Does anyone have any tips on potty training a boy?

Question

I have tried everything that I can think of but nothing is working. He is 3 years old and I have been trying to get him trained for about a year. I'm single so I don't have anyone who can help me. Does anyone have any ideas?

He isn't wearing pull ups or anything like that. He is wearing regular "big boy underpants" so that isn't the problem.. He just doesn't tell me.. I take him to the potty about every 45 mins - an hour and he never goes. He goes like 20 mins after I take him to the potty.

Answer 1

Everyone has great ideas! I feel your frustration, and was feeling the same way about 4 months ago, with my son. I will just tell you what worked for us:

My dh got my son's favorite Barney stuffed animal, and sat him on the potty and would say "Look, Barney is going to the potty!! Great job Barney!!" We would praise the hell out of that stuffed animal. *laughs* And there would be proof that Barney actually went, because dh would put a brown ball inside the potty and it would look like Barney had pooped! That REALLY helped my son. When he finally got the hang of it we would throw a major party for him... dancing, praising...acting like 2 silly grown ups! I know it's harder for you, as a single parent, but just hang in there. He'll be ready before you know it.

Good luck!

Answer 2

This is working for my friend and I'm about to try it- she went to a club store and bought a big box of matchbox cars (he loves them) and every time he successfully goes on the potty he gets a car. This can work with anything he likes- stickers, m&m's, whatever, but the key is he CAN'T have the item at any other time! He can only get it with a successful PP or BM. After a few times he will associate the deed with the reward, and want to go. Make sure you don't give it just for a try either- he has to produce something. ( I tried to use TV as a reward and my daughter ended up wanting to sit on the potty just so she could watch tv, but didn't really have to go!) Good luck!

Answer 3

Put cheerios in the toilet and tell him to sink them. Stack some hot wheels on a shelf above the toilet as gifts for when he goes pee pee. Also does he still wear pull ups? Very bad. The new diapers and pulls ups are so good that they can't feel the wet so they don't care. Take him to the store and let him pick out his own big boy underwear. When he actually feels the pee run down his legs this will help. I have 3 sons and 3 grand sons.

Answer 4

Sounds lik he just is not ready. You can keep trying and you probably should but if he isn't ready basically you will be training yourself. He will let you know when he is ready. Don't let anyone make YOU feel guilty because he isn't using the potty. Each child is different. It WILL happen and then your son will be so proud it will be worth it. Boys DO take longer. My son was over three as well. Good luck!

Answer 5

Sticker chart, he goes pee in the potty he gets one sticker (party supply stores BEST for stickers in his fav charactars) Poo-poo in the potty gets 2 stickers. he fills up that chart he gets a toy or something special.
Peeing standing up? cheerios in the potty (like 8-10) tell him to Sink the o's. Funn aiming game.
TAKE him to the potty every hour and have him try. get an egg timer, set for one hour, when it goes off get excited and say "It's potty time!!!" "Let's Go, Hurry hurry!"
Oh, and target has a toddler seat built into a regular seat so he thinks he is just like the big people.

Answer 6

Wish I could help you. All I can say is don't push it. I too have a 3 year old son and he has no intrest in the potty at all. I am teaching him to sit for both. But, he can care less about peeing in his diper. And with the birth of our 2nd son this coming Jan. I am not pushing it. He will be ready when he wants to be. Good luck

Answer 7

I utilized the rubber pants along with pullups. They were effective. Once he got through the day with no accidents, I began the process of eliminating pull-ups at night. I made a calendar and every morning he woke with a dry pull-up (underwear), he was able to put a smiley face on that day. He was trained in three months.

Answer 8

Obviously he wasn't totally potty trained when you put him into pants. First of all the child needs to be READY to potty train and only THEY know that, it's not when YOU are ready for them to be potty trained. Secondly they need to be FULLY potty trained before you put them in underwear. Clearly your son was neither.

Answer 9

I have two sons. The oldest was completely trained in one week..... the week he turned two. The youngest wet his pants until he was four. He truly just did not care about getting to the potty. Yes, it was a pain in the ***. But fortunately, he is 11 years old now and has been using a toilet for seven years.

Your child will not go to school in a diaper. If he's not ready, don't push. And most certainly do not punish him for not being ready. That's like punishing a six-month-old for not being ready to walk. "Okay, you fell down.... you have to sit in the corner."

And please, please, PLEASE don't use food (especially sweets) as a reward. There are enough fat children in America.

Answer 10

three words of advice.

Patience, patience, patience.

Little girls learn it much faster and can be trained earlier than boys.

You must be instructive, but not pushy, insistent but not overbearing, and more than anything never punish, no matter how frustrated you get. Three years old is a pretty normal time frame for getting boys started, and many still have accidents for a year or more after.