Potty Train Part III - BoY

1. Be Patient

As eager as you may be to ditch the diapers, many moms stress the importance of delaying toilet training until your son is ready. California mom Marcy C. shares: “The best advice I can give you is to wait until he is showing signs that he is interested.” Mother-of-three Pam S. agrees: “I have twin boys who weren’t potty-trained until they were over three...I know it’s hard to wait, but honestly, for me it was worth it.” Common signs of potty training readiness (which generally appear around age 2-3) include asking questions about the bathroom and toilet, staying dry for longer periods of time (indicating stronger bladder control), wanting to wear "big kid" underwear, or telling you when he’s soiled a diaper.

2. Sitting or Standing?

“Start out by sitting and then move to standing,” advises Michelle L., one of many moms who recommend first teaching boys to urinate while sitting before graduating to standing lessons. In addition to simplifying the learning process, starting with sitting can minimize messes. And if your son is missing the bowl while seated, try this potty training tip from Mandi W., a mother of two boys in Ohio: “If you put little boys on the toilet backwards the pee magically gets in the bowl.”

3. Imitating the "Big Boys"

The standing element is an obvious challenge for potty-training boys. When your son is ready to learn to pee standing up, several Circle of Moms members, including Alicia O., recommend having an older male relative set an example: “Let him follow daddy around or older siblings; seeing other boys like him use the toilet might motivate his interest.”

4. Ready, Aim…

In addition to having another male demonstrate, one trick many moms shared is to toss circle-shaped cereal (like Cheerios or Froot Loops) into the toilet and have your son take aim. Other moms like Katie S., a mother of two children in England, suggested using a ping pong ball for the target (don’t worry, it won’t flush away). Meanwhile, mother-of-four Tina R. suggests squirting liquid detergent into the bowl so that pee produces bubbles!

5. Take it Outside

With five sons, Lisa B. definitely speaks from experience when she suggests incorporating outdoor time into potty training boys: “I think potty training boys is easiest when done in the warmer months of spring and summer. Pick a tree in the backyard and have fun! They learn quite quickly.”

6. Attaboy!

Continual motivation and reminders are very important for potty training boys, as active toddler boys may not want to stop what they’re doing in order to use the toilet, or stay on the toilet long enough to relax and go. Tips from Circle of Moms members for motivating boys include buying “big kid” underwear that he’ll want to keep clean, having special toys and books for potty time, and offering plenty of praise and prizes. Maggie W. found a mix of stickers, toys, and food worked for her two boys: “What also helps is getting REALLY EXCITED when they go. Potty song, dance, stickers, treats, whatever works for your child. We did stickers for every time they went and if they stayed dry all day they got a special dessert after dinner. If they stayed dry for a certain amount of days they got a small toy (rubber snakes/frogs/lizards worked well for my boys). Gradually, I made it more and more days to get the treat, then a week to get a book or something, and before I knew it they were just dry all the time.”