So, you are ready to begin potty training your little boy. Great! You have the easy part over with and now the real work comes!
Most children begin to potty train around twenty-four months of age. Which is when most kids understand that they have used the bathroom inside their diapers and can vocalize or physically signal to an adult that this has happened.
Potty training boys and girls are two very different types of training for the obvious reason that girls and boys are made differently and thus require different methods of training.
The beginning step with either sex is to first determine a rewards system. Children, though small, are not dumb, and most will not conform to toilet training without receiving something in return. You can make a potty chart with stickers as rewards, or if you do not mind letting your child indulge a little, you can offer them their favorite piece of candy as a gift for a job well done. Special tasks can also be used as a reward. For example, feeding the family pet or choosing a book or movie for the night, can all be used as a persuasive potty tool.
Never punish a child for failing to use the potty. Simply encourage them to try again next time and explain that going to the potty is important to become a big boy! Also, remind them what they will get as a reward for using the potty. A negative attitude can cause the child to resent potty time and can prove to be more of a challenge to break from the diaper.
There are two positions for boys when potty training. The first and simplest position is sitting down. This is usually the way most boys begin their potty training. A guard is usually included in most children’s training toilets so that boys may urinate in a sitting position.
Boys cannot sit down on the potty forever and soon the guard must be removed. The standing position of a boy’s potty training can be harder than it may seem. Expect to be brandishing a mop and gloves more often than not, as he first starts until he can perfect his aim.
To help with these aiming problems you can come up with some games to help him concentrate. Cheerios or any biodegradable object that floats are an excellent way to practice aim. Instruct your child to try to pee on the Cheerio and ultimately try to sink it! This is a classic case of aim small and miss small and most boys seem to enjoy the challenge. Some parents have even gone as far as to drain the water from the commode and draw a target on the bottom of the bowl.
Once your child realizes that it is okay to use the toilet and that he is rewarded for it, he will most likely try to visit the potty often. This is a good behavior so try your best to limit any discouragement. This means that they are responding to the training in a positive way. Children also have to use the bathroom more often than most adults do because they have not yet developed full control over their bladder and bowels.
Pull-ups or cloth underwear with your child’s favorite characters on them can be a great motivation to go to the potty. Most Pull-ups feature a design that fades should the child accidentally use the Pull-up instead of the potty. This can be used to your advantage. Explain to the child that the Pull-up looks muck better, cooler, etc. with the design on them. Also explain that when they urinate in the Pull-up that the design will go away. You can use the same principal with cloth underpants as well.
Tell the child that should they use the bathroom in their underpants that they will become dirty and have to be changed to either a boring diaper or a plain pair of clean underpants. Let your child pick out their own underwear in the store so that they pick out something that they like and care enough about to keep clean.
It is important to also teach by example, as this is the easiest way for a child to identify with any task. If there is a male figure in the household encourage them to spend some time teaching the boy the correct way to use the potty.
If there is not a male figure inside the household, male relatives such as grandfathers or uncles may be helpful in these situations. If not for demonstration purposes, other male individuals can be used as role models verbally. Saying things such as “Let’s use the potty like Grandpa does.” or, “Uncle Jake pee pees in the potty. Do you think you can try to be like him?”
No matter what tools or motivation you use, your greatest assets will be time and patience. Every child will come around to full potty training in their own time. Boys typically average a greater amount of training time than girls do.
This is most likely due to the fact that girls only need to learn one method of potty training instead of two like boys. Just remember to always be positive during the process and to never lax in your training methods and before you know it you will be able to say your little boy is diaper free!
How To Potty Train A Boy,
