Potty Training at 3. - Leland,NC

I had the same problem with my 3 year old daughter. She is very smart and she knew when she needed to potty, but she just wouldn't take the time. I was really stressing out over it. What finally worked for me was "prizes". I put a magnetic board up in the bathroom. Every time she used the potty she got to put a magnet on the board. If she had an accident, she had to take one away. We had a goal set. If she got 12 magnets, we went shopping for a prize. We started that about a month ago. The only time she wears pull-ups is at bedtime and she has not had one accident. It definitely worked for me!! Good luck!

I understand exactly where you are coming from. I have two boys that were hard to potty train. My 5 year old was the hardest by far. I tried suckers, not the best thing I know, but if it worked I didn't care what it was. And it did for a while. After awhile it stopped working. I can remember lying in bed one morning when he walked into my room. I told him to use the bathroom, and he replied " No, I don't feel like having a sucker now." I just didn't know what to do either. I finally taped a chart to the back of the bathroom door with their names on it. Every time they went pee they got 1 sticker, if they pooped they got 2 and if they satyed dry all night they got 3. i started out with getting 5 stickers then they got a treat.Which could be anything from staying up and watching tv in the spare room to buying an inexpesive toy. It seemed to work. I then movrd up to 10 stickrs, and kept going from there. Now we don't need a chart. It was a long battle though. My 5 year old was still having trouble when he got home from school in the afternoon, and even today had his first accident at school. The biggest thing is being patient( which was also hard for me)
i don't know if this will be any help or not, but good luck. The sticker thing did not work the first time around, but they finally caught on.

My son was potty-trained at 24 months...then he developed double ear infections and totally stopped pottying on the potty. He had to get tubes and after that we had to start potty training all over again - it was as if he forgot EVERYTHING he knew before. I started with the pull-ups again and they didn't work...he would just go to the bathroom in them just like they were diapers. So I went to his doctor and they told me to let him no wear any underwear or pull-ups at all under his clothes. After he felt as if he had nothing on to catch his pee and poo, he began to go on the potty more and more. Then he was fully potty trained (once again!).

Get rid of the pull-ups completely and plan to stay home for a few days. The pull-ups work like a diaper to pull the wetness away from the chiold so she doesn't feel wet.

My son (who is now 6) would pee if I put him on the potty but he would never tell me when he had to go and he would not poop on the potty at all. He kept telling me he would do it when he was 3. Shortly after his 3rd bday, his preschool went on fall break. I decided this was the time. I bought a bunch of big kid underwear (both the thick kind for potty training and the regular kind) and also a bunch of the vinyl training pants. I threw away the pull-ups completely. When he peed or pooped in his pants, he had to help clean up the mess. For poop, that meant he had to throw it in the potty. We had accidents(both kinds) the first 3 days. The 4th day he did not poop at all but at least he went pee on the potty. The 5th day we had to return a library book. I was nervous because we had not left the house since we started all this. No accidents. When we got home, he went poop on the potty for the first time. I did a "happy dance" and gave him a sucker (something he didn't get any other time) and a sticker on a chart. We told him when he got the chart filled up (about 10 stickers) he could pick out a toy at the toy store. He was completely potty trained by the time school started again and had earned his toy within about 2 weeks.

My daughter (who is now 4) actually potty trained in reverse. She was always dry in the morning but would not tell me when she had to go and would not poop on the potty. One night (about 3 months before her 3rd bday) I noticed she had a red place on her bottom where the pull-up was rubbing her raw. Since she was always dry in the morning, I decided to put big girl panties on her overnight so the sore could breathe. She was dry in the morning and said she did not want pull-ups anymore. She too was comp;etely trained in 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. We even went on vacation (long car trip) in the middle of all this and she still did great.

Hope this helps.

when my eight year old was 3 we were potty training, and he just did not want to use the potty. He didn't have to as the diapers and pullups kept him from feeling wet. I was working at this time and could not afford to take off for several days to train him, so I put the underware on him and since he wanted a diaper I put that on top of the underware. He soon found out that he did not like the wet feeling. If your 3 year old was going and now is not, it seems like a power struggle, and rather than fight her give her what she wants on your terms. She can have the diaper as long as the underware goes on first. good luck

