Is my toddler ready to potty train?

Question

I thought that she was ready a while back, when she was about 18 months old, she wanted to use the potty like mommy, and she was for a while, but for the past 6 months she has not wanted to potty at all. She goes to day care, but doesnt seem interested that the other kids go potty. I have even tried giving rewards, and saying, "yay selly" when she does go, but she has just stop wanting to go at all. Should I keep trying, or should I wait until she is interested again?

she is now two and a half

Answer 1

Both my kids were potty trained by 2 years old. But it will only work if your daughter is ready, which it sound like she is, since she has used the potty before, especially if she shows interest in you using the bathroom and if she stays dry most nights and if she lets you know she has just peed. Stay home for the next few days and let her just go diaper free & put her in "big girls underware" (its better in the summer since you can just let them go naked except panties, too cold right now) Keep asking her if she needs to go to the bathroom. You will have to have patience and a sponge since she will have a few accidents. If she is really ready after a few accidents she will start to make a consious effort to use the bathroom since she will soon find out how ucky it is to pee on themselves without a diaper on. Take her to the bathroom sometimes even if she doesn't ask. Look for the potty dance signs, but stay away from diapers and pull ups unless you are going out, and then get rid of those asap as well. I used to take the potty in the car with me during the early stages of potty training. This is all trial and error on her part, but if you don't get rid of the diapers as soon as she starts making an effort to use the bathroom, she will become lazy and just go in her diaper instead of stopping what she is doing to go the the bathroom. You can also give her a reward system, such as making a chart and putting a sticker everytime she goes. You could could make up a dance or cheer to do everytime she goes, it will boost her confidence. Also let her pre-school know that you are trying to train her, so they can also help her to use the potty at school. If they know you are training her, they can also encourage her while at school. Buy a DVD for her about potty time with some of her favorite characters, my daughter had a potty video with Bear and the Big blue house that she watched a lot when I was training her. Here is a link to an Elmo game about potty time that your daughter can play that might encourage her!

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/games/pottytime/flash.php?contentId=16805504

Answer 2

18 months old was way too early. You were the one who was trainned. Now she is older and you arn't around during day care to make sure she gets to the bathroom she is taking the easy way out and using diapers.

Take yourself a long weekend and make it the time to train her.
Don't use pull ups or diapers. Use pretty underpants that she likes......and let her pee and mess and she will tire of it. Why would she bother learning to go potty if it is easier to just use the diaper. Get her a book about potty trainning. Tell her that it is time for her to learn and you will help her. Have a potty seat she is comfortable with. Take her to the potty every hour or more if need be. When she does go, give her praise. Give her a star or sticker on a piece of paper for her to measure her success visually. If you treat her like she can't be trainned, she won't.

I put each of my kids in panties at night once they were trainned during the day. One morning of a wet bed and they made sure they held in the pee until they went to the bathroom.

She is old enough to understand that she can go potty if she chooses. but, she needs to understand the conquenses of NOT using the potty. Which means wetting her panties and the floor.
You need to stick with it. Again, you are not the one to be trainned......she is. and you are the parent and you are the adult.

Answer 3

Some children go thru this. She'll start up again and want the potty. Do you use a potty chair or the big potty? I bought 2 different baby potties and my son insisted on using the big potty.. so we bought a seat. She be back on there before you know it. There are some cute books and videos to help encourage her too. Good luck!!

Answer 4

wow... This girl definetly does not have ADD.. so maybe attention turns her off.. Experiment for about a week or so and let her go on her own.. If she says she needs to potty, just ignore her.. If it doesnt work and she goes on her self then you can keep trying over and over to use the potty.. My little nephew didn't take over using the potty on his own until he was 6...Some people are different I guess.. Just get like a lot of diapers and a plastic matress for her if she doesn't learn.. No sense in putting her in a program which costs thousands

Answer 5

yes she is old enough. My son did that.. He was in day care also. He just wasn't actually ready to do it. He was age wise but not when it came to him personaly. We let him know when he went in his diaper that he needs to go in the potty and every day he would just not everytime usualy once a day. When he was actually ready he just started going and we never had a problem. He was 2 1/2. I think some parents don't activly try to get them to go and just expect them to do it. Take her to the potty with you EVERY time you go. She will get used to how it works. My 20 month old already knows that if mommy goes she needs to try to go. She also goes in her diaper but i think that she is getting used to what she is supposed to do we will tackle the never going in the diaper thing when she gets the hang of the potty.

Answer 6

When your at home with her make her go every 15 to 20min sit her on it and hold her there.

don't take notice of her when she has not done anything, stop putting nappies on her during the day, This may sound really gross but this one works well if she pee's her self or Pooh's her self while she is wearing her undies Her new Undies she is to be left with them on for a few min as this will feel uncomfortably to her as they are not the same feeling as nappies.but don't for get to put clean ones on later,

When she wakes up in the morning take her nappy off straight away and put her on potty then again 5min later and then ten and so on, most kids this age do a poo in the morning . When she pee's or Pooh's in potty you jump up and down dancing saying her name eg: Stacy yes yes you good girl you we we in potty Yes I'm so proud of my big girl?

Answer 7

At this stage in her life, it is not a "potty" issue, it's a control issue. She is old enough, she understand the mechanics of it, and she can be expected to do it.

Perhaps what needs to happen is you need to assert yourself as the parent. Positive reinforcement is a great tool, but sometimes, the way to achieve a mutual goal is good old fashioned discipline.

Best of luck to you both!

Answer 8

Now would be a great time.
Some ideas are a potty chart,every time she goes potty she gets a sticker.
Also,you can set it to whatever number you would like but,every 3rd of 4th time she goes in a row she gets a potty present.usually you can take her to the dollar store and have her pick out something.

Answer 9

keep trying (don't push though) it's hard to potty train for us and them. Have her bring a book in with her or a toy so she can sit on the pot for awhile without getting bored, and of course lots of encouragement, clapping, rewards, bribes hehe - you just have to go through the process - but don't give up - sometimes it can take a long time! good luck!

Answer 10

If there is no pressing reason (nursery school, etc) to push her into being trained, I would wait. Take the pressure off, order one of those potty training kits from Charmin, and make it a fun, no pressure, game, not something that she senses to be a power struggle.