Girls tend to be potty trained about three months earlier than boys, but this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. If she has older siblings, she may learn earlier than a first-born.
One of the most effective potty training tips, especially for girls is to take them underwear shopping. As with boys, underwear that has cartoon characters on it works the best.
Girls also have a stronger desire then boys to stay clean and not wet their underwear, so it’s very common for a girl to tell her mommy if she needs to go right from the start.
Choose your time carefully. It’s best to avoid starting training when big changes are coming up, such as starting at nursery or the arrival of a new sibling. She may feel too overwhelmed to tackle a new challenge. Waiting until she’s settled down will help to get potty training off to the best start.
If your child has started saying “no” to everything, bear in mind that it’s just a phase. She’ll get through it, so you might want to delay potty training until it’s over.
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What will I need to potty train girls?
The first step is to buy a potty. Involve your little girl in picking a potty she likes – this will help her to enjoy sitting on her potty. She may feel more secure on a potty than on a normal toilet and it means she can easily get off and on.
Books and DVDs about potty training will also help to make it a fun learning experience for her.
If she is ready to get rid of nappies then take her shopping for her first pair of knickers. Let her pick the ones she wants and make it a big event for her, celebrating how much of a big girl she is.
How should I start potty training?
Make sitting on the potty a part of your child’s daily routine, perhaps when dressing in the morning and before the evening bath. Don’t expect her to sit there for long; at first she may only stay there for a very short time – you are simply getting her used to the potty.
Toddlers learn by imitation, so letting her see you go to the toilet will make things a lot easier for her. Obviously she may ask why Mummy sits down and Daddy stands up, so be prepared to talk about the differences between boys and girls.
Be clear and consistent
According to Teri Crane, author of popular toilet training book “Potty Train You Child in Just One Day,” adults should always be clear in their communications with their daughters about potty training, and consistent in their language and schedules. Crane told diaper and pull-up company Huggies that many little children think concretely. In other words, if you ask your daughter if she wants to go to the bathroom, she may think you are asking if she wants to walk in there, not if she needs to use the toilet. Be thoughtful of the language you use and understand that it may take awhile for your daughter to realize what “going to the bathroom” means.
Help her relax
Many little girls want their parent, guardian or caregiver to stay with them when they go to the bathroom, and you never want to leave a child in the bathroom alone. FamilyDoctor.org, the website of the American Academy of Family Physicians, suggested that adults read or talk to their daughters to help them relax and feel comfortable on the toilet. Some girls may end up feeling anxious or get off the chair if you leave them alone, and many little ones may need encouragement.
Common problems when toilet training older girls
The ideal age to start potty training a girl is between 18 and 24 months, this is the period girls start to get a stronger desire to be clean, therefore showing more interest in the potty.
It’s common for older kids, girls aswell as boys to be afraid to release bodily fluids and solids. This can be quite frustrating for the parents, but it is important to hide this frustration from your child. All you can do in a situation like this is to be encouraging and very supportive. It’s times like this when making a huge deal out of every success can do a lot of good to the training process.
Older girls can experience conflicts between wanting to be a baby and wanting to be a big girl, which can cause them to have fits and tantrums even over the most basic instructions. Girls are harder to train once they’ve reached reasoning age and begin to manipulate rewards.
With all this being said, teaching girls how to use the potty is still easier than training boys. Personally I hope these tips will aid you in successfully training your little daughter and get rid of diapers for good.
