Potty training is a massive achievement for toddlers. This is because only after its successful accomplishment your kid is going to be completely free from diapers. If you have a girl at home then congratulations! Your struggle is going to be much less. However, you will definitely require some tips for potty training for girls to get quick success.
Potty training for girls at the right age is quite important. It not only makes them feel independent but also boosts their self-confidence. But before giving your lessons you must look out for their mental and physical readiness. Here are the tips that will surely help you in potty training your girl.
Potty Training Tips For Girls
According to a report, girls are fast learners in terms of daily etiquette like potty training (1). So if you have a girl then chances of early training and a quick achievement are higher. You can start potty training anywhere between 18 to 30 months depending on her willingness for the process. Here are the potty training tips for girls that will help you in your endeavor.
1. Watch For Cues
Your girl will give you enough cues when she will be ready to be potty trained. Showing interest towards the bathroom, disliking wearing diapers, and verbal or gestural expressions in times of emergency are the prime cues you will have to catch. If your girl is giving you these hints, do not delay it further.
2. Practice Up And Down
You will have to make your girl sit on her legs for peeing. Unlike boys, they cannot stand and pee. So make her practice up and down upon your command. You can also do it with her to make her understand the process. This easy practice will also strengthen her legs and boost gross motor development, which is necessary before potty training (2).
3. Get Her Comfortable With The Potty
Kids often have toilet anxiety like fear of falling, and fear of the sound and smell, which unnecessarily delays the potty training process (3). If you do not want that to happen with your girl, make her comfortable with the potty. Do it by letting her sit on the potty with your help. Make her play while sitting on it. You can buy unicorn-shaped or horse-shaped potty chairs for kids instead of regular ones to heighten their interests.
4. Keep Your Cool
Keeping your cool is something very important when you are dealing with toddlers. Losing your temper will result in your kid fearing the entire process and showing further tantrums. Instead, try to be calm and put a gentle smile on your face while potty training your girl. The positive approach of the parents is vital for developing good habits in kids (4). Start with a good mood. You can seek help from your elders and friends to learn how they dealt with potty training setbacks.
5. Keep The Potty Seat in Sight
It is better to get a potty seat for practice before going to the actual bathroom for training. After purchasing a potty seat, place it in front of your girl for the upcoming few days. This small attempt will make her completely habituated to the new thing. Therefore, she will not fear it when you try to make her sit on it during the potty training practice.
6. Ditch The Diapers
A vital tip for a successful accomplishment of potty training for girls is to get the diapers out of sight. You will have to forego your dependency on diapers to escape the mess. Accept that accidents will occur when you are initiating potty training and you will have to be geared up for the cleaning. Timely abolition of disposable diapers is important to reduce diaper dependency in kids (5). Therefore, instead of diapers, make your girl wear pull-up pants to make her feel the wetness.
7. Don’t Set a Timeline
Do not unnecessarily pressurize yourself and most importantly your toddler to be potty trained in a specific timeline. Every kid is different and so is their pace of learning. Setting up a timeline will make you haste and get frustrated if your kid fails to learn according to your plan. While some parents find three days of potty training method to be helpful, some prefer a steady gradual process. Whatever you choose, do not get upset. Your girl will respond to your potty training lessons sooner or later.
8. Offer Praises
Your sweet little praises are more valuable for your little girl than you think. Praise and appreciate your girl in all her trivial achievements and you will see the results. This is because praises from elders work as positive reinforcement for kids and can effectively instill good behaviors in them (6).
So praise your girl when she successfully removes her underwear or makes her first attempt to ride the potty chair. Your praises will encourage her to move forward. Girls like to be treated as grownups very often. Use this tendency while praising your girl by saying “Well done my lady” or “Oh dear you are learning so fast”. But make sure not to overdo or have continuous surveillance over her or else this will make her self-conscious and nervous.
9. Prepare For Accidents
Be ready to clean up all the messes as you cannot avoid them. Your little girl is learning a new skill so mistakes are bound to occur. Don’t be surprised if your daughter wishes to stand and pee just as she saw her father or her big brother do. Do not force her to sit and pee instead let her do as she wishes. Soon she will realize the right position. You can demonstrate how to help her though.