My daughter had little trouble getting the potty thing down and sounds like your little girl gets the jist just fine. Hard to say why they revert back to diapers. I do know that when we were training that when my daughter was introduced to pull ups, everything disintigrated and we had to start over. Once they learn that the pull ups work like diapers, they appear to use them in the same way. We lucked out with the season and had what we now affectionately refer to as the "naked summer." She streaked around both inside and out in her birthday suite and when she had to potty, there was nothing there to catch it! We did have a couple of accidents, but it was more humorous than anything else...and she learned quick! We also bribed her with cute panties. Now if only we could get her to wipe.... lol We also used, inconjuction with everything else, a potty chart and stickers; stars for peepee and fancier ones for poo. Food treats didn't work for us because my daughter is Type 1 diabetic. The stickers were fun and she enjoyed doing her charts and seemed to feel really validated by it. Good luck!

Hello,
I have a 3 and 4 year olds. they are both boys, but I have been going through the same thing with my three year old. He will peepee, but he won't go #2 for the life of him. Here are some things that we have tried and the treats worked for my first son. Although, I think all children do the falling of the wagon thing. It's so hard and frustrating, but pushing the issue only frustrates them and then noone wins.

treats: get a special treat like, m & m's or gummy bears. Something will only give them after going to the potty. This worked like a charm when they both were learning how to peepee in the potty. They did awesome.

potty chart: You can make a potty chart on constuction paper and have her decorate it. The potty chart should have about 10 boxes, whenever she goes to the potty, get a sticker and let her put the sticker on the chart. When she fills up all the boxes she gets to go get a toy from the store, or take her to Mcdonalds, or some other special thing, you get the point.
Then go to the store and let her pick out some stickers she likes. through all this explain what you are doing and why. Be excited about her being such a big girl now and how proud you are. When she has an accident, be easy on her and tell her everyone has accidents and to just let mommy know if she feels like peepee is going to come out.

potty chair in the living room or playroom: I haven't personally done this, but I hear it works wonders. Placeing a potty chair in the living room or wherever they are playing makes it easier for them to remember to go. Sometimes when kids are playing and having fun, they don't want to stop and thus comes an accident.

I'm still struggling with my 3 year old, and no two children are alike, but persistance is really very important. If she goes to a day care, or a babysitter, ask them to make sure she tries to use the bathroom, every so often. When they are really young, you take them like every 20 min or so. But since she has the concept down, I would say like once every hour and 1/2, or two. Being consistant is a major part teaching kids anything, and potty trianing is no different.

Hope this helps.
C.

about me... I am a 35 yr old mother of two boys. My husband is the best dad in the world and I don't know what I would do without that support. We love to tickle each other on the floor and being active outside. Singing songs, and doing crafts.

My daughter did really well with the reward system. I bought some $1 and $2 toys at Target, Walmart etc and wrapped them in fun paper. I then placed them on the back of the toilet marked #1 and #2 for well, you get it. If she just sat on the potty and didn't "go" she got a sticker, but if she went, she got to pick a prize. She LOVED getting prizes and it worked really well. She is almost 3 1/2 and still wears a pullup to sleep, but uses the potty all other times. I must admit, this was a process; it didn't happen overnight. She is also very head strong, but allowing her to decide she wanted to go by using the prizes, I think she felt more in control.
I hope this or something works for you!!

Sounds to me as if she is going to do as she pleases, and wait like her sister. Diapers are really easier, and you can ignore the whole thing. She won't be going to kindergarten in diapers, I am sure. Aside from that, I used M&M's, my daughter was a sweet freak and would do anything for a candy. I have read all about the panties and letting them feel wet, but that is not nice for mom to clean up, and she will start going on her own. Probably when you start ignoring the whole thing. Remember, she is getting a lot of attention from you whether it be good or bad. I am 63, and looking back,when they potty trained is the very least of anyone's concerns, or should be. Don't stress- it will come

Sorry, you are frustrated with Potty training.

I actually took a potty training class at our local library a few years ago. Their recommendations were to never force a child to PT, be encouraging and allow the child to decide when PT is right for them.

Here's what I learned in the PT class:
A child needs to 1) Feel the urge. 2) Interpret the urge. 3) Hold the urge. 4) Move to toilet or ask for help. 5) Remove clothing. 6) Sit down/stand at toilet 7) Relax the appropriate muscles.

If your child is not showing signs of readiness, then she is not ready to PT.

Each child is different. My sons all PT at difference times. My oldest was PT by 18 months, my middle son was a month shy of turning 3 and my youngest son was PT a week before he turned 3 (last week).

