Ideas For Potty Training Boys

The parents of a boy who has reached the age of 18 months or so usually start thinking that it is time to start potty training the little tyke. After all... their parents tell them that they or one of their siblings was one hundred percent bathroom trained at that age, so this particular child should certainly be able to do it too. Right?

Well... it usually does not work out that way. Even though you may have had enough of the smelly diapers and too frequent late night trips to the store to replenish the diaper supply, your kid is most often the one who is going to determine when you are going to be done with this too often downright messy job. If you are a parent going through these trying times you know exactly what I am talking about. A child that is nearly two years old does not have the same kind of (and quantity) of bowel movements that they did when they were bottle feeding do they?

So what is the best way to get your boy potty trained? The sorry fact is that there is absolutely no best way to do it with every kid. All children are different. It seems that girls can be trained more quickly and easily than the boys, but that statement is up for debate as no scientific studies have been done on the subject. Besides do you really care if a girl grasps the concept better than a boy? I thought not. You want answers and ideas now.

Potty training ideas and strategies are really unlimited and after you figure out what works to motivate your child to get the job done by themselves you will not really care exactly what it was that finally got them to care enough, you will just be happy that they are going to the bathroom on their own.

The following is a short list of potty training tips and tricks that you can try.

• Forgive the "accidents". Do not get worked up and angry. This will most often stress the kid and often will make the situation worse for a time. Probably 1% of children are motivated by "I don't want to do that again because it makes mommy or daddy mad" approach.
• Make sure you praise the child for a job well done.
• Be sure to offer some type of reward. Something as simple as "flushing" the toilet can be an incredible motivator. Some parents use M&M's as a treat. Even a properly supervised "spray" of Febreze or other odor eliminator can be a useful tool.
• A chart that they can put stickers on for a successful trip to the bathroom works well for many children.
• Comments from others in the household about them becoming a "big kid" or things along that line can really help to motivate and keep them from regressing.

The process of potty training boys (or girls) usually begins when parents are tired of buying diapers and pull-ups. Every parent should realize though that not all strategies work with all children. It is important to be patient and realize that some kids, especially boys will not fully potty train until the age of four or five, but watching and learning what works for your own child will alleviate a lot of stress and tears for both of you.