Potty Training on "Big Toilet"

My daughter has been having pretty cconsistenet success for the last month or so as long as we are at home with her potty chair. She is also usually successful if we can bring the potty chair to a familiar setting, such as her grandparents'. She has not yet done anything on the regular toilet at home or away.

My older daughter just naturally started using the toilet once she had a little success on the potty chair. This has not happened with my younger one and I'd like to encourage her to begin using the big toilet. I can't bring her potty chair everywhere - certainly not on our upcoming trip to Disney World or to preschool in the fall.

She will willingly sit on any toilet, even a public restroom, and clearly knows what to do. When out she will even tell me she needs to go and sits down, seemingly trying to go but just doesn't do it. This is the same way she initially behaved when learning on the potty chair so I feel she just needs to get used to it.

Should I use a similar method to when I trained her to encourage use of the regular toilet? Should I remove the potty chair and see how it goes? I don't want to cause confusion or regression but with summer here we often need to go out for the whole day and I need her to use a bathroom while we are. It is also inconvenient because she knows she has to go and will make me take her every few minutes with no results. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your idea of adopting the same approach with the toilet as you employed with the potty is excellent. Be patient and supportive and you can't go wrong. Don't take away the potty. Your daughter has achieved good results on her journey to master this developmental task, and you're obviously doing a good job helping her. Keep up your efforts; don't change your tactics. You are doing fine.

[chony]

Potty training takes longer for some children and less time for others!!! good luck