Potty training boys...how did you do it?

[Katiebug_1976]

Ok, so I failed miserably with potty training my oldes ds. I tried everything from encouragement to treats to target practice and nothing worked so I finally gave up. A couple weeks before his 3rd birthday, he brought me his diaper and told me he didn't need it anymore and that was the end of that (if only I had known...:glare:). Well, I now have another ds that is 2 1/2. I would really like to potty train him before the baby is born in December (he will turn 3 in November). Several months ago he showed interest in using the potty, so we started taking him every now and then, but life was so crazy that I just couldn't focus on it. Well, now that life has slowed down, he's not interested AT ALL! Dh bought him a little potty, he sat on it once, but wont even touch it anymore. I know I can't force him, but I am really hoping to have him trained before the baby comes (one reason is because we use cloth diapers and baby will need them). Does anyone have any ideas that might encourage him again?

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Ds3 was the same way a month ago. We naked trained and he had lots of accidents before he finally went in the potty. I finally found out his incentive: LeapFrog videos. He didn't get to watch until he went. We watched a lot of tv the first 2 weeks, and he got chocolate chips, too. He got to the point that he could wear training diapers and he would take them off to go. But we stopped making such a big deal about it and he only gets chocolate chips for pooping, so he's reverting and going in the training pants. So it's back to naked butt now. I am REALLY hoping by the time we're out of training diapers (we got a big box at Sam's) that he won't pee in underwear. We'll see...

[AK_Mom4]

Bribery is always nice :D

 

My oldest son was an easy trainer - he didn't like diapers anyway. Son #2 - not so much. We finally bribed him at nearly 3yo with a set of 20 hot wheel cars - he couild add one to his collection each time he used the toilet. Took about a week, but was well worth it. We also let him pee on trees in the back yard with his brother, which went over well!

[edeemarie]

My oldest was 3 and we had to take his diapers away- no going back! We used the thick underwear with plastic pants because PullUps were no different than diapers to him. We had even used cloth diapers, which I thought was supposed to mean early potty training, but it didn't. We had a few days of accidents until he decided that wasn't fun and he was good from there on out. Ds3 had just turned 3 when he potty trained (seems to be a magical age for most boys!). He is kind of obsessive compulsive and hated being wet! So he only took about a day and is already potty trained at night too. So I guess my biggest suggestion is to stick with it once you start, even if it means several days of a lot of laundry, and don't use PullUps unless absolutely necessary.

[wapiti]

I have trained 4 boys, and I did the same as for my two girls. Naked from the waist down, for about a week. Putting underwear and pants on makes it difficult to recognize the feeling; for some reason naked is better.

 

I waited until close to 3 y.o. for all of them. It's a long time from now until November when he turns 3 - I'd wait, and get it done closer to that time (yes I realize you'll be 9 mos pregnant; BTDT :tongue_smilie:, ok I was only 7 months but I was training twins - it was like having wild animals running amok in my house)

[LeslieAnneLevine]

I'm a firm believer in waiting until they're ready and then, when that happens, letting them go around half-naked for awhile. I had a little potty nearby because when first learning it's not always possible to make it to the big one, especially if he's engrossed in something.

eta: I believe I read the boys are ready, on average, at 35 months of age. So it's possible that he'll be ready before or around the time your baby is due, but it's also possible that he won't.

Edited June 26, 2012 by LeslieAnneLevine

[Jan in SC]

I sent my ds to preschool at that age and after the first day he hopped in the car and said that he needed to go to Target for underwear. Apparently, they tried to changed him in front of other people and he refused! That was all it took.

[justamouse]

Let him run naked all day and let him pee outside on leaves. PUt a potty chair in the kitchen and make sure he hits it.

[jenangelcat]

Same way I potty trained my two girls. Naked time for a week or two around 20 months old.

[PeacefulChaos]

I actually found both of my boys to be much easier than my girl in that regard. :)

Link, we worked on 'potty training' when he was a little over 2, and he picked it up quick. He turned 2 in February and was potty trained (day) by summer. He was not at night, however, for quite some time.

Astro, I really thought he'd never be potty-trained. We went past when Link was and I couldn't figure this kid out ;) ... the week he turned 3, he decided he wanted to 'shoot cheerios' (the whole target practice thing) and that was that. He was day trained, night trained, everything, from the time he was right at 3.

Pink...we're still working on it. Getting close, though. :) Girls... :glare: :lol:

[Mommyof4ks]

Bribery! My youngest was pted at 2 by a lady at his docter's office who promised him a truck if he came in pted the next week (he had to go weekly to the doc at the time). It worked lol. he went home that day and put on his big boy undies and never had an accident. It was not nearly as easy with my first two. :glare:

[jelbe5]

Son with autism was older but I planned not to leave the house for a few days, had him wear a long t- shirt with nothing underneath, set the timer for 10 minutes and dragged him to the potty when it went off. Then I increased to 15, 20, etc. minutes. He trained for #1 in about 2 days. #2 took longer. He wanted a diaper for that, so I put him in one but then he had to go into the bathroom. When he was done with his business I put him back in underwear. That took a few weeks before we gave up diapers altogether.

