There is no magic age to toilet train your child. While some children may show signs of readiness as young as 18 months others will not be ready to train until 3. Do not begin until your daughter shows that she is ready as the process will only take longer and will lead to frustration for both you and her. Signs of readiness include: being able to control an urge to go, having a dry nappy for more than 2 hours, and having predictable bowel movements. Children who are ready for toilet training will also express an interest in using the toilet or potty, start imitating your behaviour, and demonstrate independence (often by saying no).
 Your daughter needs to be able to predict and indicate when she needs to go and is able to follow simple one step commands. You can start toilet training by keeping a look out for signs that she is about to do a wee or poo (my daughter used to go off into a corner of the lounge room) – and take her quickly to the potty. Help her to identify these cues by talking about what it feels like when she needs to go. Sometimes young children just like to familiarize themselves with the potty before using it, this might mean sitting on it while watching her favourite video and reading a book. Summer is often a good time to start as there is less clothing to take off – or better still, she can run around at home without pants on. It is important to praise all successes (verbally or with reward charts) and ignore accidents. Make the process as fun and stress free as possible – take your cues from your daughter as she is the best person to let you know what’s working and what’s not!

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