Hope this information helps and your daughter is PT soon.

With my first daughter, I potty trained her in two days at age 2. It was a lot of work, but it was only two days out of my life, so it was managable at the time. I cleared an entire weekend and focused on almost nothing but her training. I said NO MORE DIAPERS and let her run around the house naked at first, so she could immediately know when she was peeing. I would catch her as soon as she started peeing and say loudly NO!, then scoop hre up and rush her to the potty and allow her to finish there. After peeing in the potty, she received one bright, shiny, sweet, chocolately M&M. We did this over and over again during that two days, and by halfway through day two, she was doing it competely on her own.

I know this sounds a little intense, me doing nothing but focusing on her training for two days, and her living on bascially M&M's and lots of water and apple juice. But remember, it was only for two days, and boy did it work. She only had one pee accident after that (at night), and no trouble with learning to also poop in the potty (for which she would get two M&M's). The rewards went on for awhile until I was sure the new behavior was set, and then the rewards were no longer needed.

As for my second and third children, I didn't have (or didnt' make) the time to do the same kind of training, and I foolishly indulged them much more than the first one. Both of them were difficult to potty train. I now wish I had used the same method for all three of them, because I think it will work for nearly all children.

FWIW!

When my daughter was 3 I knew she was "ready" physically to potty train, but she was (and still is!) a pretty stubborn little girl. She knew how to use the potty- she just wouldn't. So I chose a day when I knew we'd be home all day and simply refused to put a pull-up on her. I explained that she would be wearing underpants for the whole day and that if she had to go she would have to use the potty. She fussed for a little bit about it, but after that she did great and only had an accident or two in the next few days, most of which were in the bathroom on her way to the potty. I still used a pull-up at night, but after a couple weeks she was consistently waking up dry so I got rid of that too. I don't know if any experts would advocate this method, but it worked really well for me and didn't seem to traumatize her in any way.

Hey~ I am 30 and a mother of one. She is 2 and ever since the day I found out that I was pregnant - potty training has been my fear. I just felt like I wasn't patient enough to potty train a child. Well, just last week lil' Emily trained me!!! Everyone told me to not force it and she will let me know when she is ready. SHE DID!!! I am NOT a stay at home mom. My husband and I own a local business and I work 50 plus hours a week - half of those hours she is with me at the office. We have been potty training for a week and I have found getting rid of the diapers totally is the best way to go. NO MORE DIAPERS. At night time and nap time we use a pull up with Dora on it. When she wakes up and the pull up is wet - she is very upset because "she got Dora wet". We also bought some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Dora panties. We made a special trip to the store to let her pick them out. One thing too is - she doesn't use a potty chair - she sits on the big potty with an insert. This way when we are out somewhere, she won't be so afraid to use a big potty. Also - I take Lyesol and Clorox wipes everywhere we go to wipe the (public) potty!!!! These are things that have worked for me. I truly believe every child is different - so I don't know if they will work for you. I really don't have anything I reward her with. Well, I take that back - I let her call "Granny" and tell her that she went pee pee in the potty and I make sure right after she goes potty that we have mommy and Emily time - something like reading together or playing kitchen. Hope this helps. Oh - by the way - the poopy on the potty is really hit and miss!!!!

There are no tricks that work for everyone, but here are some thoughts from our house. And we tried A LOT!! If you can wait until the weather warms up, we had some luck letting DS run around outside with no pants on (our yard is reasonably private, but we did warn the neighbors!!). Loaded him up with his favorite drinks and let nature take course. With the other, we just put him on a potty schedule...after all meals and once in between. Its more training mommy & daddy than child, but it got us ready for school and we were on their timeline.

I know you don't want to use food--but the most important thing is finding out what motivates her. If it is some special treat, then you may want to reconsider. My sister-in-law used frozen grapes for her son. My son really loved M&Ms and doesn't otherwise get them. 2 M&Ms for pooping and 1 for peeing really made his day. I also made a grab bag of prizes (lots of stuff from the dollar store, etc) for when he made goals of whole days without accidents, etc.

Good luck!

My son is 3 years old too and not potty trained. We have days that he goes in the potty every single time and days that he never goes in the potty. My three other children were all potty trained by age 3. This child is just a little slower at it. I actually think he does better on the days that I pay more attention to it. My mother's advice to me was to take him to the bathroom and put him on the potty every time I go to the bathroom. Even when he says that he doesn't have to go I put him on the potty and he tries to go. We put pull ups on him during the day and diapers only at night. That seems to be working. Just take it at your chld's own pace. Eventually they will be potty trained.

