What is the best way to potty train my 29 month old daughter?

Question

I am getting ready to get serious about potty training. She has gone both #1 & #2 a few times on the potty chair. I plan on going cold turkey on diapers and have her wear her big girl underwear. I'm not sure what to do at night time though. She always wakes up in the morning with a soaked diaper, even though we stop all fluids by 7pm the night before. If I put her in a pull up at night will that confuse her? Should we wake her up to go potty at night before her father and I go to bed? HELP!!!

Answer 1

I would find something that would motivate your daughter. I have sons so my ideas are different. First I tried the stickers. Make a chart, and every time she goes she can put the sticker on the chart. I used M&M's also. Every time he went he got an 'M'. What really worked for me was Legos. We bought a lego kit and every time he went he got to put pieces on the kit. Then when he was done with the kit he got to keep it. And that worked. I know that doesn't help with your daughter, but you could find something on the same line as that. As for the pullups at night, My first son wore pullups at night and underwear durring the day, and he wasn't in them long. It sure beats getting up at night and changing the sheets(when you have to take your laundry to the laundry mat).

Answer 2

Don't get all bent out of shape about how old your daughter is and whether or not she's potty trained. Take it from the mother of a 6 yr old boy who wasn't fully potty trained until he was almost 5. There are other battles that are more important.

My advice, since you asked, is to keep her in a pull-up at night. It's goes on like underwear so she's shouldn't be too "confused." During the day, I belong to the school of using pull-ups then too. Now if you are a stay a home mom and you don't mind changing her clothes 5 - 6 times a day until she is dry all day, I say go for the cold-turkey route. If you do, I strongly suggest you practice yoga and patience because she may not get with YOUR program for weeks or possibly years.

It's true that girls are potty trained earlier than boys are, but what remains true for both is that you cannot rush them to do something they're not ready to do. You should not get angry with her for not being dry just because you think she should be. Be very supportive of her when she's successful and offer a little sympathy and support when she's not.

Do NOT wake her up to go potty. (Remember "never wake a sleeping baby?" The same is true here.) Just use the pull-ups. Sooner or later, especially if she's, excuse the pun, "going great guns" during the day, the night time will follow. She won't be confused and it will become a part of the bedtime routine. Ask her to try to go potty before she gets into bed (a good time for a little applause if shes successful to helpher go to bed on an "up note"), maybe after she's brushed her teeth and she'll get the idea.

Keep in mind that there could be set-backs at this age and instead of a steady forward progression, she may resort back to needing diapers or pull-up full time for a while. Don't be frustrated, just be patient, patient, loving, supportive and patient. Did I mention you should be patient?

There is a light at the end of the diaper tunnel, just don't rush getting to it.

Answer 3

Ok don't get bent out of shape. Your child is still young so you have plenty of time to train her. Here are a few tips to help you.
1. Seriously this is a little weird, but it can help. Take her to the bathroom with you when you have to go. Set her on the potty and then you sit on your potty and go. She will see the routine and pick it up that way.
2. Pull ups are great. They look like real underwear. I'd reserve these for night time and special occasions (church, dining out, etc.)
3. Stop the fluids 2 hours before bedtime. Also nothing to eat 2 hours before bed.
4. Do get her up to go every 3-4 hours. Its demanding at first but she'll get used to it and so will you. Eventually she'll be able to make it longer and longer through the night.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

