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Girls tend to be easier when it comes to potty training, compared to boys. While every child has their own personality, girls tend to want to please more than boys and that makes it easier to incentivize them. But that isn’t to say that potty training girls is always easy.
Many of the basics for potty training a girl will be the same as with a boy. The main difference is that you don’t have to transition a girl into standing once she masters the sitting mode. Understanding your child’s natural tendencies is the first step in potty training. You want to take their lead on things.
“There are very few things kids must be in control of. Their bodies are one of them," child and relationship expert Dr. Fran Walfish explained to Mom.com. "If your child gets the idea that you are too invested in them becoming toilet trained, they will use it against you. The toddler phase of development is crucial for young girls (and boys) to claim themselves as separate beings from Mommy and Daddy.”
Here are our best tips on potty training girls.
When to start potty training girls
Knowing when to start is important to the ultimate success of potty training girls. Experts agree that there are easy ways to tell if your daughter is ready for the potty.
1. Start them at the right age.
Most girls are ready to be potty trained between 18 and 24 months. That isn’t to say that your daughter might not be ready sooner or even later. Remember that there is no rush when it comes to potty training and it really only happens in your child’s time.
2. Make sure she is physically ready to start
There is no sense in starting the potty training process if your daughter isn’t ready. Make sure she can sit on the potty comfortably — her feet should be on the ground. She should be able to walk to the potty and pull her pants down and pull them back up when she is done. These are the physical basics that say she is ready to start potty training.
3. Encourage her to want to "be a big girl"
By showing your girl how you go potty, she may express a desire to be a big girl. She may also want to wear big girl underwear and do things that big kids do. When she starts expressing all of this, you know she is ready for the potty.
How to start potty training girls
When your daughter is ready to start, you’ll want to arm yourself with the right tools to make the process as easy for both of you as possible.
4. Choose potty words
Many of us choose “pee” and “poo” as ways to describe what happens on the potty. You’re welcome to choose words that you feel better about using. Either way, start consistently using the words to describe what your daughter does when she goes to the bathroom — even in a diaper or pull up. This gives her the language to start communicating what she needs to do.
5. Get the right equipment
Toilets tend to be intimidating for most kids. They are big and girls can be afraid that they’ll fall in. Get a child training potty and keep it in the bathroom or where she plays the most. Her feet should be comfortably on the floor when she is using the potty. This helps build confidence in her body control.
6. Get on a potty schedule
Start potty training when your child is able to hold and stay dry for at least two hours. This gives your a two-hour cycle to get them to the potty when they likely have to go. It’s simply staking the odds in your favor that when you say it’s time to go, they might actually be ready to go. It’s okay if they don’t, but a schedule will greatly help condition them to get to the toilet regularly.
7. Learn the signs
Every child has a pee-pee sign. This is the physical signs that you see when you know they have to go to the bathroom. They might start to squirm and dance about, squat, and even hold their private areas. When you see this, you want to move quickly to get them to the potty before its too late.
8. Make it a positive experience
Kids want to maintain control when they resist potty training. You can fight this tendency by making it a positive experience. Use praise when they go to the potty — even when they aren’t successful in using it. If she sits on it, give her a ton of praise and she’ll want to go back. Some parents rely on small gifts to help incentive using the potty. I will say that we tried that with my son and it got to be a little too much to give him a gift every time he sat on the potty.
Out-of-the-box tips on potty training girls
Even when girls are ready, there may be times when it isn’t easy to potty train them. You’ll want to have some tricks up your sleeve to help make the process easier for everyone.
9. Quit cold turkey
Registered nurse Molaka Reese told Mom.com that, “going bottomless for a few weeks to start — no underpants,” is her recommendation. This takes the safety net of diapers away. Remember that diapers and pull-ups wick away moisture and without them, your child will feel the wetness. When at home it can help to go with no pants, but while out just do away with anything under their shorts or pants.
10. Help them own the process
Jill Caratan explained to Mom.com that when kids are part of the process, they own it and feel like they need to succeed at it. “Make sure your girl is involved in choosing the training potty," she suggested. "If they’re part of the decision process, they’re part owners and feel more commitment to it.” It can also add the excitement of growing up.
11. Make it normal
Jen Al-Notman told Mom.com that making it no big deal is important in her house. Her daughter is a year old, and has been potty trained since she was around seven months old. “Do it in a routine or after a certain event. For example, we put her on the potty when she wakes up and she uses it every time," Al-Notman said. "We are casual with it. I see parents who put a lot of pressure on their kids to use the potty. For her its normalized and we try to not make a big fuss of it.”
