Potty training boys

[ReadingMama1214]

I potty trained my daughter before 2.5. She was pretty easy, occasional accidents, but a willingness to go on the potty. My son turned 2 in January. I don't plan to formally start training until late June or early July when we have less places to be daily. I used the 3 day method with my daughter and it worked great.

 

However, he won't sit on the potty regularly and is pretty reluctant to use it. He does have some signs of readiness:

1. Verbalized when he uses his diaper or has to poop

2. Can pull his pants down

3. He wakes up dry 50% of mornings

4. He understand what the potty is used for.

 

This morning he woke up dry so I put him on the potty. He was hesitant until I let him watch the wheels on the bus on my phone. However, he sat there for 3 minutes without doing anything. He understands to aim down, will mimicking the pee sound, but doesn't go.

 

I'm not in a rush. I'm mainly taking the waking up dry as a gentle entrance to potty training. I figure it's the time of day where he is most likely to successfully use the potty. He'll eventually get up off potty and ask for his diaper.

 

Any tips for potty training boys? I'm in grad school and have a more relaxed summer so it seems like the best time to train him.

[SparklyUnicorn]

No tips.  I have 2 boys and each was completely different in this department.  I will say though that those pull up things are for the birds.  My kids didn't consider them to be different from diapers so it was not any sort of encouragement. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I did the naked thing with one and put a potty in the main area he was playing in.  He trained a lot quicker than my other kid.  Seems like every time the other kid was interested it was in the dead of winter and too cold to do that.  He was stubborn.

 

 

[HeWillSoar]

 With boy #1 and boy #2 they went straight to underwear.  Boy #1 didn't like to be wet so all it took was a couple times of that and he used his potty.  I would reward him with one jelly bean when he used his potty.  It took coaxing him to sit on it by putting it in front of the tv and letting him watch a show.  For boy #2, I started and stopped a couple times because he wasn't getting it as quickly.  Once he was ready, it was quick though.   For boy #3, he was much more difficult until I realized that he stayed dry or would use the potty if he wasn't wearing underwear so I started doing that.  If we went out, I would put him in loose fitting pull on shorts and he never wet them but he would wet his underwear every time.  They are just all so different. 

Edited April 25, 2016 by HeWillSoar

[cjzimmer1]

I've potty trained 3 girls and 3 boys all using the naked method.  I'm a big proponent of it.  I too start by taking the little potty into the main area of play (preferably not on carpet).  I do that for a week or two and after that we just make trips to the bathroom.  I've never used the timer method as we've never needed that.  When they have to go, they all seem the need to start putting their fingers down there.  That's how we know it's time to run to the bathroom.  I've had very few accidents I've ever had to clean up.

[MyLittleBears]

The naked method works! We also did m&ms for going #1 and lollipops for going #2. In retrospect I would choose healthier options, but bribery works!

[Hypatia.]

My 3 year old DS just started potty training a couple weeks ago. Small (one-piece, easier to clean) potties that are easy to access, naked from the waist down, and potty treats. One for a pee, two for a poop. It's messy but it's working, same method I used for my other boys.  With them I transitioned to going commando under loose pants (as tight underwear seemed to be too much like a diaper). It's getting warmer, so he wears boxer briefs and a shirt most of the time now.

[Tanaqui]

When the girls were little, if I put them on the toilet, I ran the faucet a minute. That always worked.

[ReadingMama1214]

Thanks everyone!

 

I do plan to do the naked method this summer. That's what I plan to do in early July.

 

Unfortunately we do only have carpet except for our kitchen and bathrooms. And our kitchen opens to our carpeted living room with no way to block it off. We used pet cleaner when we trained my daughter and I rent a carpet cleaner once the bulk of training is done

 

He is scared of when he pees. He's peed in the bath and it always ends in tears.

 

I do think he needs to realize how he pees. He knows when it happens in his diaper, but I don't think his control over it has clicked for him. I see the first time he goes on the potty as being a big surprise for him. That's why I was hoping we could gently introduce it before going naked method in a couple of months.

 

Thankfully they all eventually potty train!

[ReadingMama1214]

I've potty trained six boys.

 

I waited until they turned 3yo. Then, I let them run around bottomless for a couple of days. Done.

I plan to wait until 3 if he doesn't get it this summer. He'll be 2.5 when we try in July. But, if it doesn't click after a few days, I plan to wait until my Winter break in December which will be right before he turns 3. But at 3, I plan to switch to undies regardless.

[Rachel]

I trained one boy at 2.5 and one at 3, I say wait until 3. I trained my daughter at 17 months. None of them were difficult, but it was easiest waiting until 3. I didn't have to remind the three year old or ask him if he needed the bathroom and he only has had one accident, ever.

[Stratford]

My just-turned 3 yr old is potty training now and for whatever reason he's been the most challenging.  The whole big-boy-potty-no-more-diapers was his idea, and heaven forbid you make a suggestion....like, "Hey, wanna try to go?"  If it isn't his own idea, it's not going to happen.  Not easy when we're on the go with the olders quite a bit.  Bribery was a bust with this kid.  (Who doesn't like jelly beans?!?)  I keep a potty chair in the trunk of my van and that's been a lifesaver lately.  Yay for peeing in the van.  

 

My other 3 were pretty easy.  The two olders started using the potty at around 2.5 without any prompting.  A few days of nakedness and they were good to go.  (They were also my cloth-diapered kids and I think that made a difference.)  #3 trained a few months later than that, but it only took a few days (and telling him the diapers were all gone) and he was done.  