[kitten18]

Let him run naked all day and let him pee outside on leaves. PUt a potty chair in the kitchen and make sure he hits it.

:iagree: That's what I did with DS the summer before he turned 3 (birthday 10/28). I guess it went pretty smoothly because I don't remember anything about potty training him.:tongue_smilie:

[BarbecueMom]

I'm training DS2 this week. Naked all day except for nap time.

 

He listens to and does everything DS4 says. So every fifteen minutes or so, I told DS4, "Hey, go ask your brother to use the potty." Big brothers are the best cheerleaders. We only had one accident when I forgot to put another potty downstairs and he couldn't get to the bathroom in time. Not a bad first day (other than the bare butt farting on the kitchen table incident).

[KrissiK]

After weeks of trying, we finally sat him on the potty seat, gave him some books and as much fruit punch as he could drink. He drank and drank and drank until he couldn't hold his pee any longer and peed in the potty and... voila! He understood that pee went in the potty. This same child used to run to the closet when he had to poop, he'd squat and poop in his diaper. So, one day, I caught him before he did the deed, grabbed him, ran to the bathroom, tearing the diaper off, got him on the potty to do the deed and... voila. Poop goes in the potty. This was the only child this worked on. I potty trained 3 others after him and it was just....persistence and bribery. Oh yeah, we did the naked day, too, with one of them.

[Tap]

One plastic potty in the living room on the floor. (close by, so there were no 'traveling' accidents as we ran LOL)

 

One potty ring and step stool in the bathroom. (once he was big enough he sat back wards on the regular seat)

 

One naked boy for a week in July/August (no underwear to get in the way).

 

He was potty trained before he was 2 with M&Ms and stickers for prizes.

[sewingmama]

Bribery is always nice :D

 

My oldest son was an easy trainer - he didn't like diapers anyway. Son #2 - not so much. We finally bribed him at nearly 3yo with a set of 20 hot wheel cars - he couild add one to his collection each time he used the toilet. Took about a week, but was well worth it. We also let him pee on trees in the back yard with his brother, which went over well!

 

:cheers2:

 

I haven't found anything bribe worthy enough to encourage my almost 3yo yet -he loves his little matchbox cars though -thanks

[swellmomma]

It's summer time, go nekkid bottom and if need be let him pee outside.

 

For all my kids, it didn't matter if they were boys or girls, it just happened when it happened in spite of what I did not becuase of it.

[swellmomma]

I'm training DS2 this week. Naked all day except for nap time.

 

He listens to and does everything DS4 says. So every fifteen minutes or so, I told DS4, "Hey, go ask your brother to use the potty." Big brothers are the best cheerleaders. We only had one accident when I forgot to put another potty downstairs and he couldn't get to the bathroom in time. Not a bad first day (other than the bare butt farting on the kitchen table incident).

 

:lol::lol:

[sbgrace]

We did bottom half naked training here with both boys.

[Melissa in Australia]

boys are way easier than girls. I just had them running around outside with nothing on, they very quickly worked out what to do, and I told them that the lemon bush in particular really loves to be squirted. IT took about a week for them to be fully day trained. All mine were trained before they turned 2.

[Soror]

I've only trained 1 boy (and 2 girls) I've done them all with naked time, ds at 22 months, dd at 21 iirc and dd at 17months. I'd do it this summer as well, much easier to do naked time when it's hot.

[Katiebug_1976]

Wow, thanks for all the great advice! I think we may try the 1/2 naked in the back yard thing and see how it goes (although I will have to wait for a cool front...it was 104 degrees yesterday & I could only stand to be outside for a couple minutes at a time! I think it's only going to get worse the rest of this week! Unfortunately, we have carpet & unfinished wood floors indoors right now, so accidents inside would not be easy to clean!). If he does't seem to get the hang of it outside, I guess we'll just wait awhile and try again later.

[Momling]

I am mid- potty training our 3yr old foster son. He's doing great. I sat for a miserable day on Saturday with him in a tshirt in his room with a potty. I cleaned up 4 puddles before he got the hang of it. Sunday was perfectly dry. Yesterday was good except for a refusal to poop on a potty. Today is preschool so hopefully he'll continue his trend. Anyway, no advice, but lots of comiseration.

[Tap]

Wow, thanks for all the great advice! I think we may try the 1/2 naked in the back yard thing and see how it goes (although I will have to wait for a cool front...it was 104 degrees yesterday & I could only stand to be outside for a couple minutes at a time! I think it's only going to get worse the rest of this week! Unfortunately, we have carpet & unfinished wood floors indoors right now, so accidents inside would not be easy to clean!). If he does't seem to get the hang of it outside, I guess we'll just wait awhile and try again later.

 

 

That is a good motivation for the parents to keep on top of potty training though, so it may not be a bad thing! LOL

[stripe]

I think boys are easier too.

 

I think not being afraid of accidents is #1 and not trying to teach too many things at once is #2. Don't try to teach detecting it's time, taking clothes off, having enough time to get there, and standing and aiming at the same time. I'd hold off completely on the aiming thing, just have him sit, unless you're just letting him run around and pee wherever, in which case, my advice doesn't apply.