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Potty Learning for Girls: from Passing Fancy to Established Habit
Your daughter is 18 months old. Her interest in using the toilet seems a passing fancy. She used the potty for a few weeks, and now she won’t go near it. Each time you try to place her on it, she balks.
Do not despair! It is quite common for toddlers around this age to show a fleeting interest in toileting. The interest and willingness to go along with toilet learning do return. Girls often are ready somewhere between 2 and 2 ½ years old and boys between ages 2 and 3 ½.
Remember that toilet training is a process, taking anywhere from a week to six months, depending on your child’s willingness and readiness to learn a new skill. Be patient, as well as confident, that your child will not go off to college in diapers.
Here are signs of readiness. Your child:
- Is interested in the toilet and watches other people use it
- Tries to mimic adult behavior
- Can sit quietly for a few minutes and play
- Can follow sequential directions
- Understands the difference between wet and dry
- Has a dry diaper for several hours, several days in a row
- Shows an interest in dressing herself and can pull her pants down and up
- Responds positively to directions—and doesn’t say “no” to everything.