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Potty training can be quite a task for parents to accomplish as it can be challenging and messy. By the time your baby is old enough to walk and keep their balance, they are at a place where they want to run around and won’t stay still. This can make the potty training process complicated. But it is necessary and honestly, the earlier the better! Would you believe it that by now your baby must have used up to 4,000 diapers! As a parent of a boy, you may be looking forward to this milestone with dread and anticipation. After all, everyone assumes that boys are harder to train than girls. But is this the right assumption to make? Even though training may be messier as they are bound to pee on the floor, it doesn’t mean that they take longer to train. On average girls start potty training earlier but they take around the same amount of time to train as a boy. So, there’s no need to worry!
Here’s everything you need to consider before you start to potty train your little boy:
1. How Can You Tell He Is Ready For Potty Training?
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Potty training is a big change for your baby and there is no point in forcing them to start the process if they are not ready for this big step. Readiness is an important factor for your baby’s potty training success and the age at which your son may be ready is completely subjective. Some boys are ready at around 18 to 24 months whereas others get past 3 years of age before they are ready to take on potty training. But how can you tell when your little one is ready to put on his big boy pants? One obvious sign is that he can pull down and pull up his own pants. If he can stay dry for more than 2 hours at a time and is expressing interest in using the potty and can openly communicate his wishes to you. If he can indicate when he has a wet or dry diaper, he’s ready to be potty trained.
2. How To Kick Start The Process
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Once your little one seems to be ready to start learning how to potty train, you’ll have to find ways to keep him engaged and excited about achieving his goal. You can do this by letting him pick out some big boy underwear and his own potty. Get him as involved as possible. This may also be a great activity for a dad and son to undertake together so don’t be scared to hand over the reins to Dad. It can aid in getting some bathroom coaching from another male who better understands the workings of the male anatomy. Children mimic actions and learn through observation so it can also be beneficial for him to watch his dad go to the bathroom. Seeing him standing and sitting on the potty will help your son figure out how to use it both ways.
3. Why Sitting Down Is A Great Move
It is better for boys to sit on the toilet even if they only need to pee. It is in your best interest to go slow when teaching your boy how to pee while standing. Not only are they not tall enough to use standard toilets without a step stool but their private parts might touch the rim of the toilet which is very unsanitary. Instead, sitting on the toilet ensures that your son has greater success at basic potty training. It is cleanlier and hassle-free. Sometimes boys only think they need to urinate but then realize they might need to poo. Peeing while sitting eliminates the anxiety they would feel if they were standing and suddenly realize they have to sit down. Take things slow with your son and don’t rush the process.
4. How To Aim
Once your son is old and tall enough and has the hang of using the toilet, he can learn how to pee standing up. This might seem like an odd piece of advice but it works. Use cheerios in the bathroom. That’s right, putting in pieces of this cereal into the toilet can give your boy something to aim at which will help keep some of the pee off the floor. This needn’t just be cheerios but anything that you can throw in and flush down the toilet. Anything easily detectable and something he can aim at. It may take him a while to figure out the process but as time passes, you can stop adding these little trinkets and see how he fairs by himself.
Potty training your son is a tedious process that requires a lot of patience. So, try not to rush and take it one step at a time. Start by teaching them easier techniques and then progress steadily. Your little boy will get the hang of it in no time. So, do you know any special tricks to potty train your big boy effectively? Let us know in the comments section!
