When To Start Potty Training Boys?
As your boy grows up, he will learn new things. Equally, you will want him to be self-dependent for doing his own works that are suitable to his age. Potty training is one such task. With the growing age, children need to be trained to leave the habit of wearing diapers and be able to poo like grownups. Some children can learn it at an early age of eighteen months while some may take three years for the same. Trust me, each child is different and his/her pace of learning and ways to perform tasks are different. So you need to be patient with your child. You should also consider whether your boy is physically and mentally prepared or not. Probably, by now, you must be thinking, ‘When to start potty training boys?’ You should know that boys learn to do potty by themselves later than girls. Also, the second child will learn faster than the first child.
Click here to know When To Start Potty Training Girls?
When should I start potty training of boys?
If your boy is able to control his bowel and bladder muscles, he is ready for potty training. Moreover, he should be able to talk, climb, remove his own clothes and must have developed other motor skills, in order to be potty trained. You can look out for following symptoms to know if you can start potty training:
- Your boy knows when he wets or dirties his diaper.
- He knows when he is urinating and is able to tell you so.
- There is at least two hours gap between each wetting.
- Your boy tells you in advance when he needs to pee.
What equipment’s are required to potty train boys?
In the beginning, your child cannot use the full-size toilet seats. So buy a potty that your child will remember as his own toilet seat. The size of the potty should be such that your child can easily hop on and hop off it. It should be easily movable from one room to another. Some kids are afraid of falling into the toilet, so try to build confidence in your child and encourage him that things are normal.
A good option is to buy a potty that fits perfectly on your toilet seat. Make sure that it fixes firmly on the seat and your child feels comfortable and secure on the seat. Also, buy a footstep, so that your child can easily climb up and down from the potty seat. For a further and enhanced understanding of your child about potty training, buy a book with lots of pictures or a DVD that teaches about potty sessions. These kind of visual examples are very helpful for learning faster.
It is better, not to buy a potty with a urine guard. A urine guard may protect your bathroom clean from the stray pee, but it can scratch a boy’s penis and he might find it painful to pee. The best way to make your child enthusiastic about using the potty is by customizing it. You can paint it, write his name on it or stick some cartoon stickers on it. Such things excite the toddler minds.
How to start potty training boys?
- You should leave the potty in such a place that your child can easily see it. If an older child is using a potty too, your child will be able to learn faster.
- Children imitate the adults in many aspects. So let your boy watch any male members using the toilet. This will help him learn the correct ways.
- If the child has a scheduled time for bowel movements every day, take off the nappy at the expected time. Ask him to use the potty for the purpose. If your boy resists or is upset, do not force him. Wait for few weeks and try this again.
- Initially, your boy may slip from the potty or may create a mess. Do not react negatively, at such times. Instead, encourage him by saying that such accidents happen and there is nothing to be anxious about.
- Every time your child does it right, praise him. This will build his self-confidence and he would get used to potty more often.
How to motivate to use the potty?
The best practice for motivating to use the potty is to take your boy for shopping and letting him choose his own underwear. You can also motivate them with charts and stickers after proper potty time. Another way to motivate is taking them to a park or increasing bed-time stories, as a reward for learning proper potty usage.
What to do when accidents happen in the potty?
In the learning stages, accidents are very common in potty. Do not ever make a fuss if your child does it wrong. Making a fuss, will scare your child for the next time he wants to poo and will resist for using the potty. Try to comfort him and encourage him by saying that such accidents are common and next time he will be successful. If the accidents regularly happen, attempt to identify the causes and deal with them appropriately. Some of the common causes can be parental pressure, stress, excitement, fatigue, lethargy.
Child may be suffering from some disorders if following symptoms are seen:
- Painful urination
- Urination after laughing for some time
- Week urine system
- Constant wetness
- Blood in urine
How to teach cleaning habits after potty?
Teach your child that the body parts need to be wiped off with tissue papers and cleaned completely, after potty time. Demonstrate to him, how much tissue paper to use and how to wipe the poo from forward to backward. The best way to demonstrate is by cleaning up a jam spilled over a doll’s body.
After potty, teach your child to flush the toilet. Make him understand, the importance of washing hands with soap, at the end of every potty session.
How to help your child manage pee or poo time at school?
If your child is still under potty training, do not forget to inform his teacher. Ask the teacher to suggest your child to go to the potty, at regular intervals. If you are rewarding him at home after potty, do not forget to give some of those reward stickers to his teacher. It will be better if you reach the school a bit early and explore the toilet facilities with your child. This will make it less scary for your boy to pee or poo in the school bathroom.
We will end this article by saying that each child is different and takes a different amount of times to learn and grow. So it is very necessary to be a patient and encouraging parent. Little negative attitude from your side can hinder the skill development of your child while few words of praise can create wonders. So be tolerant towards your child.