Calling all moms who have successfully potty trained boys

[Jori]

Help!!!!

 

DS is almost 21 months and he is potty training. But I need some help since DD was pretty easy and she was a girl. Basically, I put the potty seat in the main room we would be in and she ran around with a bare butt. She had a couple of accidents but they were contained and easy clean up. Not sure if that will go as smoothly with DS. He is also trying to stand up when he pees (DH has shown him how big boys potty).

 

So, do I bite the bullet and lose the diaper and drag the potty chair with him or will that not work as well as something else? He's be "using" the potty on and off for a few months but I never pushed it. Does anyone have a better idea? The Nurse Practitioner at the Peds office said you should try and potty train before they are 2 and a half because of accidents when DD was training. I just looked at her and said okay and did what I knew was best.

[Ambergris]

Let him watch BOYS. Men are just too different to be as effective. My younger son was standing on tiptoe and STRETCHING to pee beside big brother. Be ready to wipe the front of the toilet often.

 

 

Also, if you drop two or three Cheerios in the water of the big toilet, you can challenge him to sink the zeroes.

 

 

And finally, if you take him with you to an intimate little Japanese restaurant with thin walls, and are cheering him on with comments on what a good poo poo he's made, expect the other diners to cheer and clap when you come out.

[Cat]

Here are a couple of earlier posts you can read through... might help a bit.

 

http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13151

 

http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17886

 

 

I prefer the idea of having him go to the bathroom to potty. You now have 3 others who do that, and he already *knows* it's where it's done. To move the potty to HIM kind of gives him the idea that life/potties will come to him to make his life easier.

 

Yes, all kids will have accidents occasionally. If it starts to become a habit where he giggles, then it's time to make him clean it up, or you'll end up with one of those boys who thinks it's funny to spray the wall instead of the potty. (Of course, you clean it with harsher chemicals AFTER he's done.)

 

I found with boys that without a diaper/pants the penis becomes a big attention-getter and a toy. Since it's "out there" and it moves, it's played with. I preferred to keep it "contained". They play enough in bed.

 

My son had fun going when I floated a sheet of toilet paper on the top of the water and said "Sink it!". Some float cereal on top, but I didn't like the idea of using food. Toilet paper *belongs* in the toilet.

 

And for #2, I shamelessly bribed him when he decided he'd rather control that by using his diaper. We had a clear plastic "prize jar" with very cheap toys in it that he could ONLY have if he went in his potty chair. You could also use individual candy packages, but again, I chose not to use food.

 

Be very clear on the expectations, and if he goes in the toilet while away from home, he also gets a prize when he gets home.

 

At his age, it's quickly becoming a control issue. This is something HE can decide and control, and get attention from Mom by HIS choices. It's a heady feeling for a little guy. Try to downplay it and be excited when he chooses correctly, and ho-hum/low-key-disappointed when he doesn't choose correctly.

 

 

 

This, too, shall pass...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Christy]

lol, I was with Cat on the bribe-o-rama. Anything he did something in the potty, he was awarded one cookie. Small teeny itsy bitsy cookie.

He clearly loved his foods at a young age cos around 20 to 21 months it took him 4 days to get diaperfree. Used a few diapers for the night but they were dry after a few days as well.

Apparently for some kids, love really does go through the stomach.

[Deerslayer]

WOW--i wish you guys had been around when my boy was little--my only advise is DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES use pull ups--they seem to drag out potty training!!!

[Cat]

I completely agree on the Pull-Ups... they think the problem is solved. Pee in 'em, take them off. They don't get the connection to do it *in the potty*! It drags it out far too long.

 

 

 

[mommato3boys]

I did not start potty training until my boys were 2 1/2 because they were all born late in the year (Oct and Dec) I waited until summer after they turned 2. I did this for two reasons...#1 I didn't think they were ready to potty train for then they had showed no interest when I put them on the potty before and #2 I wanted it to be warm enough that they could run around in just training pants.

 

2 of my 3 boys trained real easy during the summer. However #2 was adhd and was hard to potty train. I thought he would start school before he was potty trained.

 

I could not agree more with the pull ups. They are just like diapers so they have no reason to go to the potty.

 

Cheerios are a fun game ... sink the cheerios.

 

Oh and I left the potty chair in the bathroom.

 

 

 

 

[Jori]

DH started the peeing on the toilet paper thing and he (DS) loves it. We used stickers with DD and started with DS but he still tries to eat them on occasion.

 

M23B~ I didn't start DD until spring/summer, too, so she was 2 1/2 when she started. She was ready at 16/17 months but DS was born when she was 17 months and I couldn't focus on potty training and nursing a newborn. I liked doing it in the summer, threw her in a sundress and let her play. Training Pants? The plastic ones that we used with panties for DD, same thing?

 

I didn't think DS would be interested but he is and becomes very upset if you don't let him use the potty. He told me this morning when he and I came downstairs and sure enough he went.

 

Thanks for all of your insight & help!

[Cat]

You do have an advantage... a DH who is involved, and the fact that DS can see that he's the only one NOT going in the potty. For a smart kid, that's a powerful tug... doing it like the "bigger people".

