Has your child reached the age of potty training? If so, you may have conflicted feelings about this. Once they are potty trained it’ll be so nice to say good bye to diapers, however, the process of potty training with cleaning up accident after accident is not something that anyone looks forward to. Whether you are ready or not you’ll have to accept the fact that your little boy is ready to be potty trained. It probably will not be an easy task, but we’ve got 5 great tips that may help make the process go a little smoother for both you and your son.
1. Wait Until They’re Ready
Even if you are eager and excited to potty train your son, there is no sense in pushing him or making him do something that he is not ready to do. If he’s not ready and you try to make him do it, it may not work and you may both just get frustrated with the whole process. You’ll know when your son is ready to start the potty training process by a few signs that generally occur between 2 and 3 years old. He may ask questions about going potty or the toilet, he may keep their diaper dryer for longer periods, want to wear big boy underwear, or tell you when he’s pooped his diaper. If your child is showing any of these signs, they may be ready to start potty training, so you better get ready, too!
2. Try Sitting First
Starting off the potty training process for your little boy may go a lot smoother if you start them off sitting on the toilet instead of standing at the front of the toilet. This will usually create less of a mess for us as moms to clean up after they’re done. Let’s be honest, even grown men have a hard time aiming, so it’s definitely going to be a messy affair when your little boy stands and aims. There are companies that sell smaller toilet seat attachments that will attach to your toilet so they don’t fall in when they sit on the potty. There are also other products you can by that are smaller toilets made specifically for little children. Whatever way you choose will work, just let them get comfortable with sitting on the potty and relaxing so they can go.
3. Target Practice
Once your son gets comfortable with peeing in the toilet and you feel he are ready to stand, give him something to aim for to make it a little easier. Otherwise, he may point any and every way making your life a lot messier. You can put in circle shaped cereal pieces before he goes potty such as Cheerios or Fruit Loops to aim at. You can also buy stickers made specifically for potty training boys that you put in the toilet bowl to let them aim at. This will not only make going potty fun for your little son, but it will also teach him not to pee on the rim or the seat of the toilet.
4. Watch Daddy
Children sometimes learn best by example. Let your son watch his daddy use the toilet so he can see how to properly go potty. If you don’t have a father figure around, let your child watch a brother, uncle, or grandpa instead as long as they are okay with it. Seeing another male going to the bathroom the proper way will quickly teach your child how to do it. They’ll be so excited to be just like daddy and will probably either ask to do it like daddy or show off when he does finally do it like daddy.
5. Motivation
Active toddlers will not always want to stop what they are doing and use the potty. They may be having too much fun and the thought of stopping their fun to use the restroom is not appealing to them. Try motivating them with gifts and surprises. It will really help having something to give them for being so diligent and responsible that they used the potty. If they like stickers, give them stickers. If they like balls, give them some play balls. Try giving them one M&M every time they use the potty. You can get even more creative and create a potty chart so that every time they use the potty they get to put a sticker on the chart and once they reach a certain amount of stickers, you take them to the store and they get to pick out a toy. Dollar stores are perfect for this type of thing! Once they catch on that they will be praised and rewarded for going potty, it will make it easier for them to want to use the toilet instead of going in their diaper or underwear.
(Parents is a great online magazine with lots of resources about pregnancy, parenting tips, crafts and activities for kids and more).
Mary Mulroney
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