Who said girls were easier?

[Not so Dumbo]

I mean to potty train.
I thought I had it fairly easy with the two boys. They were more or less potty trained in a couple of weeks, but this little DD2.5 of mine is giving me a run for my money. It's been 3 months now and I am completely frustrated!
She is the same age as the boys were and I've tried the same method. I've tried stickers, undies with rubber pants, praise when she has done good and scolding her when she intentially goes in her pants. I've tried letting her sit in it until it feels uncomfortable. I've tried putting her on the potty at 1.5 hour intervals. I've tried giving her M&M's. NOTHING works. She's fully aware of what she is supposed to be doing and isn't afraid of sitting or going on the potty, she just doesn't want to take the time.
Next I might have to just let her train herself when she's...6!
Anyhow, I'm done venting, but if anyone knows of anything that I haven't tried yet, I'd love to hear about it. TIA

 

[scottish mum]

No advise really but I found myself in the same situation. My 2 boys were potty trained just after 2 but my daughter was having none of it. She was 2 1/2 before she decided that she would cooperate. But when she did that was her and within a couple of days she was completely dry with no accidents. I think girls are just more stubborn and will only do things when they want too. I would just leave her and then she might decide by herself. She is still quite young so I wouldn't worry too much

 

[MarieFan]

I mean to potty train.
I thought I had it fairly easy with the two boys. They were more or less potty trained in a couple of weeks, but this little DD2.5 of mine is giving me a run for my money. It's been 3 months now and I am completely frustrated!
She is the same age as the boys were and I've tried the same method. I've tried stickers, undies with rubber pants, praise when she has done good and scolding her when she intentially goes in her pants. I've tried letting her sit in it until it feels uncomfortable. I've tried putting her on the potty at 1.5 hour intervals. I've tried giving her M&M's. NOTHING works. She's fully aware of what she is supposed to be doing and isn't afraid of sitting or going on the potty, she just doesn't want to take the time.
Next I might have to just let her train herself when she's...6!
Anyhow, I'm done venting, but if anyone knows of anything that I haven't tried yet, I'd love to hear about it. TIA

She's very young to insist that she be potty trained. I know that she might be capable, but this is one thing that they can control, and you can't. I wouldn't worry or try too hard until she is close to three. My 2.5 year old is starting in underwear this week and doing very well, but it was when she decided she wanted to wear her Tinkerbell underwear that she started staying dry. Before that, she could do it, she just didn't care. My other daughter was 3 months shy of 3 years old, and one day wore underwear without me ever "trying" at all! I'd go back to diapers and try not to say anything at all for a few weeks, then show her some new underwear and see what she says/does.

 

[tzolkin]

My youngest just got out of diapers around Christmas. I'm sorry to hear that your struggling. When all three of my kids were "ready" to potty train it went very easily and took maybe a week and then no more accidents. We did bring out the potty a time or two with each of them, but they just didn't get it right away, so we forgot about it for a few months. They all wound up getting it at 2.5.

I know you said you've tried many things, but here's what has worked for mine... The potty goes in the family room and the child just wears underwear and a shirt. I make them sit on it every few minutes until they go and then keep reminding them and making them sit on it throughout the day. Even though I might only use the bathroom every few hours, countless times my kids have peed on the potty and then went again when they sat on it 15 minutes later. I was glad to not have to clean up an accident and it was good for them because they received positive reinforcement of going on the potty twice in a few minutes. It takes a lot of your attention to be completely focused on the potty every second, but I found that it was worth dedicating a week of our lives and then not having to worry about diapers or accidents anymore. One of the most important things was that they didn't leave the area of the potty. My potty-trainee must stay in the family room (or kitchen but keep returning to the potty every few minutes). This keeps the focus on the potty and doesn't let them (or me) get distracted and forget. I really noticed this with my son. Twice he peed and then wanted to go upstairs. I figured he just went and I would get him in 20 minutes to try again. Both times he had an accident in his room within a few minutes.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Our daughter is a little over 2 1/2 also and we are in the same boat. One day she will go on it once and then no more.... just wants to have it her way. I've done the sticker everytime you sit and a prize when you go. That works sometimes but not others. We are going to disney in a couple months so I'm not really pushing it too much since it would be easier to have her in diapers than 1/2 way through potty training I think.
Anyway... I've just decided that we would continue doing what we are doing and she will do it when she does it.

