Potty training my son?!?

Question

Mommies, I need help!
I need some tips for potty training my son. How to beging talking to him? Start him off standing?? sitting?? Any tips would help! Thanks!

Answer 1

After three daughters I was at a loss on how to potty train a boy!

We started with sitting because that just seemed logical to me. Once we had the "mechanics" down of peeing in the potty I let Daddy take over and explain the whole standing thing. Worked like a charm.

Just teach him to "tuck" and go for it - when he has the mastery of peeing sitting down he wil be thrilled to learn the "boy way". Just be warned - little boys are distractable (as is any toddler) and once they learn to stand if they get distracted they may forget their aim!

Answer 2

The best time to potty train him is when you are ready to train him and he is showing signs of readiness. Typically around 20 months or so is when I have seen most of our family and friends attempt to introduce the toilet to their children. At 16 months some say it's too early and others would say go for it. I started with our first son around the same age and it took all the way until age four! He just really had no interest and it was the last thing that he did have some sort of control over. No big deal it was a learning experience for the both of us. With our current three year old he was well on his way by 18 months but had a set back. Then he picked it right back up the beginning of this year. He goes pee with no troubles and with number two he prefers a pull-up. (he is special needs) Again no big deal, he'll get one of these days. Now our 16 year old daughter, she was potty trained by the age of 14 months! She would always pull her diaper off. I give you my best wishes for baby number two!

Answer 3

Start him with sitting, I watched my nephews go through trying to stand, and there was just a mess everywhere, and so they went to sit and as they got bigger they would stand, they had no problems. You might have to have him actually hold his penis down so it doesn't go everywhere, only takes one time to learn that trick!

Start talking to him and showing him how the big potty works. Get him excited about big boy underwear and his own potty seat. Take him to pick things out, and tell him that when he feels like he has to go potty to tell you, even while he's in his diaper so he knows.

Once you have the seat take him and show him how it works, how you'll flush and all that and how you'll wipe his bum when you are done. Make him feel comfortable with how it and excited about being able to go in the potty. The boys LOVED the dumping of the little potty bowl into the big toilet and flushing.

If you have to try a chart, every time he tells you he has to go and he goes on the potty he gets a sticker, but don't take any away if he messes himself, because that will just embarrass him or make him upset, they are bound to make messes.

Answer 4

Start with sitting, show him picture books that have other toddlers sitting on the potty. My 3 year old son is still learning to use the potty, sometimes he makes it sometimes he doesn't. I just keep in mind not to make him feel bad when he does have accidents, or else it will just take him longer to learn. I also ask him often, if he has to go. Sometimes he will say no, and sometimes I'll get him to sit down anyways just to give it a try. I also have a potty chart that he gets to put a sticker on every time he goes. He seems to like the stickers.

Answer 5

The #1 tip I have for you is patience. Both of you are going to lose it if you aren't patient with him. I started by giving him a cute Pooh potty chair. This chair allowed him to sit in it like a regular chair. Then when he got it down, I could use just the seat part that attaches to the toilet. Start him off by sitting. It's not until he is trained for a while that you teach him to go standing up. If daddy is in the picture then he should be the one to teach him to go standing up. Like I mentioned before, that doesn't happen until he is well-trained with no problems.

Answer 6

It was easiest for us to start off sitting and then after he watched his daddy a few times he chose to stand on his own (which makes life easier when you have to go to public restrooms).

Try to be easygoing, and involve your son in the process. Let him pick out a potty seat and underwear. Don't do pullups since that slows things down (glorified diapers). Lots of praise. Stickers/rewards work well too.

You'll have to take him back there around every 30-45 minutes to try, and you will have some accidents. But once he figures out his body signals and what he needs to do he'll start letting you know to go on his own (you'll know his body signals too - my 3yo has a peepee dance and starts getting really distracted when he needs to go).

Oh, and check your library for books/videos. We never did the videos but I have a friend that swore by them. Some of the books explain the process and help the kids understand.

Good luck!

Answer 7

It really helped my son to start potty training standing up. He could see what was happening and connect the sensations. Plus, watching himself is alot of fun for him. I used The Potty Stool http://www.thepottystool.com This stool makes every toilet kid-sized. The handles on this stool make all the difference. My kids potty trained quickly because they were so excited about using this stool and the big toilet. I like that it is sturdy and safe and got my kids out of diapers fast. The best part is kids use it for years. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

How to talk to him? How old is he? He will let yoiu know when he is interested in the potty. Definitely sit him down, my boy is 4 and sits a lot of the time, less MESS to clean, they are not great shots at this age. If he stands you could encourage him to go by putting cheerios in the water so he can sink them! There is no rush for this, it will happen in due time, if you push too much it may backfire - good luck!

Answer 9

With my son, he learnt to go to the toilet sitting down first, as I was a solo mum, and he only ever saw me sitting down. It wasn't until he started seeing my husband now standing up, that he realised that he was doing it wrong, and he started standing.
we never used a potty, just got a small seat that goes on the standard toilet seat, and some little steps. It was a slow process, and you need alot of patience, because I remember how frustrating it can get! lol
**** luck,
x

Answer 10

You're not alone- I'm going through the exact same thing with my son right now.

I control his liquid intake- meaning, I give him a small sippy cup with juice, water, or milk (he's 2 1/2), and then about an hour later, I'll take him to go pee-pee.

Sometimes he throws a fit and won't even sit on the toilet.

Other times, he's happy to go.

I cheer & whistle for him when he goes. He loves it.

Flushing is one of his rewards; if he doesn't pee, he can't flush. He loves to flush, so it works.

I also reward him randomly with little Hot Wheels race cars (one of his current obssessions) or a simple sticker.

No matter the prize, he's proud of himself.

It's taking more time than I expected, though.

Now, if only we could get him to go poo...