Potty Training

I am the mother of a 31 month old daughter who we have been attempting to potty train. She urinates frequently, aprox. every half hour and seems to not care if she has pee running down her leg or not. In fact she likes to splash in it. She does not usually tell us when she needs to go to the potty but then at times she does. We have tried praise and reward for all of her little potty accomplishments. If she misses and tells us we give positive reinforcement too. Is she just not ready or should we be concerned that she has a problem with her bladder as she goes so frequently? Is it 'normal' for her to like to splash in her own urine?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Linda,

Strictly on the toilet training front, by all means be patient. Continue to support and reinforce your daughter's efforts - it sounds like she's on the way. She'll get there.

Now, relative to the frequency of her urination and her splashing, the former probably does deserve some attention via, at least, an examination by her pediatrician and perhaps some lab work. The play itself I wouldn't worry about - she'll get over that as her development proceeds.