How to Potty Train a Boy | How to toilet train a Boy

Written by

C. Giles

18 April, 2017

According to KidsHealth.org, boys often take longer to potty train than girls. Every child is different, however, so don't focus too much on how long the process is taking. Your son will get there when he's ready. Keep potty training simple and try to make it a fun experience for him, which can make it (almost) enjoyable for you, too.

Recognize the signs that your son is ready to potty train. He may tell you that he needs to go before filling his diaper. He may show an interest in the potty and sit on it regularly. If he can follow simple directions, understand the words you use to talk about the process of using the toilet and keep his diaper dry for two hours or longer, it could be a good time to start potty training.

Start potty training when your son is in a stable routine, with no major changes taking place in his life. If you are moving, having another baby or enrolling him at preschool, delay potty training until a new routine is well-established, recommends pregnancy and parenting website BabyCenter.com 1. Potty training will be more successful if he is open to a new challenge 1.

Encourage your son to watch you use the bathroom. Show him how Mommy uses the toilet in a different way than Daddy and take this opportunity to go into detail about how boys go to the bathroom. Buy a potty without a urine guard, to avoid scraping his penis when he sits on the potty. It's important to make sure all associations with going to the potty are positive ones.

Purchase a picture book about potty training for your son 1. Different books are available for boys and for girls. Read the book to your son and help him to absorb the information, making it a fun bonding experience.

Tell your son that the potty is his. Give him the freedom to draw on it or decorate it with stickers of his favorite characters. Encourage him to sit on it with his clothes on. If he is willing to do this for a few days, suggest that he sit on it with his diaper off. Stop immediately if he shows any signs of distress. If you push him into it before he's ready, the process tends to take longer and become more frustrating.

Decide whether you want to ditch the diapers altogether in favor of underpants or use pull-ups until your son is fully potty trained. Pull-ups are more convenient and requires less cleanup, but with underpants your son will be aware right away if he has had an accident, and it may be a quicker process. Consult his preschool teacher or day care provider, as she may have a preference if she is going to be playing an active role in the potty training process.

Teach your son to sit on the potty initially, regardless of whether he needs to urinate or defecate. This teaches him that both "poo" and "pee" need to go into the potty, and he won't get distracted by the spraying when he goes standing up. After he has mastered sitting down to use the potty, start showing him how to urinate standing up. Pop an O-shaped piece of cereal or similar-sized flushable item in the bowl and turn it into a target-practice game.

Celebrate every time your son uses the potty. Make up your own special song or dance to perform whenever he goes. Don't worry about feeling silly; he'll love it. Put a reward chart on the wall and give him a star every time he uses the potty. Congratulate him on his efforts, and don't give him any trouble if he has an accident. It's bound to happen now and again.

Keep your son in nighttime diapers until his diaper is dry in the morning and after naps. Be prepared for him to remain in diapers during the night for a while; it all depends on how deeply he sleeps. If he wants to go without a diaper at bedtime, let him. If he's not ready, tell him that you'll try again in a short while, without making too big a deal out of it. Avoid drinks in the last few hours before bed and make a toilet trip the last thing he does before going to sleep.

How to Potty Train a Baby Girl

Written by Jennifer Anderson

18 April, 2017

Timing is important when potty training your baby girl ; success is dependent on the trainer’s devotion and consistency and the readiness of the child 1. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that most children are ready to use the potty between 18 and 24 months, but some may not be ready until they are 2 ½ years old. Potty train with positive reinforcement, and never punish a child for having an accident or not following directions. Over the course of a few months, your baby girl will be out of diapers and using the potty like a big girl.

Look for signs that the child is ready for the potty. A child who is uninterested in the toilet and not able to communicate when she needs to go is not ready. Good signs are dry diapers for longer periods of time, waking up dry after a nap, pulling her pants up and down, and showing interest in the potty and its use.

Purchase a potty chair and underwear for your baby girl; it’s fun to make a big deal out of it and let her pick between a few choices. Set the chair up in a common room of the house for the child to get familiar with it. Let her sit on it with her clothes on, and explain to her what the potty is used for.

Let your child go into the bathroom with you so she can see how to use the bathroom and flush the toilet. Explain that instead of wetting or dirtying a diaper, she should sit on her potty chair when she feels the urge to go. After a few days, put the potty chair in the bathroom.

Begin the first day by putting the child on the potty chair with no pants or diaper, and ask her to try and potty. Sit with her for a few minutes, encourage her, sing a silly song about going potty or read a book. When the baby does go in the potty (which may not even happen the first day), respond with exaggerated excitement, jump up and down and congratulate her. Some children are motivated by a sticker or small piece of candy.

Continue to put the child on the potty every hour throughout the day. Devoting a weekend to beginning potty training is a good idea. Let the baby girl wear underwear when she is awake, and put her in a diaper for naps and bedtime; staying dry during these times will take a bit longer to learn.

Clean and change the child whenever she has an accident in her underwear, and take her promptly to sit on the potty. Gently remind her that she needs to go in the potty and not in her underwear; do not punish her.

Be consistent and encouraging as the child learns—don’t give up. Put her in a diaper or training pants if you must leave the house and are worried about accidents. Ask her to use the potty immediately before leaving and immediately when returning home. Don’t allow training pants to become a substitute for diapers. If you choose to use them, training pants should be used like underwear.

