Potty training - who's training who?

You think your toddler is ready to start using the potty because she shows a lot of interest and curiosity in all things bathroom-related, especially flushing valuable items down the toilet! Now's the time to give it a try. Here are some preparation tips:

1. Put the potty where she can easily get to it
2. Up the excitement for her (and buy-in) by getting big girl undies she likes
3. If she has a favorite doll, prepare the doll for potty training too
4. Clear your schedule as much as you can for a few days - you'll need to stay as near to home as possible. If you do need to go anywhere, take plenty of spare clothes

Now you're ready to start. Things may go in one of several directions:

1. After a few days of accidents, she'll pretty much get the hang of it and daytime diapers will become history. It may be a while before she's ready to go through the night. You can try when she has dry diapers in the morning for a week or so. This is the best outcome, but not the most common.
2. She wants to stop wearing diapers but has multiple accidents and doesn't seem to be getting the hang of it. See if she'll wear pullups or make sure she sits on the potty every half hour or hour, preferrably waiting until she does something and connects the feeling of doing that with sitting on the potty. More of a tedious and time-consuming approach, but one that works very well.
3. She loses interest and nothing you do or say persuades her to keep trying. Back off and take her lead - pushing her will only make it a negative experience and it might be a while before she feels ready to try again. The less of a big deal you make of it, the sooner she'll revisit the idea.

I'm sure you already know this, but remember to reward all her efforts, not just her accomplishments. Good luck!