But be prepared with the cleanser and mop stick as you will need them frequently at the beginning. Studies say about 70% of children get control over their urination by the age of 3 and about 90% by the age of 6 years (7). Hence, with time as your kid starts understanding her nature’s call the rate of accidents will decrease for sure.
10. Show And Tell
Kids learn best if they have a live example in front of them. This is because kids have the acute ability to observe and learn through new experiences. And most importantly, as renowned psychologist Albert Bandura says, kids learn through imitating their elders (8). So your girl will best learn to use the toilet properly if you demonstrate it in front of her. Feel free to show your girl how to use the toilet as no one else can better do this other than you.
11. Take a Break
If your toddler is not ready to ditch the diaper or shift from the potty chair to the actual toilet seat then hold on. Take a break and start afresh after a few days. Taking a break will help you reflect on your methods. You may come across a fresh new approach and that can prove to be helpful for your kid.
12. Teach Your Girl How to Clean
Remember this is the most important thing to teach to your girl while giving her potty training. Girls are more prone to get a urinary tract infection than boys just because of the structure of their genitals (9). Make sure to repeatedly instruct your girl to wipe from front to back direction and never do the opposite. For toilet training, you can ask your girl to pat the area gently with the toilet paper to soak it dry. But for potty training make sure she always cleans from front to back.
13. Keep it Fun
Do not take it as a task. Instead, try to make it more fun with your creativity. You can give her a sticker book of her favorite Disney princess or paste a sticker every time she successfully uses the toilet. You can make her amaze by showing how pushing the flush vanishes all the smelly yellow dirt she creates. Make it fun and light to achieve success.
14. Take Help of Books And Toys
There are numerous potty training books with colorful and funny illustrations as well as toys available in the market. Buy some of them and give them to your girl. These will help her to process new information about potty training quickly.
Hence, potty training for girls is not a tricky task if you know the right ways. Your little girl is a genius and she will learn everything if you know the right time and right approach. Just be patient and maintain hygiene right from the beginning.
FAQ’s
1. What is The Best Age to Potty Train a Girl?
There is no best age to potty train a girl. Whenever your girl shows readiness it is the time. But to say you can start between 18 to 30 months as kids start showing readiness during this time.
2. Are Girls Easy to Potty Train?
Yes, girls are easier to potty train than boys. Many studies found that physical and linguistic development in girls occurs faster, which may benefit their early achievements in potty training.
3. How to Get a Girl to Pee on The Potty?
To make your girl pee on the potty, encourage her to sit on it first. Help her initially to ride on the potty seat. You can make her pee on the potty by creating a stimulating hissing sound.
4. How Long Does Potty Training a Girl Take?
Potty training a girl will roughly take you around 3-to 6-month time period. Your girl can make it faster or take longer. For achieving nighttime dryness, however, she may take several more months.
References
- Mota, D. M., & Barros, A. J. D.. (2008). Treinamento esfincteriano: métodos, expectativas dos pais e morbidades associadas. Jornal De Pediatria, 84(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.2223/JPED.1752 – https://www.scielo.br/j/jped/a/kgbgVbNsdLJxS7BNQyMDyMH/?lang=en#
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/resources/ot-activityinformation-sheets/readiness-for-toileting-information-sheet/
- ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity – https://eric.org.uk/information/toilet-anxiety/
- UC Davis Health Children’s Hospital – https://health.ucdavis.edu/children/patient-education/Positive-Parenting
- Yu JT, Mao QF, Ji FP, Zhao Y, Hu HJ, Zhang YP, Yang J, Wang QW, Lu W, Wen JG. Delayed elimination communication is a crucial factor in disposable diaper dependence in Chinese preschool-aged children. Front Pediatr. 2023 Jan 9;10:1053118. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.1053118. PMID: 36699294; PMCID: PMC9869372. – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9869372/
- raisingchildren.net.au – https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/connecting-communicating/connecting/praise
- ALISON SCHONWALD, LEONARD A. RAPPAPORT, in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, 2008 – https://shorturl.at/fe0XJ
- Main, P (2022, October 24). Social Learning Theory – Bandura. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/social-learning-theory-bandura – https://www.structural-learning.com/post/social-learning-theory-bandura
- The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) – https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/urinary-tract-infections