good luck

 

[saraheeyore]

I would leave it a bit until she is ready all kids are different and some just don't have time to stop and go on the potty might be worth working on other things instead as she sounds clever and she may take in a lot of other things instead. My little girl was 2 in October and i tried her a few months back and it didn't work at all so gave up and trying again now and this time its going ok and she is now interested

 

[tam626]

Yeah, I hate to hear that. I have 2 boys & one girl & I found them all about the same except the youngest took forever to poop in the potty. Honestly, all kids are different & whether they're a boy or girl, makes no difference.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Each child is different. They have to be mentally ready to potty train. Our DS turned 5 in December and he didn't get the potty training thing down until at least 3 1/2 or 4 and just recently started sleeping through the night without accidents. However, they do occasionally still happen but luckily not frequently.

As much as you want her to be out of diapers because I know it's easier on us moms, you can't force her to potty train and the more you push her the more she'll resist. We tried with our son, he would have none of it and we backed off for awhile. I was very envious of a friend who got her son completely potty trained (day and night) not long after he turned 3 and I was still struggling to get my kid to do the same. Eventually when he was ready, he got it.

Just take a deep breath and relax. She will eventually stop wearing diapers.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

Thanks guys

Most of the time she wants to wear undies. She just doesn't want to take the time to go on the potty, which makes it way messier for me.
I'll tell her if she is going to wear undies she has to go on the potty and she'll tell me okay over and over again. And just when I think she's got it in her head...oops another accident. She is capable of making it. I've even caught her in the bathroom by herself going, which then I praise her and give her a reward. Those moments I think wow, I think this may be a brake through and then an hour later she has an accident and won't go on the potty (even if I try to make her) for another day or two.

My boys are way stubborn now, but I think back then I told them I'm taking your diapers away and this is where you tinkle and poop goes and after they learned how to control when it came out they were done. They really didn't understand that they could fight me, she does.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Not that I'm much help, but my boys were easier than my DD to train. It's my experience that girls are much more stubborn as toddlers. DD pretty much told me she didn't want to use the potty. The stuff I had used for the boys (stickers etc...) was of no interest to her. I just let it go for a while. Finally, a couple months after her 3rd birthday she said she was ready and that was it. She didn't actually need training. She put on her undies and never had an accident. Again, I'm no help, but I totally understand. Maybe there is such a thing as the "third child being a girl after 2 boys syndrome?" Good luck.

 

[carj]

I just wanted to say I agree with you. My son was waaay easier to potty train than my daughter.

 

[Stephres]

I just wanted to say I agree with you. My son was waaay easier to potty train than my daughter.

I don't know if it is a oldest-youngest thing. My boy, the oldest, was very eager to please and potty trained easily. My younger girl was another story. i finally took her into the Disney Store when she was nearing her third birthday and told her she could have anything in the store if she would just go in the potty. I really wanted to start her in preschool in the fall and I was scared she wouldn't be trained by then! At first she told me, no thanks. Then about two weeks later she told me she would wear big girl panties if she could have the fancy Cinderella dress. It was a small price to pay for my sanity!

I think girls are way harder than boys!

 

[debdebdebby13]

The best thing I know to do with PT kiddos is to let them go when they are ready. If she's resisting, she's not ready. She may be physically but she's not mentally so just let it go.

I found with my own DD when she was ready it too a matter of days, like three or four and she did it basically all on her own with just a few cues from us.

I think little girls tend to have a mind of their own even more than little boys and so letting them do things at their own pace is much more successful than pushing what we want on them.

