Girls are typically ready to train a little earlier than boys and they may take to the potty or toilet quicker than boys, so the training period may be shorter. Each child is different and your little girl may love the idea of potty training or they may resist it. If she resists too much, she may not be ready, so postpone the training until she is more receptive to the idea.

Get her Involved

While boys tend to be excited at the prospect of a potty in the design of their choice, little girls are often even more excited at the prospect of the new big girl pants that they will now be able to wear. This can be a huge motivating factor for little girls so let them go shopping for new pants with you. While some parents feel that the cartoon character pants with bows and frills are simply a money-making scheme, others swear by the power of these fancy pants in convincing your little girl to keep them dry and clean. If you feel that your daughter will respond to fancy pants, then go for it ? if you think she would prefer a potty with all the bells and whistles, then try it. It is all down to making the potty training process as personal and relevant to you child as you can.

Talking about Girly Bits

Whatever you choose to call your little girls bits, from the cutesy names to the anatomically correct, make sure she knows that while her bits are private, she shouldn’t feel embarrassed to discuss them. It isn’t just boys that like to play with their hands in their pants ? little girls are just as fascinated by the new access they have to this part of themselves and they want to explore ? it is perfectly natural. If your little girl does this, make sure you don?t scold or tell her off as this is only likely to cause her to get confused or develop a sense of guilt or shame about her girl parts. The best thing to do is to remove her hands from the area and give her something else to distract her. In time, the fascination will fade.

Daddy does it Differently!

Your little girl is likely to be intrigued when they see Dad or a brother or other male relative use the toilet. It isn’t unheard of for little girls to give the whole peeing standing up thing a good try! Explain that boys and girls are different ? she has already noticed and you are perfectly right to explain it in terms she can understand. Boys have a winky and stand up to pee, girls sit down to pee. We all sit down to poo. By explaining and taking away the mystery, your little girl is likely to accept the differences and move on.

Potty training girls has its unique challenges but it is ultimately a rewarding process ? soon your little girl will be out of nappies and into her favourite fancy pants and these difficult training days will be just a memory.

The HSE has some further Toilet Training Information available