• Potty training need not be painful for you or your daughter.toddler girl image by Trevor Goodwin from Fotolia.com
  
  There's no magic age at which a little girl is ready to be potty trained. While some parents believe their child has the physical and cognitive skills to begin training at 18 months, others wait until their little girl is 2 1/2 to 3 years old. Make sure that there is nothing else significant going on in your daughter's life as you begin training, like a new baby in the house or a new daycare situation.
  
  

Introduce Her to the Bathroom

• It's a good idea to allow your little girl to come into the bathroom with you. She'll learn, in a non-threatening way what goes on in there. You don't have to go into gory detail, but explain to her what toilets are for.
  
  

Easy Access

• Make it easy for your daughter to access the potty by dressing her in clothes that are easy to remove. Dresses and skirts are great options.
  
  

Teach Her Technique

• It is important to teach a little girl how to wipe herself from front to back to help prevent the spread of bacteria. If she just can't quite get her little arms to work that way, teach her to pat herself dry with toilet paper after she urinates.
  
  

Make it Regular

• Every 20 to 30 minutes or so, take your little girl to the potty and place her on it. Make it a matter-of-fact, easy-going act. You don't need to ask her if she needs to go or ask her permission. Let her know that it's a fact of life for the time being.
  
  

Find Balance

• If she wants to get up right away, let her. The idea is that you're teaching her what the bathroom is for. If your daughter is especially resistant, set a timer to go off every 20 to 30 minutes. When the timer goes off it's time to sit on the potty chair. This will relieve any power struggles going on in her head as it is the timer, not you, telling her it's potty time. Praise her efforts, but don't go overboard. The idea is to stay cool and act like this is an everyday, expected activity.
  
  

Big Girl Panties

• As your little one begins to get the hang of it, buy her some "big girl panties." It may even be beneficial to allow her to pick them out. She is less likely to have an accident in her new, pretty panties.
  
  

In the Event of an Accident

• Accidents are inevitable. You had them and your daughter will too. Don't scold and don't belittle. Be cool, patient and gracious with her. Remember, she's going to know how to use the potty by herself before she leaves for kindergarten and no one will know how old she was when she learned. This does not have to be painful for either of you.