Secrets Unearthed! 17 EASY Steps for Potty Training Girls FAST

Your daughter’s potty training journey begins at the time when you start seeing signs of readiness in her.

You can start potty training your daughter as early as when she is 18 months old. There can also be a scenario where she does not show readiness for potty training even when she is 4 years old.

However, most parents start potty training their girls sometime between 24 and 36 months. Its starts from selecting the right method. I have come across around 10 easy potty training methods. You need to narrow down on one method or device a combination method which suits your and your child’s need.

In this article, we will help you understand your daughter’s readiness for a diaper-free life and give you a fully tested 17-step routine for potty training girls quickly.

These 17 steps for potty training girls will assist you in potty training your daughter, as these steps have some really good insights that I gained while potty training my daughter.

Related Posts:

How to identify if your daughter is ready to be potty trained? (Signs of readiness)

A few signs of readiness that show your daughter could show are listed below:

Your daughter can walk towards and sit on the toilet seat—of course, on the baby toilet seat
Your daughter can pull her panties/diaper off and put them back on again
Your daughter starts staying dry for an extended timeframe—like 2 hours or more
Your daughter understands and follows basic instructions
Your daughter starts communicating with you when she needs to go to the potty
Your daughter starts showing interest in using the potty
Your daughter shows interest in wearing the fancy/new/favorite design pants/panties

17 Simple steps - Potty training girls FAST!

Step 1 – Potty training girls – Decide the potty training method

There are a lot of potty training methods that can be utilized for potty training girls. You need to select the method which suits you, your baby, and your families schedule and needs the best.

I have elaborated the various potty training methods in detail in the article – ‘10 Ridiculously Easy Potty Training Methods to Choose & Explore for Your Child.’

To list a few:

And more…

Step 2 – Potty training girls – Let her watch and learn

Children are very good at imitating and emulating their parents. And so, it will definitely help if you pretend and show your daughter how it is done. It helps them psychologically as well and brings a feeling of security. Basically, she knows it is definitely not going to harm her in any way if she sees you doing it.

You can use her favorite dolls/teddy to show her how to sit on the seat which will help her understand the process better.

You also need to teach her to address her body parts aptly and not by short forms. Keep it simple like hands and legs and do not complicate it by terming vaginal parts like ‘wee wee’ and so on. She may not take it seriously.

Further, you should distinctly address the potty training activities, i.e. pee and poop, for simplicity.

Just have her watch you and explain how mommies and their daughters have to sit down to pee and poop.

Step 3 – Potty training girls – Be ready with the right equipment

Potty training girls will need a few supplies like potty chair (ensure you buy one with a splash guard to keep the urine streams from painting your toilet walls), disinfectant tissues, a small colorful potty chart (you can either buy, print, or even make one—they are really good motivators), potty seats that nest onto your toilet seats (you get a wide range of amazing prints with plastic coated cushions, seats with stairs, with music, etc. in the market), etc.

Buy a potty seat that is your child’s size and is adjustable to be used independently or on a full size toilet. Many children have a fear of falling into the pot or even the noise of the flush. So a potty seat that is their own size can help them feel safer and more comfortable.

You cannot leave your toddlers in the bathroom unattended, as there are chances that they may slip or even take unwanted things in their hands. So ensure they use the toilet in the presence of a caregiver.

As your daughter progresses to a placed on a full-sized toilet, you may need to buy her a or a 2 step for her to climb easily on to her potty seat.

For potty training girls, you can also choose to have some of these supplies:

Let her wear loose and comfortable clothing, especially the bottoms. This will help you and her in getting the clothing on and off easily.
A training underwear will help absorb those accidents while you are potty training your child.
Tot on the Pot Light Girl Doll, Book, and Potty Kit
Some engagement games during pee and poop time.
You can also have a potty-training book with pictures of kids using the potty, being happy, and getting claps from parents. Some classic books, like Once Upon a Potty or Everyone Poops.
Hand soaps that look like cartoon characters to help make washing fun.

Step 4 – Potty training girls – Set a date to begin

Cheers!!! You are all set to BEGIN potty training your girl.