Tips

Give the child increased fluids like juice and water when beginning potty training. This will increase her urge to go and allow more opportunity to use the potty chair.

How to toilet train your baby

Toilet Training

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

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When Are Kids Ready to Toilet Train?

Many parents are unsure about when to start toilet training or "potty training." Not all kids are ready at the same age, so it's important to watch your child for signs of readiness, such as stopping an activity for a few seconds or clutching his or her diaper.

Instead of using age, look for signs that your child may be ready to start heading for the potty, such as being able to:

follow simple instructions
understand and use words about using the potty
make the connection between the urge to pee or poop and using the potty
keep a diaper dry for 2 hours or more
get to the potty, sit on it for enough time, and then get off the potty
pull down diapers, disposable training pants, or underpants
show an interest in using the potty or wearing underpants

Most children begin to show these signs when they're between 18 and 24 months old, though some may not be ready until later than that. And boys often start later and take longer to learn to use the potty than girls.

There are some times when you may want to put off starting toilet training, such as:

when traveling
around the birth of a sibling
changing from the crib to the bed
moving to a new house
when your child is sick (especially if diarrhea is a factor)

How Long Does Toilet Training Take?

Teaching a toddler to use the potty isn't an overnight task. It often takes between 3 and 6 months, but can take more or less time for some children. If you start too soon, the process tends to take longer. And it can take months to even years to master staying dry at night.

Potty Types

The two basic potty options are:

a standalone, toddler-size potty chair with a bowl that can be emptied into the toilet
a toddler-size seat that can be placed on top of a toilet seat that will let your child feel more secure and not fear falling in. If you choose this, get a stepping stool so your child can reach the seat comfortably and feel supported while having a bowel movement.

It's usually best for boys to first learn to use the toilet sitting down before learning to pee standing up. For boys who feel awkward — or scared — about standing on a stool to pee in the toilet, a potty chair may be a better option.

You may want to get a training potty or seat for every bathroom in your house. You may even want to keep a potty in the trunk of your car for emergencies. When traveling long distances, be sure to take a potty seat with you and stop every 1 to 2 hours. Otherwise, it can take too long to find a restroom.

About Training Pants

Disposable training pants are a helpful step between diapers and underwear. Because kids' nighttime bladder and bowel control often lags behind their daytime control, some parents like using training pants at night. Others prefer that their child use training pants when they're out and about. Once the training pants remain dry for a few days, kids can make the switch to wearing underwear.

But some people think that disposable training pants might make kids think it's OK to use them like diapers, thus slowing the toilet-teaching process.

Ask your doctor if your child would benefit from using disposable training pants as a transitional step.

Tips for Toilet Training

Even before your child is ready to try the potty, you can prepare your little one by teaching about the process:

Use words to express the act of using the toilet ("pee," "poop," and "potty").
Ask your child to let you know when a diaper is wet or soiled.
Identify behaviors ("Are you going poop?") so that your child can learn to recognize the urge to pee and poop.
Get a potty chair your child can practice sitting on. At first, your child can sit on it wearing clothes or a diaper. When ready, your child can go bare-bottomed.

If you've decided that your child is ready to start learning how to use the potty, these tips may help:

Set aside some time to devote to the potty-training process.
Don't make your child sit on the toilet against his or her will.
Show your child how you sit on the toilet and explain what you're doing (because your child learns by watching you). You also can have your child sit on the potty seat and watch while you (or a sibling) use the toilet.
Establish a routine. For example, you may want to begin by having your child sit on the potty after waking with a dry diaper, or 45 minutes to an hour after drinking lots of liquids. Only put your child on the potty for a few minutes a couple of times a day, and let your child get up if he or she wants to.
Have your child sit on the potty within 15 to 30 minutes after meals to take advantage of the body's natural tendency to have a bowel movement after eating (this is called the gastro-colic reflex). Also, many kids have a time of day they tend to have a bowel movement.
Ask your child to sit on the potty if you see clear clues of needing to go to the bathroom, such as crossing legs, grunting, or squatting.
Empty a bowel movement (poop) from your child's diaper into the toilet, and tell your child that poop goes in the potty.
Avoid clothes that are hard to take off, such as overalls and shirts that snap in the crotch. Kids who are potty training need to be able to undress themselves.
Offer your child small rewards, such as stickers or time reading, every time your child goes in the potty. Keep a chart to track of successes. Once your little one appears to be mastering the use of the toilet, let him or her pick out a few new pairs of big-kid underwear to wear.
Make sure all caregivers — including babysitters, grandparents, and childcare workers — follow the same routine and use the same names for body parts and bathroom acts. Let them know how you're handling toilet training and ask that they use the same approaches so your child won't be confused.
Praise all attempts to use the toilet, even if nothing happens. And remember that accidents will happen. It's important not to punish potty-training children or show disappointment when they wet or soil themselves or the bed. Instead, tell your child that it was an accident and offer your support. Reassure your child that he or she is well on the way to using the potty like a big kid.

Common Toilet Training Problems

Many kids who've been using the potty have some trouble during times of stress. For example, a 2- or 3-year-old dealing with a new sibling may start having accidents.

But if your child was potty-trained and is regularly having problems, talk with your doctor.

Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about toilet training or your child is 4 years or older and is not yet potty trained.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: March 2019

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