Are girls really easier to potty train than boys?

Yes, although no one, including expert T. Berry Brazelton, seems to know why. In her book Toilet Learning, Alison Mack says the difference may be partially due to the fact that moms are usually

 the primary potty-trainers in a family. If that's true, girls have the advantage of observing someone with the same equipment — so the process may click a little sooner.

Is there anything special I should know about potty training my daughter?

The only gender-specific tip you should know is a carryover from your diapering days: Wipe from front to back. As your daughter learns to use the toilet, make sure she knows to move the toilet paper from front to back, especially when she has a BM, to prevent bacteria from her bottom from coming into contact with her sensitive vagina, which can lead to infection. If this seems too complicated for her to grasp (it requires having to remember to go in a certain direction), teach her to pat the vaginal area dry after she pees.

Bladder infections, although uncommon, seem more frequent among girls of potty-training age. If your daughter seems to urinate more often than usual, finds urination painful, wets her pants after having established good bladder control, has abdominal

 pain, and feels sudden, urgent needs to pee, call her pediatrician and have her checked out.

What if she wants to try standing up?

If your preschooler sees her older brother, father, or one of her friends from school stand tall at the toilet, she'll probably want to give it a whirl, too. Let her. Sure, you might have to clean up a wet mess or two, but she'll quickly understand that she just doesn't have the equipment for the stand-up approach, and you won't have to engage her in a power struggle.

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