You have everything you need, just decide on a specific day and dive right in and help your daughter get potty trained.

Mark it on a calendar and try to make it fun for your daughter while she takes her first steps into being potty trained. You can also lead up to the day by reading books, showing small cartoons on the topic, and even find something on potty training from her favorite characters.

Prepare your daughter for what’s coming, talk to her, and discuss the process so that she is not taken by surprise.

When you start the potty training process, try and start it on a weekend. Needless to say, its better on a weekend as you and your partner can plan things better. On a weekend you both can be relaxed and have ample of time. You can also choose any other day that is appropriate for you and your partner, as long as you both have time to spare.

You may find summers to be an ideal time to start potty training, as kids can go without clothing or pants, and babies also tend to pee lesser during the summer.

Step 5 – Potty training girls – Help your child get comfortable with the potty

It’s a good thing for you to familiarize your child with the idea of potty and let her know about how her very own potty seat is going to help her with the same.

Try and bring a sense of ownership/belonging by asking her to design her own potty seat with stickers and sketch pens. You can also ask her to try sitting on it a couple of times to remove any fear of the potty seat she may have.

After practicing sitting on it with her clothes for a few days you can then ask her to try it with panties down. Do not push her against her will. Try and make her do it in a way that makes her feel more comfortable and not awkward.

As mentioned earlier, you can take the help of her favorite toy or stuffed animal to demonstrate to her how easy it is. This will make her feel comfortable to start progressing with her potty training with her own toys.

Step 6 – Potty training girls – Motivate with cool underwear

Encourage your daughter’s potty training process by taking her out for panty shopping. Help them choose some of their first panties on their own and you can tell them that these are special diaper less panties and to be worn only without diapers.

You can also entice them by buying them panties of their favorite cartoon characters.

Boost her confidence by talking about how big she is becoming just like mommy or her big sister, and now she has special panties like them too.

This will definitely inspire her to start her potty training journey positively.

Step 7 – Potty training girls – Set up a training schedule

Stick to a routine if possible. You can take your daughter to use the toilet every 2–3 hours, after every meal, or any other schedule that suits your baby’s needs. You will slowly determine your baby’s schedule and structure a routine around it. After that all you will need to do is follow the steps promptly.

Over a period, your daughter will start communicating with you if she wants to pee or poop.

Step 8 – Potty training girls – Maintain consistency and try again and again

Everyone knows consistency is the key to success. It’s the case here too. Ensure you consistently remind your daughter to use the potty seat.

Of course, there are going to be accidents. Even fully potty-trained kids have them. Do not snap or get angry with your daughter, as it may discourage her. And if you’re both frustrated, take a break for a few weeks then try again when you’re ready.

You can ease the process by buying her loose clothing that is easier to remove.

Step 9 – Potty training girls – Teach her to sit and wipe

This is probably one of the most important things you may have to teach your daughter.

You need to teach her to move the toilet paper from front to back especially after her bowel movements.

You can show the movement to her on her doll so that she understands. It’s going to be difficult in the initial phase, as your daughter is just adjusting with the potty training process. But they need to understand the importance of wiping after pees. Encourage her every time and remind her to do so.

In case you see your daughter wanting to urinate frequently, if she feels a sudden urge to go, if she says it hurts, complains of abdominal pain, or starts to wet her pants even after having established a bladder control, contact her pediatrician. It can be a case of bladder infection. It’s not very common, but can happen during these times.

Step 10 – Potty training girls – Choose a comfortable location

During the initial days, it may happen that your child does not feel comfortable going into the toilet. In such a scenario, you should try to place a small toilet seat near the toilet door on the outside, then slowly work your way inside across a few days, and then eventually place her on the potty seat.

Just try and relax your child. You can set up charts, toys, etc. to attract your baby to come inside the toilet slowly. DO NOT RUSH.

Step 11 – Potty training girls – Set aside some naked time

The best way to make your child understand that they need to let go is by making them go diaper free. Making her potty seat accessible at her play area and encouraging her to use it at regular intervals will further boost her confidence of being diaper free.

