How to Potty Train a Boy
When your little boy moves out of his infant years and his diapers, there are plenty of adjustments you have to make. One of the most important is potty training him. Many parents think this is one of the most difficult practices they teach their little one, but there are ways to conquer it. Here are some tips on potty training a boy.
Educate Him First
They say boys are harder to potty train than girls, because they don’t care when their diaper is wet or soiled. To help your little one with the adjustments, teach him about it first. Look at books about potty training together, and explain to him why it’s important to learn this. Tell him that he’s not a baby anymore and that this is part of growing up to be a man.
Buy A Potty Chair
A cute little potty chair would definitely entice your little boy to try potty training. If you want, ask him to pick out the chair himself. Put it in a place most accessible to your boy. Potty chairs make it easy for kids to adjust to urinating or defecating, but they can also turn out to be messy. If you don’t want this, then stick to using the ordinary toilet bowl instead. Just make sure you provide him with a stool so he can reach the bowl.
Sitting Down Or Standing Up?
potty trainingMany parents debate on which of these two is better. The easier, is definitely sitting down. It’s less messy and useful for both urinating and defecating. Of course, standing up is the common stance for many boys, and if your child has seen his daddy do this, he would certainly want to try it out. Here’s what you should do: teach your boy to pee and poop while sitting down first, then when he masters it, make him do this standing up.
Use A Target
One of the most problems when asking a child to pee standing up, is he has a difficult time perfecting his aim. Chances are you’ll end up with many puddles on your bathroom floor. To solve this, put a small target in the bowl to guide your kid. A piece of paper with a bullseye or a piece of Cheerios would work great. Eventually , your child will manage without any guide at all.
Ask Daddy To Help Out
If daddy’s around, then he can help out with training your boy. Many toddler boys feel more comfortable knowing they’re getting instructions from their daddy and not their mom. Ask him to bring the child to the bathroom, and make him watch how he does it.
Expect To Make A Mess
Since your child is just getting used to not wearing a diaper, there will be instances that he might pee in his pants or might not make it to the bathroom in time. When this happens, don’t be too hard on him and avoid scolding him too much. When he gets the hang of peeing in the potty the mess will lessen. For the meantime, just have rags ready to wipe the puddles with.
Give Rewards
Give your darling boy simple rewards for a job well done. It can be as simple as a hug or a kiss. You can also give him a small gift or treat every time he goes to the potty without any help.
One final tip: encourage him. Words of praise and sweet talking your child will be very helpful to helping him with his potty training. Just follow these tips, and your little man will be successful!