Potty Training: Waiting Until She's Ready

       We dedicated this week to try out potty training. Rylee is almost 2, she has shown several readiness signs, and we didn't see the harm in trying. We decided we would stay home for a full week to try to give Rylee the consistency she needs to get the basics down. We used a strategy that involved having her wear panties, not pullups, taking her to her potty every 20 minutes, and have her sit and try to go. She's not expected to go every time, but when she does she gets a sticker to put on her sticker chart and we sing a special potty song and she dances. This technique is supposed to get her basically trained (with a few accidents now and then of course) within a week or so, IF she is ready to be trained.

      What we have found out this week is that she is NOT ready, and that's okay. I know a lot of children are potty trained around or even before the age of 2, but I also know a lot of children that are trained closer to 3. I know that each child is different. Rylee just did not seem to understand it at all. We used this potty training technique for 6 full days, and 2 half days before that, and she got no closer to being trained. She began to get very frustrated with it all and so did we, so we decided to call it quits for a month or so and then try again. We know that she will get trained eventually, so we aren't going to push her if she's not ready. I'd rather enjoy my summer break with her without stressing her (and myself) out about this! She's still so young. :)