If you saw our blog post on potty training boys, you’ll already know there are a few differences when it comes to potty training a boy versus a girl. We’ve discussed boys, so now, what about girls?

1. It starts with the same initial steps

Determine your child’s readiness, plan and prepare ahead, make sure you have all of the supplies you need, prep your child (and yourself) ahead of time for what is to come.  

2. Make sure your daughter is ready

Though girls often potty train earlier than boys, this is not always the case, and it is important to make sure YOUR daughter is ready to train. If you start before she is physically or mentally ready, it will not work. Essentially, you will end up at the same place and time with a successfully potty trained child whether you start too soon and take longer, or start when she is ready and the process goes quicker. 

3. Give your daughter a sense of security

Whether you buy a toddler sized potty, or a toddler potty seat that attaches to your full sized toilet, you want to make sure your daughter feels secure. Often children will feel scared about falling into the toilet, and this fear can hinder their potty training success. If you decide to go the toddler potty seat route, be sure to also get a step stool so that your daughter can easily get on and off the potty with little to no help. Having a step stool will also give her a place to use for her feet when she needs more stabilization in order to push when she is having a bowel movement (this is also important for boys). 

4. The importance of proper wiping

The necessity of teaching how to wipe after going pee is something unique to girls. It is important you teach your daughter to wipe from front to back, especially after a bowel movement. Proper wiping technique helps to prevent infections like urinary tract infections (UTI). If wiping from front to back seems too hard for her at first, then teach her how to just pat herself dry. UTIs are not overly common in young girls, but they can occur during the potty training ages. Keep an eye out for urinary frequency, strong urges to urinate followed by little to no pee, complaints of pain or burning with urination or abdominal pain. If your daughter has been using the potty successfully for some time and then suddenly starts to have frequent accidents, this can also be an indicator that she might be suffering from a UTI. If you’re concerned about a UTI, contact your pediatrician. 

In Closing...

Girl or boy, potty training takes patience and commitment, from both you AND your child. Your child will feed off of your energy and will watch how you respond to her successes and accidents. Give her the praise and encouragement she needs, don’t get angry with her when accidents happen (and they WILL happen), and keep you both focused on that end goal of no more diapers, new underwear and using the potty like a big girl! You’ve got this, mama! (and dada!)