Look for signs that show she needs to pee, like jumping up and down unnecessarily, holding her knees tight together, trying to press down with her hand to control her pee, or even swaying side to side. These all indicators that say she needs to pee or poop. Remind her to go and use the potty seat. She will definitely make a run for it.

Do this on consecutive days, especially in the evenings when the family is together, or just on weekends. The more time your child spends without diapers, the faster she will learn.

Step 12 – Potty training girls – Figure out your daughter’s fears

You may notice that your daughter sometimes does not want to use the toilet no matter what you do.

The reason for such behavior can be fear. Your daughter may feel uncomfortable with narrow spaces, she may have the fear of falling inside the potty seat, or even the noise of the flush may be too scary.

No matter what the fear is, it is essential that you understand what’s bothering your daughter. Sometimes it can just be that she is feeling shy to do her business in front of you.

All that you need to do is to understand the fear and discuss the same with your daughter.

These things can easily be handled by discussing them with your child. Sometimes a change may not be seen immediately, and you may even need to seek help from a pediatrician or a counsellor in certain cases.

Step 13 – Potty training girls – Try it outdoors

When your child has started using the potty at home, try taking some small outings. This is a giant leap that you both will be proud of! Keep a change of clothing with you… just in case. You also need to ensure that she uses the toilet immediately before leaving your home and also after immediately reaching the destination.

Investing in a portable urinal or a travel potty seat is also a good idea if you plan to travel frequently.

Taking your kid outdoors can feel a little intimidating the first couple of times and accidents may occur. Travelling anywhere with a potty training baby is going to be difficult, but if you have to travel someplace that is particularly inconvenient (like a wedding, perhaps) you can use a pant-style diaper again to avoid any messy situations.

Step 14 – Potty training girls – Celebrate triumphs - use rewards and praise your child

Rewards!!! WOOO….!!

Reward your daughter with something every time she uses the potty seat. This will keep her motivated to continue to use the potty seat. Of course, there are going to be accidents; however, assure her she is doing great all the time and keep telling her how proud you are of her.

You can try some of my tried and tested pointers to keep your child motivated to use the potty seat:

Give them small treats so that you can give 2 every time your baby uses the potty seat. I used to give M&Ms, jelly beans, jelly bears, etc. as small treats. But remember its effects on teeth, so don’t overdo it with candy. You could also give a combined reward like a big cookie or a muffin for the entire day. The key is to reward them with something they like.
Give them stickers/toys: You can shop for their favorite character stickers/small toys in bulk and give them as rewards.
You can also give them ‘Extra Playtime’ if that’s what motivates them.
If they like a particular program once in while you can also give them some extra screen time.
You can tell them an extra bedtime story
You can also create potty charts, give stars, etc. to keep the activity going while potty training is in progress. You can turn it into a game as well like if they collect 5 stars, they get a car, 15 stars they get a robot, 20 stars a colorful book, etc.
You can also look at innovating a bit and give a penny every time your girl pees/poops in a potty seat. Have a piggy bank. It may work on some kids.
You can use all of the above options in combination as well or even invent your own motivators.

You can increase your rewards as your girl progresses in potty training like when they start wiping/washing after themselves.

These small rewards motivate the kids a lot.

Always remember that praising too goes a long way. They feel very proud when everyone praises, claps, and so on. It makes her feel like a superhero. Keep praising as it encourages the girl to do better and better on a daily basis.

Step 15 – Potty training girls – Make potty training interesting and engaging

As mentioned earlier, try and make potty training in the toilet interesting for your girl with charts, books, toys, rewards, etc. so that your girl enjoys her time in the toilet and you have a happy baby taking steps towards a diaper-free life.

Step 16 – Potty training girls – Move into night mode

Every kid goes through potty training in two phases—Daytime and Night time. Usually, kids get daytime potty trained first and continue to use diapers at night time and even at naptime.

Once your daughter gets comfortable with daytime potty training, you can move into the next phase. However, wait till she’s firmly potty trained and then start checking her diapers in the mornings as well as after naps to see if they’re dry. Many kids start staying dry through their afternoon naps within about six months of potty training.