My sister lived with me with my 2 nephews for a while and we used the sticker method. We made a chart with several blocks throughout the day, and everythime he went potty he got a sticker. We made the biggest deal about it, allowing him to put the stickers up there himself and everything. If he got 10 stickers straight he was allowed to pic out a toy at the store that cost less than $10.00. This worked extremely well with both of them, and I can't wait to try it on my daughter.

Hi,

My daughter is 4 and a half. I thought she would never get trained. She is very strong willed. I tried pull ups, but she just thought of those as diapers. I finally just took away the pullups and had her wear underwear all the time. I had to clean up after her for a long time, but finally she decided she was tired of being wet all the time. I also had scheduled potty trips instead of asking her if she had to go potty I told her it was time to go. I hope this helps and please don't get discouraged. My daughter was almost four before she mastered it and just recently she has mastered pooping on the potty.

My son went through the same thing. He would revert back to using pull ups. So we made this big deal one night about throwing out the diapers (we threw them out into a clean garbage can so I could put them away later) We talked about how diapers were for babies like his sister and underpants were for big boys. Then we had him throw the diapers and away. We told him we weren't buying anymore diapers so the next day and from then on he would have to wear underpants. It got him to the point where he would just wear underpants (of course we stayed home for like a week!) Oh and we told him pull ups were for bedtime only.

Good luck

I can share your pain, I have 3 children and have been thru a great range of potty training excersises. But with my youngest, also a girl, the one thing that worked was Tweety Bird. I know this will sound strange but since my then 2 year old was in love with Tweety Bird, we bought her Tweety Bird panties. We told her that Tweety Bird didn't want to get wet. We may have had a few "opps" but the over all result was Tweety Bird stayed drier and my two year old beamed with confidence. It became a positive experience for both of us.

Don't know if this will help or not, but my son was much the same way. It wasn't a matter of can't but a matter of won't. We finally told him that he was a big boy and that big boys wear underwear. We literally went cold turkey. When he got up one morning we put him in underwear and were prepared for whatever accidents occurred but were determined that he was not going back to pull-ups (except at night). He had one accident and by that night when I asked if he wanted to wear his pull-ups, he wanted nothing to do with them. The next few weeks we had a few accidents, but we never made a big deal out of them or acted like he had done something bad. We just cleaned them up, got dry underwear and started again. It may take longer for different children to stay dry at night than others, but it might be worth a try. Good luck!

My daughter now 6 potty trained at about 3 1/2. She is very strong willed. I tried several different positive reinforcements but nothing really worked. I found for her it was a power struggle thing. The more I tried to get her to use the potty the more disinterested she became. I dropped the issue and soon she just started doing it on her own. It helped me to stop trying so hard when it dawned on me that she would not be going to the prom in a diaper she would eventually potty train. Hang in there your daughter won't go to the prom in a diaper either!

Mary Jo and Lee,

I understand your frustration. Kids certainly learn on their schedule but there is a great system that I have tried that works. It was on the Dr. Phil show. The title of the book is Potty Train in One Day. It is a little pricey but it certainly works. There is a wealth of knowledge on the Internet if you put potty training in your search engine window. Don't give up! My daughter is 4 and she wasn't fully trained until she was 3. My son which was my first child was trained at 2. Each child has their own personality and time table. Girls tend to learn when they can mimick with play. Have you tried using a doll with her own potty? It helps to have her undress the doll and put her on the potty. Good luck with your little girl.

Go to 3daypottytraining.com and you can purchanse an online 3 day potty training guide that is WONDERFUL ! I used it on my 2 year old. She loved it and now she feels like a "big girl". We don't even have accidents at night. It is great and it only took 3 days. Since you are a stay at home mom like me, it is a whole lot easier to do. She was my 3rd, but had a completely differnet attitude from the first two about potty training. I think this plan would work for anyone who gave it a good, fighting chance.

i wish i had some wisdom for you but we just couldnt afford diaper so my son had no choice but to use the potty..sure he went on the floor a few time but no one wants to pee on themselves.. so i say stop buying diaper it better for the environment too

Wisdom that was shared with me by their pedeiatrician for both my sons, now almost 7 and 8:

"I PROMISE you, they will not go to Kindergarten wearing a diaper. Take the pressure of them and yourself and when they are ready, they will do it on their own." Some of the best advice I got. So that day, I did what the doctor said. They were both potty trained by age 4.

