she has moved on from using bottles both day and night. if she has to have a drink at night, make sure it is a sippy of water on the bedtable. bottles for comfort assure kids that they are still little girls/boys and make it harder for them to take steps towards being a "big kid".

I have also found that little girls seem to train later than boys. I wouldn't stress over potty training at 2. If she is not trained by 3.5, then start talking to her about it more and pushing the idea a little bit harder. Never get upset at your child for not being ready to train, it will happen in her own time!

Hope this helps, i know i am kind of long-winded.....