Boys and the potty

[meljupp]

I need some good ideas on how to potty train a little boy! I potty trained both my girls when they were two and it was so easy, My son is now two and it is so hard any suggestions would be great.

[bgheuchert]

Boys take longer, dont stress yourself, wait til he is three and it will be easier.

[mdutka]

once my boys turned 2 i started talking about things that big boys could do that babies couldnt (big boys=underwear, babies=diapers). usually there was something that they really wanted to do by that point and i just used that as motivation to be a big boy. both my boys were potty trained by 2.5. i never critized, just whenever i changed their diaper id say that one day they would be a big boy and wear under pants and then they would be able to do X. give them a goal, be positive and they will do it.

edited to add: i agree with Natalka, no pull ups. my theory was, either your potty trained or your not and i thought that by 2.5 they were both developementally ready so why not?? we didnt use stickers or little rewards, just one large reward when the deal is sealed.

[Natalka]

We started our son when he was about 18 months, just to get him used to the idea of things, and he was done just after two years old.

Best advice I got from my sister - and best advice I took! - was to NOT use pullups, etc., because the child treats it just the same as a diaper. We used the training pants underwear which is padded a bit in the front - they need to know the sensation of being wet - something they don't want to be!
The only time we did use diapers were if we were out for the day, or travelling away, for example.

I think some parents have success using rewards/stickers, etc. - I don't know why, we just didn't have to go that route; he seemed really eager to get it done!
We used a regular, plain little potty (no fancy characters, nothing - after all, the grownup one isn't all fancy!), and then the top part of that could go on the regular toilet, too.

Good luck!

[Natalka]

once my boys turned 2 i started talking about things that big boys could do that babies couldnt (big boys=underwear, babies=diapers). usually there was something that they really wanted to do by that point and i just used that as motivation to be a big boy. both my boys were potty trained by 2.5. i never critized, just whenever i changed their diaper id say that one day they would be a big boy and wear under pants and then they would be able to do X. give them a goal, be positive and they will do it.

Right on! The same was true with our son - he couldn't wait to wear 'real' underwear like his dad!

[marstec]

I had a girl and then two boys. The boys took longer to toilet train; I never used pullups either. My mother gave me all sorts of grief about my children's toilet training, she claimed we were all trained before two years old.

Children are all different, and disposable diapers are much more comfortable these days than cloth diapers were back then.

Some people advise against giving rewards for toilet training, but you need to do what works best for you and your child. My youngest son loved those chocolate covered caramels, so he had to give me a "reason" to get a Reisen!

I bought a cheap shower curtain liner to use on top of his sheets at night in case there were any accidents, worked fine for the job.

In retrospect, my daughter had it very good when it came to diaper changes - she was changed frequently. My boys were over three when they were finished with diapers and I was thoroughly fed-up by then. I still remember one occasion when the youngest son's diaper almost fell off from being so full of wee. Now, it is a distant memory. Good luck!

[Brynhilde]

Lots of things to consider before potty training boys.. and children in general.

If your child has any particular special needs, a reward system may work. My son is diagnosed with mild Autism and the sticker chart worked wonders. We did use Pulls Ups with him and it took a couple of months but he realized he really felt uncomfortable.. and with the help of daycare and school, he started just going more often to the point where he just wears underwear in the day now.

We bought a vinyl waterproof sheet to put over his mattress and under his bedsheets in case of an accident. He still wears Goodnites in case of an accident (we tried letting him go to bed wearing underwear but he had a lot of accidents) but in the last two months, he's been dry every single night. He gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom too.

My advice is not to force kids.. look for signs of readiness and interest. Try to cut fluids after dinnertime and make toilet time fun.. sing songs, let him bring a special car or a book to look at when he's on the toilet/potty. I think rewards are great for ALL children.. it assists parents in giving their children praise in ways that children enjoy and understand. It also helps if your child can see other children going to use the potty or toilet! We did all of the things I suggested and while some may work and not work for you, you will find a combo that works for your child. Good luck!

[Insane]

My son was the EASIEST to toilet train. I thought forsure my daughter would never train. I seriously had visions of her going to kindergarden in diapers! I tried training my other daughter who is 27 months, but we've abandonned it for the time being. I think she's close to being trained (we put her in underwear and she'd tell us after she peed in her undies, not before!) I think our biggest obstacle is the daycare. They aren't particularly supportive or set up for it.

I trained my son to pee standing up. He stood on the stool, placed his hands on the toilet tank and his penis just fell into the right spot to pee. I've heard of people using cheerios and food colouring to train. We never had to though. He seriously wet his underwear once and decided that was a gross feeling and never had an accident again. He's also never peed his bed! I wish all kids were that easy to train!!

You just need to be consistent in the beginning (and don't plan any outings). Put him on the toilet every 20min or so. If THEY are ready, they'll do it. You can rush it if they aren't ready for it.

[nadiabreckon]

We thought starting DS out at 18m was going to help...he peed a few times in the potty, but no real interest... So we stopped until the summer after he turned 2...mind you, he regressed after our trip to Florida, but once we came back he decided he wanted to use the potty! We then started putting him in underwear even on outings, no problems! He has not had an accident in public, although he wears pull-ups/diapers at daycare and she refuses to let us send him in underwear...he does not pee on the potty at daycare, not sure why...

[Jina]

DS will be 2 in a month. We can never guess when he's going to poop. He can go 3 days without a poop, then do 3-4 poops in the same day. Sometime it would be a poop when we are having dinner. He did a poop in the middle of the night yesterday. The bad smell woke me up at 2am as his bottom was near my nose
He won't stay on the potty for a minute if he doesn't want to poop.

[mama_to_one_in_a_half]

Lol not looking forward to it but I know I have start him soon he will be two son and will have a baby brother or sister in August. Hopefully he will not be difficult to toilet train.

[Zonny]

My DS was three by the time he really got the daytime potty training.

He's five now, and still doesn't wake up to go pee. We tried putting him in underwear, setting an alarm clock, he wouldn't wake up in either case. We tried getting him up to pee a couple times a night, it was hit and miss, sometimes he'd go pee in the toilet, sometimes it was on his bedroom or bathroom floor, sometimes we'd just end up with a hysterical half-asleep child who still hadn't gone pee. So we gave it up for awhile, he's in Goodnights overnight, but we're thinking we might try again soon to see if there's any change. We figure it will happen when he's ready, and not before.

[Brynhilde]

Most boys who are 4 and up don't get up to go at night.. their bladders aren't ready for that yet. So I've been told anyway.. I'm glad there are products like Goodnites out on the market.

[mwieler]

My son is turning 2 on the 27th. I don't think I'll try untill he is 2 1/2, like our other 2 boys were. By that time they were ready and it didn't take long untill they were trained.
He came to me yesterday for the first time to tell me he had a dirty diaper. Like mentioned by others, you just have to wait untill he is ready.

[mellyskater]

ever since my son has started in the toddler room at daycare he has shown a lot of interest in the potty and runs to it asks to sit on it, we let him, hasnt gone, but maybe once he will. The funny thing is he gets up to look if he has gone.