Toilet training boys

[teepee2]

Just curious on how others went about toilet training their sons. Mine is almost 2.5, although he isnt showing any signs of wanting to use a potty/toilet i think id like to start trying soon. My eldest is a girl so this is my first experience TT a boy, she never liked the potty so went straight to sitting on the toilet. Do you get boys to sit first off (to pee of course ) or stand? He's quite tall for his age so standing wont really be a problem, and i have a step if need be, but not sure if thats the way to go. Is it easier for them to be sitting when first TT. If so what age do you try to get them from sitting to standing??? Ahhhhh im thinking girls are so much easier when it comes to this LOL

[Melbournemumma]

Wehen ds1 was toilet trained we went cold turkey off nappies except for sleeps. He sits cause he's to little to coordinate the whole standing thing. Anyway, it was a matter of just putting him on the toilet regularly and letting him feel his accidents and encouraging him when he did it in the toilet. We had 2 days of going through 8 pairs of undies and pants and that number gradually dropped till he was having no accidents after about 1.5 weeks. Good luck

[Me+him+bub]

i have just started attempting with my 2 and a bit year old little boy and I got a great elmo potty that has a little wee wee guard so it doesn't splash out and can be removed if needed. I ain't having much luck and might wait another month or two, but I think sitting would be a good start.

[~me~]

We started with sitting first as it was easier when it came to poo as well. Then progressed onto standing once he worked it out. My DS2 quite often doesn't poo and wee at the same time, so he will often do a wee, finish, then say 30mins later, go and do a poo.
If you are outside and it's a nice day, you could get him to wee on a tree or lemon tree. That way he can practice standing up without it going all over your floor
Another trick is to put a table tennis ball in your toilet and when he goes, get him to aim for it, so it teaches him penis down.

[*EJ*]

DS1 was 3.5 when we were finally sucessful, lots of gentle encouragement before that but he wouldn't have a bar of it. He started with sitting as he was never was a big fan of the potty. Now at 4.5 he's majority of the time standing.

DS2 is just over 2.5 and sees DS1 and is doing a lot of pretending. I would love to get things moving for him but not too sure about his readiness yet. I had a day without nappies the other week and it was enough for now. Although this week during a nappy change he said he wanted to go do a wee and stood there for a few seconds aiming off our decking and he actually did wee!!!!! I was so excited for the somewhat sucess so much ealier than DS1. As soon as the weather is a little wamer here i will really get stuck into it.

Good luck with it

[MantaRay]

My first boy started by sitting to wee, but DS2 wanted to be just like DS1 so he stood up (on a step) from the beginning. Neither would use a potty so it was straight to the toilet - DS1 because he wanted to be just like us and DS2 to be just like DS1! Otherwise I would say it's just like TTing a girl.

[megs]

My first 2 boys were both closer to 3. The eldest used a potty to begin with where as my second son didnt want the potty and went straight to the toilet. My 3rd son has literally toilet trained himself a 2 and a bit. Mine have all started with sitting down, and I constantly repeat the words "doodle down and remember to shake"

[surprised]

We started standing up, as it was just a fun thing at about 15 months. But we've had to teach him to sit down at 18 months because it's all a bit awkward standing. He didn't like his legs touching the cold toilet bowl, but that was the only way we didn't get it everywhere!

I feel like I have no idea how to do this. I got some nappy training pants today. But our problem is that while he will go to the toilet pretty much every time we put him on it, he's too little to tell us when he needs to go.

Do I just put him on really regularly and hope he learns to hold it in?

[*EJ*]

I feel like I have no idea how to do this. I got some nappy training pants today. But our problem is that while he will go to the toilet pretty much every time we put him on it, he's too little to tell us when he needs to go.

Do I just put him on really regularly and hope he learns to hold it in?

What i would suggest is when you are ready let your DS run around nappyless so he can start to feel what it's like to wet. So that he can then relate the feeling of needing to go, to wetting himself and then knowing that the feeling means to run to the toilet. That's how it worked with us. It took us forever to have DS1 finally do a wee on the toilet.

That's why in my previous post i was so excited to have DS2 stand outside, hold himself, aim and wait a few seconds for a wee to come!! From my past experience that's a huge breakthrough!!

I also suggest lots of talking about it and showing him how it's done, but not in an overly forceful way

[nickle730]

My DS toilet trained a little before 2. I started him early because he has kidney problems and I really wanted to be able to monitor his urinating. He learnt sitting down and I taught him to hold his 'tonky' down so that the wee went into the toilet and not all over the seat/floor/wall! I have not used a potty because it kinda doesn't make sense to me, you teach your kid to toilet somewhere and then you have to teach them to go somewhere else! Only my opinion though. I also didn't really want to deal with the stuff in the potty when I could just get them to go on the toilet then flush it away! We had a step and a cushie tushie which we left on the toilet so it was always ready for the kids.

It took DS a couple of weeks until he was reliably TT, and he asked to go nappy-less at night also. I think my kids have both been pretty easy to TT!! Just luck I think, rather than any particular talent on my part.

DS didn't start standing up to wee until he was about 3. We have an 'open door' policy and he saw his dad standing up and wanted to do the same. Took him a couple of weeks to get used to driving his tonky and my floors saw a fair bit of pine o clean!!

My advice is that once you make the decision to TT, stick with it. No more nappies during the day (apart from naps), regardless of what you are doing or where you are going. Maybe plan it for when you can have a quiet couple of weeks with lots of time at home? We also used bribery, one smartie for a wee, two for a poo. Nothing for a try because we discovered the kids would go sit every 5 minutes and ask for a smartie!! Pull ups didn't work for us, I think they must feel just like a nappy and we had zero success with them.

Good luck! Life is so much easier when TT is done!

[teepee2]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

My DD wasnt ready for TT till she was about 3 so im not going to rush it this time either unless he seems ready. Might wait till the weather warms up a bit and give it a go - i think i might even wait unitl after xmas when i know i can stay home for a few days, at least until he gets the gist of things.

What i would suggest is when you are ready let your DS run around nappyless so he can start to feel what it's like to wet. So that he can then relate the feeling of needing to go, to wetting himself and then knowing that the feeling means to run to the toilet. That's how it worked with us. It took us forever to have DS1 finally do a wee on the toilet.

I'll definitely give that a try EJ. Thanks!

He learnt sitting down and I taught him to hold his 'tonky' down so that the wee went into the toilet and not all over the seat/floor/wall!

That's my main concern!! LOL

[KimB]

Both my boys watched their dad go on the toilet and they wanted to be the same. We bought a step for them and then put froot loops in the toilet and told them to hit the froot loops with their wee. They thought it was hilarious but it worked. We also used a cushy tooshie for when they needed to sit. They felt safer sitting on the cushy than on the big toilet seat.

[ladybird11]

Great thread - I'm in the same boat as you, and I think I'll give the TT for him in Summer - outdoors .