Potty Training Boys

My son E. is 26 months and has been wearing underwear for about a week during the day (cloth diaper at night). For the first day or two, he'd make it to the potty about half the time.... But after those first few days any suggestion of the potty upset him very much. So, I stopped mentioning the potty, thinking he is still learning about his body.... The past few days he has not attempted to go to the potty at all, just has accidents all day.

Should I be doing something else? If so, what? Should I try to get him to help clean up? If so, how? Have I missed his window of opportunity?

Oh! The joys of potty training! Boys? Oh boy!

Boys (when they potty train or potty learn) act just as you described! They are fickle! What to do?

Here's what NOT to do (I find that much more helpful sometimes):

1. Don't show emotions when your child has accidents or refuses to try to go in the potty, just be matter-of-fact.

2. Don't expect the child to clean up accidents, you can invite them to help you, but at age 26 months they might not have the attention span or enough practical life experience (with wiping and cleaning) as they are still in a gross motor stage of development.

3. Don't be in a hurry to change them when they are wet... and exercise their "patience muscle". For example, your son comes to you wet and wants to get changed, say, "OK!" and wait a few minutes. He'll ask again, say, "OK!" and slowly get his change of clothes together... in other words part of potty training is letting the child feel wet; and part of having a toddler is teaching him to wait. Now is your chance!

4. Don't expect boys to be fully potty trained until age three (although at 26 months you have any early start).

5. Don't go back to diapers/pull-ups if you can help it! This just prolongs the potty training process and you end up starting all over again.

6. Don't expect independence, you have a toddler, some days he will refuse your help, other days he will cry for your help! It is a between stage of development (and a frustrating stage for them).

OK, here are some dos:

1. Remind your tot to go to the potty upon waking, before or after eating, before playing outside, before bedtime. Reminding is the best helper for potty training!

2. Allow your tot to experiment with dressing and undressing by leaving clothes in his room in a clothes hamper or basket.

3. Start stocking up on elastic waste pants (no more pants with zippers or snaps!).

4. Give hugs and kisses when he goes in the potty (in our classroom we used to sing a potty song!).

5. If you allow DVDs, show potty DVDs like Potty Time and Potty Power.

6. Start buying a few potty board books to read at bedtime.

And if it makes you feel any better, my son, who is 4 1/2, started this process at 2 1/2! But it takes Down syndrome several years to fully potty train (sometimes not until age 7 or 8!).

Lately, what works for my son (and it was suggested by a behavioral specialist)is to ask our son to go on the potty before we allow him a favorite activity--like eating or playing outside.

So when my son wants breakfast or a snack, etc., I ask him to sit on his potty (and offer him a special sticker afterwards--not a Montessori approach to be sure--no rewards no punishments! but I am a mom after all and a little desperate to get my 4 1/2 year old on the potty train--and for him to stay on it!).

He happily goes in his little potty now, then empties the contents in the big potty and flushes (this he loves more than the stickers he gets!). By the way I never showed him to pour out the pee! (And yes, it sometimes gets on the floor and all around, but if pouring gets him to go potty then so-be-it! Follow the child, right!)

One last potty tip, I promise!

A mom (the same mom who asked the question at the top of this post) e-mailed me a week later to say she and her husband found a great solution (from where I know not!): they allowed their son to put food coloring mixed with water into his potty before he used it (a Montessori pouring work!) and after he went he looked into his potty to see what happened to the color ("Yellow and red makes orange!"). I loved this tip and could not wait to blog about it!

So moms-to-boys, hang in there! And go out and buy some food coloring (and maybe a few stickers)!

What tips can you offer for potty training? Leave your comment!