I’ll admit that I was terrified at the idea of potty training a boy. I had heard all kinds of horror stories, from little fingers getting smashed by toilet seats to pee spraying all over the bathroom. Besides, what did I know about standing and aiming?
We’re three months into our potty training journey, and, thankfully, it hasn’t been as scary as I had thought. Inspired by the Big Kid Academy, I thought I’d share my top 5 tips for potty training boys.
1. Prepare in advance
Although we began potty training Levi in May, we started laying the groundwork for success several months prior. His grandma bought him a book
The Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood episode on bathroom routines played in heavy rotation (“When you have to go potty, stop and go right away. Flush, wash, and be on your way!”), and, per his pediatrician’s recommendation, we let Levi in the bathroom when we used the toilet.
2. Watch for signs of readiness.
Boys usually potty train later than girls, around 30 months, so we weren’t in a huge rush to begin. However, we did have a goal: Levi needed to be out of diapers for one full month in order to move into the 3-to-6-year-old classroom at his Montessori school in July.
The Big Kid Academy suggests waiting until your child shows two or more of the 10 signs of readiness for potty training before starting. To get Levi in underwear by the beginning of June, JB and I held off until Levi was 33 months old. That’s when he could stay dry for several hours and showed an interest in the toilet and “big boy undies.”
3. Use a reward system.
Repeat after me: It’s not bribery, it’s an incentive.
I’ve heard that M&M’s are a common reward for going potty; however, we wanted to avoid using food as positive reinforcement. Instead, we used money — one penny for peeing, two pennies for pooping. Levi made a big production about collecting his money and depositing it in his “money jar,” an empty plastic container with a hole cut into the lid. Eventually, when he had accumulated a handful of coins, we made a big deal about letting him pick out a piggy bank to hold his money.
4. Dress for success
Fashion takes a backseat to practicality during potty training. We swapped Levi’s skinny jeans (or anything with a button, snap, or zipper) for elastic-waist shorts and sweatpants that he could pull down quickly. Anticipating innumerable trips to the bathroom (and many close calls), we wanted him in clothing that was easy to take on and off — especially in the beginning.
Whenever possible, Levi wouldn’t even wear pants. When we were home, it was easiest to keep him in just a shirt and undies, and on chilly days, he thought it was silly to also wear leg warmers.
5. Be equipped
I understand the benefits of potty chairs — they’re just the right size for a toddler to pop a squat — but neither JB nor I wanted to deal with cleaning it out after each use. We bought a toilet trainer
Potty training doesn’t stop when you leave the house, but instead of bringing the toilet seat adapter to restaurants or stores, we’d sit Levi backwards so that he was facing the tank. And the first thing we’d do whenever we went somewhere new was point out to Levi where the bathroom was located.
Levi has had very few daytime accidents since we started, but we’re struggling to keep him stay dry at nap time and overnight. We still change him back into a diaper when it’s time to sleep.
While looking for a solution for nighttime, I found the Big Kid Academy’s library of potty training tips and advice from parenting experts and medical professionals. I also enrolled at the Big Kid Academy for activities and articles customized to Levi’s location on his potty training journey: managing setbacks and keeping him motivated.
My next move is to switch Levi from diapers to Pull-Ups for naps and bedtime. Since he can pull them up and down like his big boy undies, perhaps he’ll treat them like underwear and try harder not to wet or soil them.
Need help with potty training? Sign up for the Big Kid Academy! Got any brilliant potty training tips? Share them in the comments below!
Oh, Pj. I feel like 80% of this was written by me! I have had very similar experiences with Hunter as you did Levi down to using pennies (granted that wore off and somehow, jelly bellies are the magic reward).
My pediatrician said to throw all diapers out completely because it gives mixed signals. We use pull ups for night and at home we let him nap in just regular undies and at school they put him in a pull up.
Hunter, however, is a rare duck and has been dry for overnights since he was around 15/16 months. We also limited his beverages after dinner for a long time as a prelude to potty training and it wouldn’t be a shock if after dinner he suddenly got less to drink.
I can assure you though, most of our friends with older children have the same nap and night issues as you and he will eventually grow out of it. 🙂
Here’s a tip for tiny boy mamas only (I think) – pour a little warm water down the belly when he’s on the potty because it’s gonna make him go. It helps little ones who love the idea of sitting on the potty but never seem to go get the idea. Obviously it’s a tip for mamas with younger boys but figured I’d share!
Way to go Levi!
We just up and ditched diapers one day to start Walden’s potty training, putting him in a Pull-up for nap and bed times. After a disastrous first attempt prior to this moment, we decided to let him take the lead. It was a breeze, but it took some time to have confidence in managing a newly trained guy with a baby in town.
Some things that worked for us: He had an older friend that he looked up to, and we often talked about how he used the toilet because he was a big kid. He even had a chance to see him go to verify the fact. After we started, we spent a lot of time having his toys “talk” to him while he was on the toilet. There were jelly beans, too, but it wasn’t any trouble to phase them out.
It sounds like you all are doing a great job!