I started out by buying a simple white potty that looked the closest to a regular toilet. No bells n' whistles. Then I got her the "Feel N Learn" pull-ups which are great because when they are wet, they feel wet to the child. Then we had a "sticker" program. I would put her potty in front of the toilet and we would both go potty together. Every time she was successful, she got a sticker that she placed on the bathroom cupboard beside her potty chair. That way she was able to see the rewards of her efforts. And I also made a big effort to praise her really dramatically! Then we'd both empty her potty into the toilet and wave and say "bye-bye peepees/poopoos, thanks for coming out!" She'd sometimes just sit on the chair and "pretend" to potty just so she'd get a sticker! But she quickly figured out that she needed to produce visible results... It took about 2 months. Then I took her shopping and let her pick out her own underwear (Dora). She was so happy to wear them and very, very proud. She had a few accidents but I never made a big deal out of them to her. It got tricky when we went out because it's important that as soon as said she had to potty, we had to pull over right away. I was sure NOT to fall back on the pullups just because we were out. It just prolongs the process. She was able to wear underwear during the day and a pullup at night. Then, eventually she lost the nightime pullup and I woke her at 2am and took her to the potty - every night for about a week. And then that was that.

Every child is different tho - the key is to make a big fuss when they go and not make a fuss if they don't. Good luck with it.

Answer 5

I am the mother of a 2 1/2 year old little girl( she will be 3 in october). If your daughter is "ready" to start using the potty the best way to help her potty train is the incentive of stickers and reward from my personal experience. I did not let my daughter start wearing panties until she could wake up from a nap (which is usually 2 hr) with out being wet, this showed me that she was able to hold her bladder and was "ready" for potty training. As your daughter progresses in her potty training you should then worry about the change from a pull-up overnite to panties. I make it a every nite ritual that before she goes to bed she goes potty which encourages a accident free nite and no milk to drink to go to sleep she still sleeps in a pull-up for precation but usually will still wake up dry and this does not confuse her at all

Answer 6

Children always backslide a little bit at night, when she does a good job on the potty , praise her. Give her little incentives like those cute little plastic purses at the drugstore, if she asks for those cute little pink girl toys, "oh, Big girls carry purses, when you're a big girl, maybe you can have a purse too" Get her particularly cute big girl pants, maybe with Dora the explorer and after she goes on the potty let her wear them. If she wakes with a soaked diaper, don't upset her, those accidents will happen especially at first. Luckily little girls are more fastidious (generally speaking) than boys so once you and your husband get on the same page,figure out what she likes and come up with incentives it will probably happen quickly, but do not punish her, you can express a little disappointment but never punish

Answer 7

potty trainning is not my thing.. or i should say it was with my 3 1/2 year old son.. then daddy ended up in hospital.. what a nightmare.. my son was fully potty trained and now daddys gone and hes back in pull ups.. my daughter who will be 2 years of age in september is fully potty trained we started going potty together and now she goes by her self a week later. this proves boys are much harder than girls... but hopefully we will soon be done with diapers with my son.. oh and i didn't put a curfew on liquids or foods be fore bed and no pull up on my daughter before bed... in panties all the time..and no bribary either, because once they get potty trained they will think since i went potty i get another treat...best of luck..

Answer 8

When my daughter was 20 months I put her on panties during the day and pull up's during the night. I had to wake her up in the middle of the night so she could get use to getting up by herself. It's no easy way to train a child. You have to do it when they are ready or they will urinate on them self as a way to rebel. I'm a homemaker and it was a hard couple of months teaching her.After awhile she would get up by herself.Then I put on panties the full day. I still have problems teaching her to wipe front to back. Other than that she it's doing great. Your daughter sound like she is already on her way she just has to learn to get up at night.That's the hardest part,less sleep for you for a while, but worth it in the end.

Answer 9

My son's pediatrician told me not to stop the diapers at night until they wake up dry at least a full week in a row. The BEST way to start... as SOON as she wakes up take her to the bathroom with you or let her sit there by herself. Before/after meals and before bed. Just work it into your daily routine and she will go by herself.

Answer 10

i have 3 1/2 year old twins and have had enough over the past 6 months. for 3 months they have done really well w/ just pull ups, and have not wet, but they could not poop. i just said i quit buying diapers, and when they poop their pants, they would finally realize that they needed to use the toilet. when they would poop, i would give them a sticker and when they got 10 stickers (w/ no accidents) we would go to chuck e cheese. we are going there this weekend. it works.........night time, they get good nights. good luck