Night time potty training is trickier because it depends on your daughter’s body to be able to hold the urine for extended timeframe and also on how deep her sleep is. You can start by using an absorbent mattress cover when you initiate night time potty training.

Try this for a couple of nights. But if you see your daughter is not coping up with night time potty training, don’t pressurize her. Go back to diapers for some time and then try again after a week.

Most kids are able to remain dry or use the bathroom at night by the time they are 5–7 years old.

Things you can do to help:

Avoid or reduce the amount of liquid intake in the hours before bedtime.
Encourage your daughter to use the toilet before she goes to bed.
Cover your child’s mattress with a guard to protect it from accidents and leakages.
Remember that that night time training is a different ballgame altogether and that your child will eventually get used to the process.

When you see our daughter stay dry for three out of five nights, you can go ahead and make her wear underwear all the time. Celebrate this.

Step 17 – Potty training girls – Ditch the diapers

By the time your child is ready to say goodbye to diapers altogether, she’s accomplished a lot. You need acknowledge her achievements so that it reinforces her pride in her accomplishments.

You can let her give away her leftover diapers to a family with younger kids, pack up the cloth diapers and sending them away with the diaper delivery service one last time, or assist her in choreographing a joyful dance routine around the house and call it the “diaper-free” dance.

The entire family can get involved and form a makeshift conga line and head in the direction of the toilet when nature calls.

Few do’s & don’ts while potty training girls

The above steps for potty training will clear any doubts and problems that you may face while potty training your daughter. Here are some do’s and don’ts to summarize what we have discussed so far.

Potty training girls—Do’s

Be patient
Look for any signs like physical, behavioral, or cognitive signs, before you start potty training
Take some insights of your daughters’ behavior and inputs from her preschool teachers, day-care providers, and alternative caregivers before drawing a comprehensive plan for potty training your daughter
Make her potty-training fun and motivational by trying some innovative methods and games. Using books and CDs about potty training will help her understand where she stands and what she needs to do better. Don’t forget to reward her on her achievements.

Potty training girls—Don’ts

Don’t push or insist that she only uses the potty seat to do her business. This may discourage her and she may start avoiding the potty seat altogether
Do not try to achieve all levels at one go
Never chide her or make comparisons with other children of her age. The goal is to encourage her and not discourage
If you show obvious signs of frustration or irritation, she may even stop trying

Key takeaway

Potty training a child is one of the important milestones; hence, it is crucial that you select the method which best suits you, your child, and your family.

Potty training is a process and cannot happen overnight. The key is to be patient with your child, cheer and praise your child whenever they use the bathroom, and be consistent with the method you choose to potty train them. The Mantra is—Patient, Cheer, Praise, & Consistent—P²C².

Remember that there are going to be accidents no matter which potty training method you adopt. Be prepared for the occasional pooplosions (Yikes!!).

All of the above will surely help in reducing your stress, while implementing the selected potty training method.

The idle age to potty train your child is from the time they start showing signs of readiness and start communicating with you through gestures, grunts etc. i.e. between ages 18–24 months. It has been observed that some children are not ready to be potty trained even when they are 3 years. In such scenarios, do not fuss or push your child too hard. They can react to the situation adversely and may stop responding to your efforts if pushed too strongly.

You need to stay calm and keep encouraging your child to do better. Praise them. Praises go a long way.

Remember the Mantra is—Patient, Cheer, Praise, & Consistent—P²C².

Hope this article elaborating the various potty training method is useful to you. So, let us know if you need further help on anything. Feel free to get in touch with us.

In case you have used a potty training method and it has worked for you, do share and comment, we would love to know.

Happy Potty Training!

Khushboo Kirale

Hi, I am Khushboo Kirale-Thakker, a marketing specialist turned homemaker and mom of four (1 elder daughter and triplets—all boys). Me and my husband started this blog to help other parents like you with some first-hand experiences and insights on managing twins, triplets and kids in general. My journey has included experimenting with different baby products from around the world, transitioning from a high-flying job to a full-time mom, tackling pregnancy complications, trying home remedies, etc. Feel free to connect with me through this blog on any queries you have.