 

[Leajess99]

I mean to potty train.
I thought I had it fairly easy with the two boys. They were more or less potty trained in a couple of weeks, but this little DD2.5 of mine is giving me a run for my money. It's been 3 months now and I am completely frustrated!
She is the same age as the boys were and I've tried the same method. I've tried stickers, undies with rubber pants, praise when she has done good and scolding her when she intentially goes in her pants. I've tried letting her sit in it until it feels uncomfortable. I've tried putting her on the potty at 1.5 hour intervals. I've tried giving her M&M's. NOTHING works. She's fully aware of what she is supposed to be doing and isn't afraid of sitting or going on the potty, she just doesn't want to take the time.
Next I might have to just let her train herself when she's...6!
Anyhow, I'm done venting, but if anyone knows of anything that I haven't tried yet, I'd love to hear about it. TIA

It is apparent that your dd is just not ready and the more you push the harder she is going to push back. Let her go and she will potty train in her own time and it will not be when she is 6. I have 3 kids that I potty trianed with 1 being a boy and 2 girls and none of them were 6 when they trained. If they were not ready than we waited. Forcing the issue just causes her to not want to do it. Not all kids are ready at 2.5 and some do not even have the bladder control until they are older. Just stop and stop being frustarted. It will make you both feel better if you don't push and let her go when she is ready.

 

[mom2princessj]

Hmmm...my ds was AWFUL to train. I started my dd a little too early but by
2y 8m she was fully trained.
I can say though that when both children made up their minds to do it, it was very easy so maybe you should just kind of hang back and let your dd take the lead. I am so happy to be done with potty training. It's one of the most frustrating things I've ever gone through with both kids Good luck!

 

[disneybridetobe]

I think little girls tend to have a mind of their own even more than little boys and so letting them do things at their own pace is much more successful than pushing what we want on them.

OMG isn't that the truth! We're not even PT'ing yet, but I can't make this kid do a darn thing that she doesn't want to do. She definitely got my stubborn streak, too! I'm glad she's not the only one.

 

[Mommy2JulietJocelyn]

I feel your pain.....my 4 yr old who will be 5 next month had an accident about a week ago because she didn't feel like getting up and going in the bathroom, she changed her panties but told me the water from her cup spilled in her bed - so she not only had an accident but she lied about it too!

She is my oldest - she only recently had made a month with no accidents so we signed her up for T-Ball. Her younger sister who is 3 1/2 had a month with no accidents this past fall. She started dance class in Jan. She just decided one day she was done with diapers.

 

[PrncessA]

After struggling with DS for what felt like YEARS (still a struggle at times) I am DREADING DD. She just turned 2 and is "interested" in DS old little potty but I am not mistaking that for readiness. She is VERY stubborn and strong willed and I know she will only potty train when she is ready.

DS was almost 3 1/2 before he potty trained and that was only when I had given up and he decided it was time. He still has problems going #2.

 

[nessz79]

I only have boys, but with both we waited for a while. My oldest was 3 yrs 3 months when we decided to officially potty train (we just dabbled with it before with many accidents). He was finally ready and trained within a week.

My youngest was about 2 yrs 9 months. We needed him to go to a preschool where he had to be potty trained. For him, it took about one nerve-wracking month. He would pee with no problem but we had issues with him withholding bowel movements and had to hold off on that part for another week while we got him regular again. After we had him regular again, we officially trained him within another week/week and a half. However, once my youngest was trained that was it. No accidents. My oldest still has occasional accidents and he just turned 6. Mostly due to not wanting to go to the bathroom while he's playing.

Good luck to you. You may want to wait until she's closer to 3. They are much more reasonable then.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I noticed you said you used panties with rubber pants. My ds didn't like the pee running down his legs so he made the time to go to the potty. Maybe take those rubber pants off and see what happens. Maybe she's just not uncomfortable enough to make it worth her time to take the time from playing to use the potty.

All three of my children - 2 girls and a boy were completely trained during the day by their 2nd birthday. My oldest dd also was night trained at this time, my youngest dd took an extra month but ds wore pull-ups for an extra 6 months at night.