Their pediatrician was right! That's my "wisdom" They are young for such a short time, does it really matter when they get trained? Just let her enjoy being 3 and half. The rest will fall into place.

Besides, why make more work for yourself - you could certainly put undies on her and she'll go everywhere but the toilet, and you can spend your day scrubbing out pee spots all over the house, but my idea of fun is not following a 3 year old around with a bucket of cleaner to scrub every spot she goes on - but that's just me, :-)

Also, punishment (no potty/no toys/books), letting the child "go" on themselves so they can see how badly that feels, and other responses like this seems almost abusive to me, so I'd personally advise against that. And those who were LUCKY enough to have their children trained by 18 months, congrats, but that's not typical.

Good luck you you - hope this helps!!

I have a 2 yr old that initiated her own potty training at around 18 months. If we kept a diaper clean , great, if we changed a dirty one, oh well. Everytime she went on the potty was one less diaper I had to change. Anyway, she is 28 months old now, she has a 4 month old baby sister which caused some expected regression. I was having trouble with her wetting through even a diaper during the day since she can hold her bladder so long. We have just recently gotten rid of the "diapers". She is in regular training panties with a rubber panty on top or pull ups when we are out. At nap time and Night time she is in a "Nap Nap". These she knows it is ok if she has an accident in her sleep. We try to keep the "big girl panties" dry and clean. She usually has good days but some times we have a mess. I just bought a different colored diaper (Huggies) and called it a nap nap so she had the idea of something DIfferent during Nap time and at night. So far, this seems to work ok. We also made a big deal about going and buying panties with Dora on them. We even have some Diego boy underwear because she liked the character. Let's hope this works. I may be posting my own question if we revert back again.

Hey-
Just hang in there, and don't worry about any progress you are or aren't making. Your little one will be potty-trained only as soon as she sets her mind to it. My son (now 5) was the same way....we tried all the tricks. We were at a loss. One Saturday, he woke up and announced that he was done with diapers and put on underwear we had in his dresser, and that was pretty much it. Your daughter just has to want to do it. Try not to stress....it will happen.

I have always heard that letting your child pick the time is best. I don't think it's that uncommon for them to start out great and then lose interest - going to the bathroom requires much more energy and thought not to mention it isn't "convenient". Introduce her to the unpleasantries of diapers - for example, my daughter hates the smell of the bathroom at preschool after the toddlers have had their morning changes (before they are removed).

Good timing for you may not be good for her.

Good luck! It WILL happen :)

My 3 year old was the same way. I found a potty watch online that worked wonders--he loved wearing it and would sit on the potty when the music played. You can set the timer for 30min, 60min, or 90 min. I highly recommend it! You can find it at pottytrainingsolutions.com and it is only $10!!!

C. =)

I have read or heard (never tried) about someone dropping one of the blue tablets in the water and then telling the little one "When you use it the water might change color,(to green) would you like to see if you have the power to change it?"
If she thinks she has POWER she might like to give it a try.

I thought that sounded like a neat idea when I heard about that; I think mine was too old to use that idea when I learned about it.
GOOD LUCK!
E. H.

I haven't gone through this yet, but my sister did just recently. Her 3 year boy just would not use the potty consistently at all. He'd go off behind something and potty in his pants-so he knew he had to go...he just wasn't going to the potty. They tried marshmallows and all kinds of stuff. Finally her husband got frustrated and told their boy that if he went potty in his pants that day he wouldn't get a bedtime story that night. Sounds mean, but it worked like a charm. He's been trying super hard to go to the potty-totally better then before. I guess you just have to find their currency(what's worth it to them). Good Luck.

You are definitely on the right track. I had a child who acted similarly and I finally decided not to push the issue anymore and waited a month or so to try again and it was like a light went on in her head and she was potty trained! Amazing!

My reccomendation is to take the pull-ups away and let her just wear panties and a tee shirt around the house. Whenever she has an accident it will upset her ( I know this is a mess for you but it does work). I have a 3 year old that has been potty trained since 18 months. At first she didn't wear anything but a tee shirt, nothing on her bottom. She didn't like the feel of the accidents and it didn't take long for her to catch on. Also when she went to the potty we did a 'pee-pee' or 'poop' dance and song that I just would make up on the whim. She loved to do her dance afterward. I also have a 7 year old son that has been potty trained since 2 years old, but that was a whole different way.

