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Let’s hope Leighton doesn’t read this one day and say “mom, I can’t believe you shared all this about me on the internet!” = ) I remember when Leighton turned 1.5 years old and used the potty for the first time. She did number 2, and we were SO proud. I remember thinking wow, this isn’t so bad. We will have her potty trained in no time! She was actually very ready to potty train at that time. We bought her all the necessities to help potty train (keep reading to see my list below.) And then nothing. Sure, she would continue to use the potty at nights when we were at home, but what about when she was at in-home daycare? No one was helping to potty train her during the day. And on the weekends, we rarely sit still or stay at home. So she continued to do great at home, but she didn’t progress. But the most important thing about how to potty train a girl is to be patient, be consistent and know that they will do it in their own time, so I didn’t stress about it.
We just took it day by day and did the best we could. About 6 months later we enrolled Leighton in a preschool where they actually help to potty train the children. We were pretty excited about having some help since she spends 9-10 hours there a day Monday through Friday while we are at work. It took her quite a few months to adjust to a new preschool which is understandable, and then after a few months she finally started using the potty at school. By this point I had gotten so used to her just wearing pull-ups that I may have even been a little comfortable with our current situation. But I knew it was time. She was excited about potty training and was doing so well at school. We started making sure that when we did leave the house that we constantly gave her chances to potty wherever we were. The next week we starting putting her only in panties and after that week, she was potty trained! Now that it is all said and done, it really isn’t that bad. I promise you will survive mamas! Keep reading below to for the items that I recommend to help you potty train a girl.
How to Potty Train a Girl: Shopping List
1.) A Chart. You will want to keep track of their progress. Trust me, I thought I would be able to remember too, but I couldn’t. It’s so nice to have that record to look back on to see what happened before that accident so you can try to prevent it next time.
2.) A Reward. And a REALLY good one at that. We don’t do many sweets at our house so we chose to give stickers. Leighton loves them! I have found a couple brands that carry no sugar added gummies, and I think those would be perfect too. I’ve heard a lot of people like M&M’s too.
3.) Pretty Panties. I took Leighton to the store and let her pick out her own panties. She chose Minnie Mouse, Frozen and the Disney Princesses. She loves wearing them!
4.) Pull-ups. Leighton used them to help prepare her for potty training, and she still uses them during naptime and nighttime. They have the tabs on the side so you can easily get them off, but you can still pull them up and down like big girl panties. They are great to get them used to pulling their pants up and down when they need to go potty. Our preschool recommended them, and they really are so much easier than diapers.
5.)
A Potty. There were SO many potties out there. We searched for weeks before we finally settled on one. We decided to go with the
Summer Infant My Size Potty. We wanted to make sure that the potty looked and felt like a normal potty so that Leighton would like “a big potty” too and not have a hard time transitioning to a regular one. It has a place to store wipes in the top, and it even flushes and makes a noise. You can lift the lid up and down too.
The week that we started to really focus on potty training, there were a few things that we kept in mind.
How to Potty Train a Girl – Tips
1.) Be consistent. You need to be potty training all day and all night no matter whether your child is at home, with you or at school.
2.) Take them to the potty every 15 minutes even if they say they don’t have to go.
3.) Put them in big girl panties while you’re training them. Most kids do not like the feeling of being wet once they don’t have a diaper pulling away the moisture.
4.) Give them praise whenever they do use the potty and reinforce it.
5.) Make it a fun game to use the potty and ask excited whenever you go (even if it’s your 87th time for the day.) = )
6.) Make sure you give them their prize every time they go. Leighton had fun counting how many stickers she got each day, and she would try to actually get more each day than the day before!
7.) Try to stay at home (or make sure their school is at least doing the same thing.) When you’re on the go, it makes it so much harder for you to remember to take them every 15 minutes. It is also hard for your toddler to remember. Leighton also didn’t like using public potties, so it was easier for us to just stay at home that week until she was potty trained and felt comfortable using any potty.
Don’t forget to try to relax a little bit. I promise they will be potty trained at some point. If they’re not ready yet, just wait and try again when they are. Things will change so quickly. I never thought we would see this day, but it’s been months now, and I can even barely remember Leighton wearing diapers already. It was just like transitioning to the crib or getting rid of the paci. When you’re in that moment it seems so overwhelming and stressful. But once you’re past it, it feels normal and doesn’t even seem like a big deal anymore. I promise your child will get there! To help you with your own potty training journey, I am teaming up with
Summer Infant to give away a
My Size Potty to one lucky reader. Leighton actually kept hers and plays with it with her baby dolls now. She seriously loves it. = ) To enter, just use the widget below and good luck! What is your
favorite Summer Infant product? Do you have any more advice on how to potty train a girl? Let me know in the comments below!
saving these tips for (much) later 😉
xo!
Shelby
http://www.glitterandgingham.com
These are such good tips! My son was potty-trained right after he turned 2, and I found stickers to be so helpful. Plus, they love potties that make noise, like flushing.
