How to Potty Train a 3 Year Old Girl

I was about to pull my hair out trying to potty train my 3 and ½ year old daughter. I made many, many, mistakes before I had my "Ah Ha" moment. Potty training your toddler can be a stress free process if you try to stay positive and do not give up.


You hear all these stories of Russian babies being potty trained at 6 months old and how your mother potty trained you 18 months. So imagine how I felt when my daughter who is 3 and ½ is still not potty trained. I had struggled since her 3rd birthday to get serious about potty training her, but nothing seemed to work.


I decided to take a positive approach to potty-training my daughter. I got rid of the Pull-Ups during the day and had her wear cotton underwear all day.


Once you start, don't look back. Keep going forward. I don't care how hard it gets, keep going, it gets better. I promise you.

Things You'll Need

  • A Potty Chart
  • Reward Candy
  • Cotton Underwear
  • Baby Wipes (flushable preferred)
  • Kids Bright Foam Hand Soap like Kandoo

Instructions

    • 1

      Say Good-Bye Pull-Ups:
      At least during the day, I said good-bye Pull-Ups. I concentrated on potty training during the day. I only put a Pull-Up on her at night. The first day of potty training, I put my daughter in regular cotton underwear all day. She picked out Princess and Dora the Explorer underwear at Target.

      The first few days were probably the worst. Every 30 minutes I put her on the potty or I would tell her to go sit on the potty. So the first thing in the morning and right before she goes to bed,and all in between I put her on the potty. It was so exhausting. She did not like to stop playing to use the potty, but pretty soon she was going on her own.Hooray!

    • 2

      Create a Potty Chart:
      I created a potty chart. Every time she did something in the toilet we celebrated with stickers on the potty chart. She would get one sticker on the Potty Chart if she peed and two stickers if she pooped. Rewards really worked.It helped both of us keep track of her progress.

    • 3

      The Candy Incentive:
      I try not to give my daughter a lot of candy because it makes her too hyperactive and its bad for her teeth. But desperate times call for desperate measures. We went to Target and picked out a cute gift bag and filled it with candy. I had her pick out all her favorite candy. So every time she used the potty she got one candy and she got two candies if she pooped. She only got candy during potty training. It really worked.

    • 4

      Accidents Are a Good Thing:
      Believe it or not, accidents are your friend. At first the idea of accidents mortified me. I didn't want to deal with any accidents at all. The first few days the accidents were pretty frequent, but the accidents became less and less over time. Children really start to learn from their accidents. She started to notice when she had to go potty and would run to the bathroom on her own. Pretty soon, I wasn't so paranoid about the accidents anymore. If we had to go out somewhere, I would bring an extra set of clothes and underwear. But I usually had her use the bathroom before we left the house and again once we arrived at our destination.

    • 5

      Watch and Learn:
      Let your toddler watch you do it. Announce when you have to go to the bathroom, to help reinforce the idea. Let her think it is cool for "Big Girls" to use the potty. Diapers and Pull-Ups are for babies,"Big Girls Use the Potty." Also, stay in the bathroom with your child when they use the potty to monitor their progress.

    • 6

      Spread the Word
      I told everybody that my daughter is doing a great job potty training, even if she had an accident that same day. It really boosted her self confidence. I would tell my husband,and make a huge deal about it. "Sarah Pooped Today!!! Good Job!!! You Are A Big Girl!!!" Everybody clapped and congratulated my daughter.

      My daughter is now officially potty trained. She started to get the concept of when she had to use the bathroom. I still remind her, but for the most part, she will run into the bathroom on her own. Potty training your child doesn't have to be a negative experience. It can be a positive, learning experience for both you and your child.

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