 

 

 

 

 

[Mt_Rider]

And finally, if you take him with you to an intimate little Japanese restaurant with thin walls, and are cheering him on with comments on what a good poo poo he's made, expect the other diners to cheer and clap when you come out.

 

Does this fall into the category of "don't ask me how I know" , Ambergris?

 

MtRider chuckling.....

[Ambergris]

And finally, if you take him with you to an intimate little Japanese restaurant with thin walls, and are cheering him on with comments on what a good poo poo he's made, expect the other diners to cheer and clap when you come out.

 

Does this fall into the category of "don't ask me how I know" , Ambergris?

 

MtRider chuckling.....

 

I was wondering what was going on until my husband leaned over and quoted...

[MichR]

My dear friend's son was a very imaginative child and potty training was no different. He was in his "fireman" stage and "put out fires in the toilet". (giggle, snort) He wore a fireman hat, little plastic air tanks, a red cape, and rubber boots for weeks. First thing in the morning he would get up, put his gear on,go put out the fires and protect his baby sister ('cause you never know when that fire will get out of control in that there toilet!!). His older brother was mortified - he knew even at the age of 5 that his little brother was acting "weird". My friend let the dress-up fun continue until training was complete then they retired the outfit to play time at home only. The young fellow is still quite imaginative!

 

Michelle

[Snowmom]

 

Wow, this takes me back about 37 years. Back then we didn't use the pampers etc. We had the cloth diapers and plastic pants over them.

 

Now, as soon as the child, boy or girl can say 'potty' and know what it means, that is the time to start working with them. But, you can't do it one day and then let it go, you have to keep working at it.

 

No advice from me, just what I thnink. Some kids are easier than other and some are way easy. Girls are easier to train, or at least I think so. One of my sisters said she didn't have problems with her 3 boys. I can't remember just what their ages were when they were trained.

 

All I can say is good luck. I do like the cheerio and tp in the stool.

 

 

[Mother]

I have the best way possible.....Let him go stay at Grandma's place for a week or so and they come back totally potty trained.

 

Of course, that didn't work really well when *I* became the grandma who had to do the training but by then I had lots of time and had no problem of just taking them often, letting them 'sink the cereal', and sending them in with Grandpa...

 

By the way. Grandma (My Mom who helped me with my boys) is 88 years old and STILL helping to train the GREAT grand kids. [i just hope I'm not doing that at 88, *groan*]

 

[Jori]

I have the best way possible.....Let him go stay at Grandma's place for a week or so and they come back totally potty trained.

 

Of course, that didn't work really well when *I* became the grandma who had to do the training but by then I had lots of time and had no problem of just taking them often, letting them 'sink the cereal', and sending them in with Grandpa...

 

By the way. Grandma (My Mom who helped me with my boys) is 88 years old and STILL helping to train the GREAT grand kids. [i just hope I'm not doing that at 88, *groan*]

 

 

I can be at the eastern state border (Indiana/Illinois) in about 30 minutes. When do you want him!

[Jori]

Well, I thought that I had missed his window because he decided start telling me and then just play and try to open the big toilet while in the bathroom. No, it turns out he wants to pee standing up in the big potty like daddy. So, here I am trying to hold him close and straight to the big potty while he is standing on the training potty trying to reach the lid and the toilet paper. So I put some toilet paper in and sure enough he did it! And it was the most he ever peed and he did it 3 times. When he was done, he said all done, closed the lid and flushed the toilet. (So, I'm not going to take any credit on this since I think it's him and hope it's not a one time thing).

[Cat]

 

 

NOW...

 

*Ya gotta teach him that ONLY toilet paper goes into the toilet. Otherwise Mr Snuggles might look mighty funny swirling around in there.

 

*Keep him from going in by himself if he's struggling with that lid... children have drowned in the toilet by having the heavy lid fall down on them while they're exploring that interesting throne. (The newer ones are lighter, but still... ) And also because he's standing on the little potty to reach the bigger one. His center of gravity is changed.

 

 

Hang in there, Mommy!!

 

 

 

 

[mommato3boys]

We had the same issue with ours wanting to stand up. We had those little chairs that would turn in to a step stool and it was just high enough for them to stand up at the toliet.

 

Word of Warning...if he is the only one using that toliet take the seat and lid off. The seat fell on one of our boys and he wanted me to kiss it instead he got a booboo bunny (which is a wash cloth rolled and folded to look like a bunny that you put a cube of ice in)

[Cat]

(Thanks, mommato3boys... I wanted to put up the instructions for the boo-boo bunny a long time ago, and forgot. You reminded me!! )

 

 

Boo-Boo Bunny post:

http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38752

 

 

 

[homemaker101]

I have helped potty train several boys and the best trick I have is the Magic Water~ I used a toilet bowl cleaner in my toilet that turned the water blue. When the little guy pees in the toilet the water turns green! ( yellow and blue make green) The kids love this!! When we went places I carried a small bottle of food coloring in my bag and snuck it into the water before they went. Hope this helps~

 

 

[ROBIE]

*The newly expectant father is taking notes....*

 

Robie