Potty Training Boy - Indianapolis,IN

We are in similar situations! I also teach (6th grade) and have a 20 month old son! He is showing some interest in potty training, but I'm leaning more towards working on it in the summer when I'm off, of course I'll have a new baby by then but oh well. I hope you have an easy time of it!

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I used a book I got from a friend called "Potty training in less than a day." The title may be an overstatement but it only took us about 3 days. The book gives a lot of great tips to start and keep them motivated. The hardest part is keeping them sitting on the toilet long enough to go. My son is only in daycare two days/week but it went even better there. I think the peer pressure helps because the other kids are going too. I taught him to sit first and then after he was potty trained I had my husband teach him to stand up. Good luck!

My son was peeing and pooping on the potty at 18 months, but wasn't fully potty trained until he was about 30 months. He trained sitting to pee, until one day when we went to a party and he saw another little boy pee standing up. That was that - he's stood up ever since. You should go for it, and just realize that it could be a long process.

Good luck!

I trained my little boy in 3 days, literally. On the first day, I brought the potty chair into the livingroom and sat him on it first thing in the morning. I sat there and let him watch whatever he wanted and played with him or read to him until he peed. Then, I set the timer on my microwaver for one hour, and an hour later, we did the same thing. We did it all day, atleast one time sitting there for 2 hours. He loved it though because he was getting all of my attention and watching all his favorite shows. The second day he didn't seem to take as long to go potty, usually went within 5 minutes of sitting on the potty. I kept setting the timer throughout the day. On the third day, he started telling me sometimes that he had to go potty. I had had him dressed this whole time in a thick pair of corduroys or sweats along with two pair of socks over his underwear to minimize the messiness of any accidents he had. Anyway, on that third day I really wanted to get him to poop on the potty. I knew he had to go, but he didn't want to go on the potty. Everytime he would sit down and freak out and say he was done. So, finally he just got to the point that he couldn't hold it and he cried while he pooped. After he was done though, I let him pick out a toy from the "poopy celebration bag". Ever since then, he's never pooped his pants. Oh! And also, during the whole thing, I had made a "sticker chart" out of posterboard and let him pick out a bunch of stickers at the store. Every time he went pee, he got to put up a sticker. By the end of the first week, I got rid of nighttime diapers also, just always made sure to give him his last drink of the night an hour before bedtime.

I got a little potty for my boy and told him it was his special potty for only him and he immediately sat on it and thought it was cool. He was still too young-I think about the same age as your son, but by two or so he started using it. I put zero pressure on him and it went very easily. By two and a half he was trained. I think part of the motivation in his case was he hated being diapered passionately. So for him this was way better. Also they really do want to be independent. HE sat at first but was standing as soon as he saw other boys do that.

Go ahead and start! See what happens. My son was also very interested at that age. He is now 27 months and not fully trained, but we use the toilet when we can and use a diaper when we go out. If you start now, realize that it might be a long road of "on again off again" using the potty, but it's great practice. I also have a friend whose son was trained fully by 24 months so it can be done.

My son is 16 mo. old and he is already showing an interest in the potty. I bought him his own potty for Christmas. I don't expect that he will use it for quite some time but we are trying to make sure that he gets use to seeing it and sees it in a positive light. The way I introduced it was- First I sat him on the potty and clapped, told him big boy and he clapped too! He sat there for a while and finally got up and we put on a clean diaper. I also made sure that every time I went to the restroom, I told him "mommy has to potty." Hopefully, he will take off with it when he is ready. My 9 yr old seemed like he took forever to potty train. With him we finally had to go commando too. My SIL use to babysit for him. She would let him potty outside. He thought it was great fun to potty on my BIL truck tire. Whatever works, huh? Good luck to you. Shannon G.
PS. We have also made a habit of having our little one throw away his own dirty diapers. We hold up the lid and he puts it in. We always clap and tell him what a good boy he is and He claps too! Make sure you keep everything positive!!

L.,

Everyone told me that boys can not be potty trained until 3, but I think the more important question is when the child is physically ready. I would leave the diaper off both of my kids to see how long they would hold it for. Once I noticed he was holding it for a long period of time I started. Even before that I would have both of my kids (I have twins) sit on the potty their little potties, watch Potty time Elmo, and we would talk about it. From your description it sounds like I would start trying. Both of my kids where completly different. I purchased the thick Gerber training underwear and put it on the kids. My daughter hated being wet in them but my son did not care, so I took them off of him and let him go naked, which did the trick.

Good luck!!

Go ahead and start training him without any pressure or expectations. My 2 year old son started early and is the only boy I know who is trained at his age. I believe if you start training them when they show an interest the it will be easier because "they" are leading it. Definitely have him sit down as he will need to sit down for poop anyways and be sure to get him a little potty and a potty seat for the big potty. Kids need to feel very secure for poop and a little potty helps. Everyone I know who did not have some type of little potty for their child ended up training on the late side (after 3). The rationale was that they did not want to clean up the "mess". Well, trying to avoid a mess when potty training is just silly. We keep our little potty in the family room so he can go by himself and that has worked really well. He did not have a difficult time transitioning to the big potty because I introduced that to him early on so it wouldn't freak him out. Also, don't bother with pull-ups because they really are just flimsier diapers and do not feel like underwear. My son went commando (i.e. no diaper or underwear) and this made him feel the urge the best but everyone is different. Good luck to you! If he has a set back or is sick it's ok to take a step back and start again in a week or so.

Gosh if he is complaining about bm in his diapers get him on the potty. I sat mine on a training seat on the big pot and sat on the tub edge till he was done. I was a single mom at the time and had no man to show him how to stand and do it so I went with the sit down method. Every time I went I took him and he sat on a stool while I sat and when I was done I would set him on the pot and set with him like he did me. I gave him a stool so he could get up on the potty by himself. I put him in pull ups and sent the seat to daycare with him in a bag. Between the Daycare and myself it took about 6 weeks. The child now stands to pee thanks to my now husband but he did not learn that until he was about 3. I started training my son when he was 1 1/2 as soon as he could walk and climb good. We had sugar free popcicles for a treat when he pooped in the big potty. Then when we went to regular pants we went from popcicles to pennies in his pig bank. Worked great for me. Good Luck L..

Get to know his potty cues and take him any time he looks like he might be about to go (catching him before he poops is easier at first). You can also take him to the potty each time you go and just have him "practice" sitting on a little potty next to you until he gets the hang of it.

the fact that your son doesn't want to wear dirty diapers, and that he tells you when he has gone shows (to me anyway) that he has some readiness. my son has been sitting on a potty since he was 5 months old, but that was just me noticing his cues, and putting him on it. he used it all the time, and i hardly ever had to change a poopy diaper. but as he got older, and was running around, i had a harder time keeping up with it. but he did learn really early what that potty is for, and has no problem sitting on it (unless he is just TOO busy!). but at 2 years old, he still doesn't often let me know when he needs to go, or when he has gone, and doesn't seem to mind too much if his diaper is wet or soiled. so, i figure he is still not ready. he wears cloth training pants around the house sometimes, but doesn't seem to care one way or another what he is wearing. i think he needs to have some self motivation before we will get much further. i have no interest in pushing it, but i will often matter-of-factly set him on the potty, especially right after he wakes up. that is a key time, since he usually pees upon waking.
when choosing a potty, look for one that has a higher part between his legs in the front. it is useful for keeping the pee in the potty for a boy who is learning first by sitting.
good luck to you.