How do I get my 3 year old girl to start using the toilet on her own and stop going on her pull up?

Answer 1

I agree with the first answer. Pull ups only send mixed messages. It's like "Okay, here's a bigger and fatter diaper you can pee in!" She just needs to be put in underwear.

Put her in underwear during the day and ask her every 30 minutes if she needs to go potty. Make sure to reward her for going and give her lots of praise.

Answer 2

Sunny S is right - take away the pull ups. When there is an accident, take her to the bathroom twice - explain that you want to make sure she understands what she is supposed to do and how to do it. Let her pick her own underwear. My 2 year old is convinced that Ariel panties prevent accidents, so that is pretty much all she wears! There is a great book called Potty Training 1-2-3. It's a little more militant than I liked, but the ideas are good and the implementation can be softened to better accomodate the child.

Answer 3

I am having the same problem with my 3 year old except she will not even wear pull ups. I was told not to force her because then she would be scared. I have now started to use a chart and am letting her place a sticker on it everytime she goes to the potty, wipes, and washes and dries her hands. This is becoming effective but she is still wanting to wear her diapers most of the time. Good luck and remember to be patient she'll go whenever she's ready.

Answer 4

what have you tried so far??
this may sound weird, but if she refuses to try going on the potty, dont put a pull-up on her and let her go in her pants, this may sound strange but she will hate the feeling of being wet and it might help her want to start using the potty. tell her big girls use it and she is getting to be a big girl now. have you tried a small plastic potty for kids or a seat that goes on the big potty? then she will feel like she is eased into it a little better. try some cool underpants with charatcers like maybe her favorite show/movie/book ect. such as sesame street, dora the explorer, nickelodeon characters, movies like snow white, cinderella (anything on disney) you know, what ever she liikes. reward her for trying or going on the potty. ..keep a chart for when she does go on the potty and she can put a sticker on the days she does. buy some cool wipes so its easy for her and maybe let her pick some fun soap and teach her to rememember to wash her hands. try "Kandoo" - brand of wipes for kids, it has a cute box and is easy for her to use. sometimes, kids dont like it when you watch them so give her some privacy when she tries on her own, it will herlp her to feel more independent. you could put some of her favorite books or even magazines in the bathroom next to the potty so it doesnt seem like a drag . if she has friends / siblings that are potty-trained use them as an example, "see (friend/sibling) goes on the potty like a big kid"
also consider hat sometimes kids just arent ready, you shouldnt be woried about them having a problem until the age of four and a half. until them just keep trying and good luck.

Answer 5

I put my daughter in regular underwear. She is also 3. The pull up feels a lot like a diaper so they think its OK to use the bathroom in them. When she wore the underwear she could really feel wet and would cry...so she stopped going to the bathroom besides on the toilet. She will try to do what is easier for her unless you don't really give her a choice.

Answer 6

First of all I would stop using the pull up. To me its just a fancy diaper with elastic. I found my kids hated getting wet or dirty on themselves. So I used cloth training pants. Yeah its a lot of work cleaning when they have an accident. But they wont like the way it feels running down their legs. Use the pull up at night only and let them run around the house during the day with cloth pants on and if you have to ask them every 5 mintes if they have to go then do so. Good luck.

Answer 7

I am a preschool teacher and we see this problem a lot. I second the idea of taking away the pull-ups. You might want to offer her special wipes to use, like those "Can-do's," as an added incentive to use the potty.

Also, if and when she soils herself, make her change her own clothes. Supervise, but make her do it herself, including cleaning up and putting the dirty clothes in the laundry basket or hamper.

Frankly, I wouldn't even use the pull-ups at night. She needs to learn to wake up when she has to go, and continuing to allow her to go in the pull-ups at sends a mixed message. (Get a plastic protective cover to go under the bedsheet.)

I don't allow pull-ups at all in my preschool classroom. Parents underestimate their childrens' ability to use the potty. Once potty training is over, you've got to stick to your guns and make them keep doing it. Often the novelty of the potty wears off and the child decides it's more fun and convenient to just use a pull-up. Don't let them get away with it!

Answer 8

stop using pull ups at home. it will only take a few pairs of wet panties before she gets the idea. use pull ups when out and in the car but use panties as soon as you get where your going as long as there is a potty close by. like at church or daycare.my son trained in a week doing this at age 3 and a half. use pull ups for nap and bedtime

Answer 9

Your problem is the pull ups. You want her to use the potty but you're giving her underpants that look like diapers and it's sending a mixed message. You just need to put her in real underwear and only put her in a diaper at night.

Answer 10

Make it a game. Try sticker rewards. Everytime she goes to the potty and not in her pants, she gets a sticker and at the end of the week, if she gets a certain number of stickers, she gets a certain treat, whether it be a new toy, or a train ride somewhere special.

Answer 11

We put our daughter in "big girl underwear" and threw away the pull-ups. She started using the potty all the time then.