[ReadingMama1214]

My just-turned 3 yr old is potty training now and for whatever reason he's been the most challenging. The whole big-boy-potty-no-more-diapers was his idea, and heaven forbid you make a suggestion....like, "Hey, wanna try to go?" If it isn't his own idea, it's not going to happen. Not easy when we're on the go with the olders quite a bit. Bribery was a bust with this kid. (Who doesn't like jelly beans?!?) I keep a potty chair in the trunk of my van and that's been a lifesaver lately. Yay for peeing in the van.

 

My other 3 were pretty easy. The two olders started using the potty at around 2.5 without any prompting. A few days of nakedness and they were good to go. (They were also my cloth-diapered kids and I think that made a difference.) #3 trained a few months later than that, but it only took a few days (and telling him the diapers were all gone) and he was done.

I honestly have no idea how he'll do. He sat on the potty three times to do from his own initiating. But no pee. Not a big deal. I figure I'll follow his lead for now. In July well do naked. And at 3, I plan to say "no more diapers". We shall see how it really plays out!

[JumpyTheFrog]

I used cloth training pants during the day and pull-ups at night. DS1 was daytime trained at 26 months but took until 3 to stay dry at night (hence the pull-ups). DS2 was about 3 when he was ready and he was able to stay dry day and night pretty soon. I did have some problems with him pooping in his underwear, however, because he didn't want to stop playing to use the toilet. I finally told him that if he pooped his pants, I would throw out that pair of (character) underwear because he needed an incentive to take it seriously. I know it sounds a bit extreme, but he after having two or three pairs thrown out, he decided he better get with the program. After that everything was fine and he didn't have any more problems.

[ReadingMama1214]

I used cloth training pants during the day and pull-ups at night. DS1 was daytime trained at 26 months but took until 3 to stay dry at night (hence the pull-ups). DS2 was about 3 when he was ready and he was able to stay dry day and night pretty soon. I did have some problems with him pooping in his underwear, however, because he didn't want to stop playing to use the toilet. I finally told him that if he pooped his pants, I would throw out that pair of (character) underwear because he needed an incentive to take it seriously. I know it sounds a bit extreme, but he after having two or three pairs thrown out, he decided he better get with the program. After that everything was fine and he didn't have any more problems.

That's a good point. He loves his character undies. He's actually dry at night and nap about 50% of the time. Just resistant to the potty itself. We shall see. He'll get there eventually

[JumpyTheFrog]

One of my favorite photos was taken when I walked into my bedroom one day and found my 26 month old son sitting there looking through "Potty Training for Dummies." Although the book was upside down, I like to joke that him "reading" it was the reason he was pretty easy to train.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My just-turned 3 yr old is potty training now and for whatever reason he's been the most challenging.  The whole big-boy-potty-no-more-diapers was his idea, and heaven forbid you make a suggestion....like, "Hey, wanna try to go?"  If it isn't his own idea, it's not going to happen.  Not easy when we're on the go with the olders quite a bit.  Bribery was a bust with this kid.  (Who doesn't like jelly beans?!?)  I keep a potty chair in the trunk of my van and that's been a lifesaver lately.  Yay for peeing in the van.  

 

My other 3 were pretty easy.  The two olders started using the potty at around 2.5 without any prompting.  A few days of nakedness and they were good to go.  (They were also my cloth-diapered kids and I think that made a difference.)  #3 trained a few months later than that, but it only took a few days (and telling him the diapers were all gone) and he was done.  

 

Hah..yes.  It's like they sense it is important to you and they hold that against you.  :laugh:

[texasmama]

Both of my girls were trained easily before age 3.  Both of my boys were trained after age 3 and it was not easily.

 

I used the naked method with one boy, and that was the thing that finally worked.  

[catz]

My son just trained late.  Like at 3 and 1/2.  He just resisted at every turn, I gave up and let him do it on his own timetable.  When it seemed like he was more amenable, I bought a huge used box of match box cars and gave him one every time he went.  The thing about doing it that way is he WAS trained.  I wasn't taking him to the bathroom every hour.  We never lived a lifestyle that worked well for the stay at home naked for days and get it done, or stop everything every hour and go. 

 

So my advice is - don't worry, it'll happen.  My kid was literally just about reading when he was potty trained.  LOL.  He's 15 now and I just felt like he was behind then, but meh, it was no big deal.

Edited April 25, 2016 by WoolySocks

[Starr]

What's with kids? One of mine was good to go at 18 months and the other was 3. 

[heartlikealion]

I just want to say don't expect things to necessarily go that fast. I thought my daughter was showing signs she was ready but that was weeks ago. She just takes off her diaper daily but I guess I'm not getting her to the potty at the right times. I've already had to clean up poop from her removing her diaper this past week. Nope, not really ready to try a naked method when I'm having this much trouble with her not naked. Or maybe I could try with a very brief period of time. Ds took fooooooooooorever to potty train. But he had a lot of constipation issues too and encopresis I believe. I think he wasn't reliably using the potty til maybe past 3. It's all a blur now.

[heartlikealion]

Thanks everyone!

 

I do plan to do the naked method this summer. That's what I plan to do in early July.

 

Unfortunately we do only have carpet except for our kitchen and bathrooms. And our kitchen opens to our carpeted living room with no way to block it off. We used pet cleaner when we trained my daughter and I rent a carpet cleaner once the bulk of training is done

 

He is scared of when he pees. He's peed in the bath and it always ends in tears.

 

I do think he needs to realize how he pees. He knows when it happens in his diaper, but I don't think his control over it has clicked for him. I see the first time he goes on the potty as being a big surprise for him. That's why I was hoping we could gently introduce it before going naked method in a couple of months.

 

Thankfully they all eventually potty train!

 

I can't find the link right now, but I did read a link describing reasons it's harder for boys typically. One had something to do with thinking their penis would fall off or something like that. Maybe that's why he's crying??

 

I just came across a mother that said boys' anal sphincter develops later so potty training too early is pointless. So far I haven't seen any medical info on this to refer to.