Potty Training Boys

Boy are notoriously harder to potty train then girls and usually start at a later date. Just keep a look out for the signs as detailed in Potty Training Tips - are they ready?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends encouraging & teaching toddler boys to urinate sitting down, the big reason for this is that it is simpler as both urination and bowel movements can be done while sitting and training them in both from the get go will involve more effort in general and increase the cleaning involved.

However if your child has started preschool make sure you teach them the same method, i.e. sitting or standing, as again conflict between the two may cause confusion.

Also if your boy (like mine) is adamant in copying his father and insists on urinating standing up, don’t discourage him.

Top tips!

•  Add a little shampoo to the water and it will create bubbles as he pees.

•  Let him pee outside - in the backyard, in the woods or even in the snow. Have him practice aiming at something or writing in the snow.

• Add cheerios or other targets to help him learn how to aim properly

Keep it Simple

Teaching your son to urinate and do bowel movements in the potty is no easy task; there are training methods (as seen at the bottom) that can teach you how to potty train in three days. Though the key is repetition and rewards for doing it right!

Cleaning up

Since the child is just learning his aim will be off and will result in dribbling; spraying and general mess. So be prepared to do some extra cleaning and general hygiene maintenance of the bathroom.

Remember though not to get angry at the child and to reinforce all good behaviour and actions via rewards.

Related posts:

1. Potty Training Boys? When potty training boys when do you transtion them to...