How to Potty Train Your Daughter in a Day

Make Sure That Your Daughter is Ready for the Big Day

Some parents have easy experiences with potty training girls. Others liken it to a living nightmare. What makes the difference between easy and difficult? The short answer is whether your daughter is fully ready for potty training or not.

According to the Mayo Clinic, most children are ready for potty training between 18 and 24 months. However, this number is not set in stone. Plenty of children aren’t ready until they are three or over. Even still, a small number of children may be ready before 18 months.

Remember, waiting a little longer if you are unsure doesn’t hurt. Trying to start potty training too early before your child is ready mentally or physically will take longer and add more frustration.

How to Tell Your Daughter Is Ready to be Potty Trained

Here are a few signs to look out for when preparing to potty train your daughter.

• Is your daughter walking and able to sit on the toilet?
• She is interested in sitting in the potty and may be curious about what you are doing in the bathroom.
• Is she expressing annoyance or discomfort with using the diaper?
• Does she let you know when she has to go pee or poo?
• Is she beginning to show signs of controlling her bladder? (Having dry diapers for more extended periods.)
• Can your daughter physically follow multi-step directions, such as pulling her pants up and washing her hands?

Your daughter may be showing one or two of these signs or all of them. If you believe your daughter is ready to start potty training, then it’s time to start preparing!

Prepare Your Daughter in Advance

If you are ready to potty train your daughter in one day, it’s important to plan in advance. Some children are great with on-the-fly plans. However, it can be a good idea to take your calendar out and plan the day you are going to potty train your daughter specifically.

Make sure your day is free of distractions from work or other commitments. Your daughter will need your attention to help guide her through the potty training steps.

Ditch the Diapers and Buy Big Girl Panties

While preparing for a potty training day, it can be a great idea to ditch the diapers altogether.

Tell your daughter you will have no diapers on this specific day. (Example: Susie, guess what? We are going to say goodbye to diapers on Thursday. Are you excited? This is such a big girl step for you!)

Take your daughter to the store and pick a special pair of big girl panties. Some parents choose to go the training pants route, which is okay too! Training pants make it easier to contain messes. However, they can also make it more comfortable for your daughter to use the bathroom. If this happens, your daughter may feel the need to visit the potty less often.

For this reason, many parents choose to keep the training pants at home as an option for going out and about. They also come in handy for days that seem extra hard. Yet, if your child is ready, putting them straight into panties on potty training day may make the training easier because your child will understand what an accident feels like.

Double Check That You Have Everything You Will Need for Potty Training

Now that potty training day is approaching, make sure to have everything you need on hand. These items include:

• A potty chair or potty ring for the big girl potty.
• A stool to stand on if they need help to reach the sink.
• Stickers or small treats for rewards.
• Sanitizing and cleaning supplies just in case of an accident.

In addition, you can shop for cute potty training charts and rewards online. Some kits include princess crowns and signs explaining the steps. These kits aren’t necessary but can make potty training extra fun for your daughter.

Plan the Potty Training Day Out

As potty training day approaches, start planning the day out. Let your daughter know in advance that potty training day is coming up. Here are a few things you can do or say to prepare for the big day:

• Tell your daughter that she will be practicing going to the potty, and eventually, that is where she will always go.
• Make a plan to say goodbye to diapers.
• Let her know that poo and pee belong in the potty, and that is where she will be putting it.
• Remember to tell your daughter that it is okay to have accidents. They happen, but the more she practices, the easier it becomes.
• Make sure to have all your equipment prepared.
• Start when your daughter wakes up by putting her on the toilet.
• If she doesn’t go to the potty right away, wait 15 minutes and try again.
• Continue the 15-20 minute increments until your daughter begins to go on the potty.
• She may tell you when she needs to go; other times, she may not. Either way is entirely okay. Just keep going with the process all day.

Make a Plan to Give Your Daughter Your Undivided Attention

On the day that you set aside for potty training day, be sure to give your daughter your undivided attention.

You will want to be distraction-free. This will mean being off work, putting your phone away, and simply being with your daughter. The more attentive you are to her, the easier it’ll be to spot that she needs to go to the toilet.

Be Patient and Calm Throughout the Day

While the goal is potty training your daughter in one day, resolve to stay calm. Accidents happen, and your daughter will feel more comfortable with the process if you are patient and calm.

If your daughter has an accident, do not yell and become frustrated. Doing so may make her feel like she can’t or doesn’t want to potty train any longer. The less enjoyable the process is, the harder it will be for you to train her.

Celebrate Every Time Your Daughter Goes on the Potty

Be prepared to celebrate every single time your daughter goes on the potty. Also, celebrate whenever she has a little win. Did your daughter ask to go on the potty but couldn’t go? Still, make a big deal about it.

The more you celebrate her wins, the more fun and prouder she will begin to feel about herself. Stickers and treats help as well!

Give Plenty of Grace to Your Child

Everyone needs grace, especially toddlers. If you are potty training your daughter, remember to give her plenty of grace during the process.

Choose not to make a big deal about accidents; just clean it up and move on. If your daughter is taking more than a day to potty train, that is okay! Every child is different. Some children catch on quickly, and others take a little longer to learn. Giving grace will go a long way in making sure the process is smooth for both your daughter and you.

Continue in Your Effort to Potty Train or Choose to Take a Break

The goal is to potty train your daughter in one day. If, by the end of the day, your daughter has caught on and is ready to move forward with her diaper-free life, amazing! However, if your daughter isn’t quite getting it, it’s okay to take a step back and reevaluate.

If your daughter is not quite getting it yet and the day was a struggle, don’t be afraid to put a pin in the training and return to it in a few months. If your daughter seems to be getting it but maybe needs a little more time, then continue in your effort to potty train. Before you know it, you will finally be saying goodbye to those diaper-buying days.