Hi M.,
I too have a 3 1/2 yr old learing how to use the potty. It has been an experience let me tell ya. We too have tried everything, Bribing her w/new toys or going to chucky cheese, Praising her constantly, letting her run around the house naked (with the heat on high so she dont get cold of course), we even do the potty song/dance every time she goes. (You should see my hubby do the potty song/dance that is a sight you will never forget) Anyway, believe it or not, it was all these thing together that finally started to work. She is wearing her pretty panties during the day and at night before she goes to bed we put a special pull up on her, just in case. I have found out with this child, that some 3 yr olds, especially girls, have alot of attitude, and can be a little hard headed, and alot of independence. I cant believe that I find myself trying to reason with a 3 yr old. What's up with that. My son, who is 17 yrs old, was so much easier. I was the mom and he was the child, period. Of course now it a different story. But anyway, I understand your fustration. Just keep up the great work...eventually she'll do it. There are so many different potty training methods out there and Im sure thier all good, but something the child just has to be ready and want to do it. Good luck.....God Bless.

Hello Mary-Jo,

As a 60 year old Grams, I have learned some tricks to the priviledge and joy of raising the little ones. I have four daughters who are, of course, now grown and have children of their own. The best advice I ever got on potty training was to allow the little one to go to the bathroom with the older sister or a friend who has an "already potty trained" child. They think it is so neat to do what the other one is doing . IT works everytime for those I have shared it with. And of course LOTS OF PRAISE.

Good Luck!
K.
PS Big Girl Panties work best... They are so proud and don't want to "mess" things up. :)

I have never potty trained a girl. Mine is 4 1/2, and he was potty trained by this summer. However, he has an attitude about it now and would prefer to do anything in his pants as opposed to in the potty and this has caused all manner of problems... I wish I could offer you assistance, but I'm not sure how to deal with my own.

to be quite honest, i know exactly what you are going through. my 3 1/2 year old son, didn't like being potty trained. my pediatrician said to absolutely NOT stress about it, and basically that one day, he would just wake up and be potty trained. i thought that i definitely needed to find a new pediatrician, because she sounded like a quack!! however, two weeks to the day of that advice, he woke up one morning, and as i was dressing him, he decided that he was tired of pull-ups, and wanted to start pottying like daddy from now on. that was 7 months ago! i wish i had some more concrete advice. one thing that i can suggest is that, if your little girl likes to have her nails painted..........every time she goes potty, paint ONE nail, until they are all painted (including toes). let her choose the colors. after a few days of this, then let her paint your nails (yes, this can be scary) if she can potty for a whole week. hope some of this helped.....L.

Get rid of the "pull-ups", put her in cloth panties and let her see what it feels like to be wet or messy. Provide her with dry clothes and supplies and tell her that since she's 3....it's now her job to change herself. And......follow through! Don't give in to doing it for her. Forget the cutesy bribes like food, candy, and all the others that make you feel better.
My experience? 2 grown sons, 2 grown stepsons, 6 grandchildren and........30+ years of teaching 2 and 3 year olds. While the school requires that they be potty-trained when they start in a 3 year old class as most do, we find that the parent's definition of "trained" varies greatly. When given the above suggestion and told the child will be removed from the program after 2 weeks if they aren't "trained" it's amazing how fast they can be trained!

Back off and don't mention it for a few days. If she has an older sibling I'm surprised she's not interested, but some kids just aren't. The more you bug her, the less she'll want to do it.
We used to try letting my dd (now almost 4) sit on the potty while watching Elmo's Potty Time, but honestly, until she decided it was her time to train, nothing we did to encourage her made a dent. She potty trained over a year ago, and at the time she kept telling me she'd go pee pee on the potty "after Christmas" and I kid you not, after dinner on Christmas day she asked to use the potty and hasn't worn a diaper since.
You could try a sticker chart leading up to a big prize, like if she gets 6 stickers for trying to go or actually going she can get a new book or a new My Little Pony or something that would motivate her.
If that doesn't work and you don't think it's just a power struggle, tell her they don't make diapers in her size and make her wear undies. Once she pees in them a few times she'll probably get the point.
Good luck.

buy regulsr panty with princess and call them big girl panty. my brothers daughter is and already wants to wear big things. also don't push her she will start to do own her own. if she has accidents just clean her up,and keep trying. good luck. hope this helps.