Potty training is an exciting milestone in a child's life. The best way to make sure this experience boosts confidence and independence instead of provoking anxiety and diminishing self-esteem is to wait until the time is right. There are many signs to look for to determine if a child is ready to potty train and techniques to help make the transition from diaper to big kid underwear easier. Be patient until your child is ready. Fortunately for parents and caregivers of little girls, girls tend to potty train earlier than boys.
Step 1
Determine if your little girl is ready to begin potty training. Your child should be able to physically use the toilet (be able to walk to the toilet, take off pants and underwear, sit for several minutes). She will typically keep her diaper dry for long periods of time and have regular bowel movements if she is ready. A great indicator of readiness is an interest in using the potty.
Step 2
Model how to use the toilet so your daughter knows what to do. She will want to be like you. If you are a male, it may make using the toilet confusing. There are many movies and books available to help model using the toilet for children without (and with) same-sex parents. These are also useful if you are a caregiver and not a parent or legal guardian. Popular potty training books for little girls include, "Once Upon a Potty: For Girls" by Alona Frankel and Mister Roger's "Going To The Potty." A popular movie is "I Can Go Potty" from Thinkeroo.
Step 3
Handle accidents with care. Every child who is learning to use the toilet will have accidents. Stay calm and in control when they occur. Do not scold or belittle the child for having an accident. Simply help the child remove the wet clothes, get cleaned up and put on clean clothing and change the sheets if the incident occurred at night. If your child is ready to potty train accidents may help her to try even harder. Let her know accidents are OK. If your child has extremely frequent accidents (more accidents than successes) and this does not improve over time, she is probably not ready to potty train.