Tif
http://www.brightonabudget.com
Love the potty!!!
I like the Summer Infant® Wide View 2.0™ Digital Video Baby Monitor with 5 inch screen best!
Looks like the perfect potty to start training my daughter! Thanks for the tips!
You guys are just too cute, loved this!
I like the Summer Infant® Lil' Luxuries® Whirlpool, Bubbling Spa & Shower (Blue).
aww Leighton is so cute with her potty! we're still working on the potty training too and these are great tips!
kileen
cute & little
Whoa only a week!? That's pretty impressive I must say! I'll have to pass this along to my mommy friends!
I like the Summer Infant® My Size Potty
Aw she is just too cute!!
Xx,
Lauren
I like the Summer Infant Pacifier Thermometer. They have a lot of great products. Thanks for the giveaway!
My size potty! Like yours! We have to potty train him ASAP for school. Totally freaking out. Keeping my fingers crossed for this.
I like the Summer Infant Pacifier Thermometer.
Just getting ready to potty train our 2 year old! Definitely writing these tips down! We love the my size potty!
I love the portable chairs with the tray! So convenient!!
Hi there…I know you are in Memphis. I am too. Would you mind telling me what pre-school you are sending Leighton to? My lil guy is 3 and I'm looking for a good one. Thanks!
Hey! We are in Tipton County but I've heard that Central in Collierville is great!
Oh okay – thanks so much!!!
Summer Infant has many great products. I especially like their Summer Infant® 5" Panorama Video Baby Monitor with Pan / Scan / Zoom.
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I love the Summer Infant My Size Potty !
My favorite is the Summer Infant® 3Dtote™ Convenience Stroller.
I like their infant tubs
Definitely referring to this when my youngest is ready!! Great post!
– Mary
http://www.MissMaryPowers.com
I love their tubs. Used it for my baby.
I have one of their baby monitors and it is great!
Summer Infant® Dual View™ 3.5" Color Split Screen Digital Baby Monitor marci-lyn@hotmail.com
I love the summer infant potty! Would love to have one. My baby is almost ready to potty train.
She is adorable!!
How cute is your little girl?! So good that she's potty trained and ready to go!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
I like the tub, but this potty is great!
So far my favorite product is the Summer Infant My Size Potty. Were having a hard time potty training my son & i think a life-like potty could help
I love the Summer Infant® Lil' Luxuries® Whirlpool, Bubbling Spa & Shower (Blue). Sticker charts work great for potty training with a great reward on the weekend like a trip to the park or chuckie cheese:)
Jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT rr DOT com
You had such a great method for potty training your daughter! I can attest to some of these working as well, working in a daycare and seeing some of them in action!
I love the Summer Infant Pop 'n Play Portable Playard!
I'm loving the Summer Infant® 3D lite™ Convenience Stroller.
Oh, I love the Summer Infant® Complete Baby Care Kit.
This is adorable!! And her little outfit is the cutest!
~Adriana
http://www.leopardmartini.com
The Summer Infant® Pop 'n Play Portable Playard is my favorite.
Oh boy, do I remember those days! You two are so darn CUTE!!!
I like the thermometer pacifier!
I like the Summer Infant® Complete Baby Care Kit
this my size potty
My Size Potty! We've been wanting to try this potty, thanks for the opportunity! Excellent tips! Ty
This toilet is so cute! the baby care kit and the thermometer pacifier.
I love your Summer Infant® 3D lite Convenience Stroller, it's a dream, so lightweight!!!
Summer Infant My Size Potty would be great for potty training!
I love the Lil' Luxuries Whirlpool…any baby would love that!
I like the 2 in 1 toilet trainer – toilet seat with adult and toddler seats together – looks so much easier to use than the separate toddler seat we have.
I like the Summer Infant Lil' Luxuries® Whirlpool, Bubbling Spa & Shower.
The potty is so cute. My fave. I like the car shade as well. 🙂
I like the Summer Infant Double Safety Bedrails Rosanne
Summer Infant® My Size Potty
love this portabale potty for baby's it is cute and work's great.
love this portabale potty for baby's it is cute and work's great.
love this portabale potty for baby's it is cute and work's great.
Summer Infant® My Size Potty
This potty is so cute. I also like the Lil' Luxuries Whirlpool.
Love this potty chair! We will be needing it for our baby girl, Avah Rose, in a few short years. BTW, Leighton is absolutely gorgeous and a model in the making!
We LOVE the infant thermometer!
I love the Summer Infant Dual View 3.5" Color Split Screen Digital Baby Monitor
i love the Summer Infant® Lil' Luxuries® Whirlpool, Bubbling Spa & Shower
I like the deluxe superseat 3 in 1!
I love the Summer Infant Pop 'N Sit Portable Booster Seat!
I also like the lil luxuries whirl pool tub.