As a mom of four boys, the most common questions I get is “how did you potty train them?” Potty training is hard, but someone has to do it. Here is a guide to everything you’ve ever wanted to know about potty training a boy.
Everything You Need to Know About Potty Training a Boy
#1. Let them choose their own underwear
There is one thing that every mom of boys, who is potty training, needs to know. Underwear is your best friend. Take your son to go pick out some underwear he’s going to love. Little boys get they just might not want to pee on them. Fingers crossed!
#2. Prepare for lots of pee
When potty training, you need to prepare for accidents. You cannot expect them to be accident-free for a few months. Even then, boys pee, it’s what they do.
#3. Extra clothing
For the first few months, you want to pack extra clothing with you. You can keep extra clothing in the diaper bag or just store it in the vehicle. You just never know when your son may forgo the potty and just pee his pants.
#4. Let him learn from his brothers
If you’re the lucky mother of several boys, let your older boys do some of the hard work. It’s amazing how quickly boys catch on, especially when they see dad and brothers doing their thing.
#5. Loose clothing is a must
You cannot expect your son to potty train and go potty in time with tight clothes. He needs to be able to get his clothes off quickly, to get to the bathroom in time. If you’re up for it, potty training naked can be a good thing for your son. They don’t have to remove clothing. It can stink to clean up the mess, but it may mean less laundry for you. If you can’t stand to do the no clothing, go with loose clothing that is easy to remove and put back on.
#6. Teach how to sit first
Teach your son to sit down first and then learn how to stand later. It's just one less thing for them to figure out. Some may prefer to go standing from the start, but most boys will do just fine sitting down first. In fact, most little guys will be too short to make it into the toilet if they are standing at first. I bought a potty seat that sits on the regular toilet seat and that worked great for each of my boys.
#7. Have fun with it
Yelling and screaming at your toddler isn’t going to help them learn to use the potty faster. Instead, it will raise your anxiety and make him chicken out on going potty. If I can pass on one piece of advice down to you, it’s to have fun with it. Put Cheerios in the potty for them to aim. Don’t be shy about giving out M&M’s for going potty. Make it fun and you’ll see how quickly your kiddo potty trains (or drags it out because it’s so fun). Grab one of our potty training charts to help keep track of milestones and to celebrate with your little one when potty training is complete.
#8. Take a break when you need to
You may need to take several breaks while potty training. As a mom, this is the one thing that will break you. Cleaning up poop and pee isn’t fun, but this part of parenthood is necessary. Keep your eye on the prize: which is no more diapers. If your son isn’t getting it, give it more time. Take a break and try again in a few weeks. I can promise you that he won’t be in diapers forever, even though it sometimes feels like it!
#9. Give the night time thing some time
Many kids, who potty train, still have trouble at night. Don’t freak out because your boy can’t hold his pee at night. Some of my boys never had an accident, and others did for years. Each child is different. Make sure to limit drinks before bed and have them use the potty before they go to sleep. But don’t get mad at them for having an accident. They are just as frustrated with themselves as you are.
#10 Grab some Potty Training books
One thing that worked for my youngest was going to the library and checking out different potty training books. One of them worked wonders on my youngest and he potty trained overnight after reading it. There are dozens of books to choose from, so check out a few and see if the message sticks.
What tips for potty training can you add to the list?
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