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I first started potty training my daughter Carys, who's now two and a half about four or five months ago. I'd read up on it and chatted to other mums, and was under the impression it would take a few weeks at most. How wrong I was!

Carys is a really good little girl who's pretty advanced at most things, but when it's come to potty training, it seems we take two steps forward and one step back all the time.

Every time I thought we'd cracked it, she'd get bored of the whole process and stop using the potty again. I've tried sticker charts, a little box with rewards in by the loo, banning nappies in the daytime altogether, feel and learn training pants, Potty Time with the Big Blue Bear DVDs - everything! But there has been no magic solution.

Finally now we're at the stage where Carys uses the potty pretty much all the time, but even now, she can slip back into her old ways again if her day to day routine gets disrupted, if we get a visitor who distracts her a lot for example, like Grandma, or if she has a cold and wants to be babied for a bit.

What I've learned is that it just takes a lot of patience and a lot of time. All these strategies work to some extent but when it comes down to it, it's also a case of constantly reminding them and getting them to learn a new habit. So for any other mums out there who feel like it's taking forever to potty train, you're not alone!
Viki Carpenter, 35, a mum of two from Helston, Cornwall

More help and advice on potty training

- Potty training made simple
- The difference between the sexes in potty training
- Expert advice on potty training

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