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Think of potty training a boy as an adventure.
Your boy probably thinks of it that way.
And most little boys are looking for adventure, on their terms, of course. After pottying training four children of my own - two of which were boys - I can tell you that many little boys will respond quite well to approaching toilet training with a sense of excitement and the notion that "conquering" this new scenario will be fun!
Use your tools when potty training a boy.
These everyday resources are really useful when used as potty training tools.
Action figures or stuffed animals.
Your little guy can teach his charge how to use the potty. The great thing about this technique for you is that by listening to your toddler, you can get a better feel for what HE understands - and doesn't understand - about the potty training process.
That enables you to know where to give potty training extra instruction or where to back off. You can customize your instructions to your potty trainee knowing you are moving him along the path to a more solid foundation of the toilet training process.
Letting your little man teach his own action figures or favorite stuffed animal how to use the potty has other advantages, too. It's a powerful way to let him vent his own frustrations with toilet training process. Potty training boys is rarely a smooth process; your toddler will get frustrated from time to time.
With himself. With you. With having to do this potty thing at all!
Letting him vent with his toys, listening to him, and then gently talking with him about it after he's calm again can give him the opportunity to confide in you and work through some of his uncertainties about this whole potty process (which is really a part of the bigger process of growing up).
A potty training reward chart can be a useful tool when potty training boy. Just don't rely on this chart completely. It's easy to expect that adding little stars or stickers or whatever you want to this chart will be the easy way to potty training freedom because it usually works so well the first few times or days.
However, as with potty training girls, that early success is usually short lived.
Remember, toddlers have amazingly short attention spans and they're hard wired to learn something and then move on. Well, after figuring out how a potty chart works, most kids simply move on while mom or dad is left holding the chart and wondering why that resource didn't get their child completely potty trained.
The answer? Tools like potty reward charts need to be USED not DEPENDED upon. And if you use potty training aids creatively, you'll get far more mileage from these same resources.
For example, start out by introducing your potty chart and rewards to your training toddler.
Say something like, "we'll use this chart today and see if you can earn any stickers (or whatever you choose)." Make sure your son is able to earn some sort of a small prize for that day. Even if it's tiny, like he came to you when you told him it's time to go potty. You are re-enforcing the idea of success here.
Then tomorrow try another fun potty training aid. Explain that there are more prizes with the potty training chart but that's for another day. This keeps your potty-training boy excited about his tools and allows you to get more mileage out of each of them.
Potty training a boy means some days go better than others.
No one is surprised to hear that regression is normal in potty training boys. But almost every parent is disappointed when that regression happens to THEIR little boy!
The feeling of frustration is nearly universal.
So you can understand when I say that a large part of successful potty training is your own attitude, Mom or Dad.
Your toddler looks to the cues you give him for everything. So give him the right cues!
Make sure you are
- positive
- firm
- confident
- calm
- understanding
- and come equipped with an unlimited amount of hugs.
When potty training boys there are going to be days when everything goes very, very well.
And there are going to be toilet training days when you think he's forgotten everything you've taught him.
Even worse, are the days when your son REFUSES to cooperate. When he deliberately pees or poops when you know that he knows better.
This is called a power struggle and it's normal. Handle it matter-of-factly and it will not last.
React with anger and impatience and your beautiful son just may dig in his heels and refuse to cooperate with this potty training stuff for months.
After all, who can easily give up a shot at power like that?
Potty training a boy - summing up.
Potty training boys is an adventure - for both the child and the parent.
Keeping the process fun and interesting through your own positive attitude and useful potty training resources is simply smart.
Understanding there will be seasons of backsliding is realistic. Handling them matter-of-factly is crucial.
So hang in there! Soon you'll be telling your own potty training stories and helping your friends with toilet training advice for their little boys and girls.
Potty training a boy is one of the most practical seasons of parenting you will experience. So dive in!
Popular potty training topics.
Potty Training Child
A list of all of our articles to help you while potty training your child.
Toilet Training Tips
Many times just one new piece of toilet training advice that I hadn't considered before was just the help I needed to help my child over a potty training hump.
Potty Training Boy
Additional tips to help if you are potty training a boy (I've trained two boys myself).
Potty Training Girls
Specific tips to help potty training for girls move smoothly (I've trained two girls myself).
Colleen Langenfeld is a mother with over 29 years of parenting experience and helps other busy moms around the globe at www.paintedgold.com.
Note from Colleen: Remember, I earn my living making excellent recommendations to you, Mom, so when you choose to click any of the links on this website and make a purchase, I may earn a commission.
Naturally, that means I care about what you think! If you try a product or service I recommend, I'd love to hear from you. How else can I keep my recommendations top notch for all my visitors?
And thank you, for stopping by.
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