When Do You Know Its The Right Time To Toilet Train Boys?

Barb - posted on 01/15/2009

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I have three older boys, and the trick I found that worked, is that I didn't even worry about it until they consistantly woke up dry. That is natures clue that their little bodies are ready. Remember that there is no "right" age. When they are ready, they are ready :O)

Michaela - posted on 01/15/2009

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Boys are later than girls as a general rule! (Remember that there are always exceptions to every rule!) My eldest was dry day and night just before her second bithday, my youngest daughter was also around 2 but my son was almost 3 and with every child we had the occasional accident. At nursery we always had a bag of extra clothes hanging. The only good advice is to encourage the potty but don't force it. Your son will be ready in his own time and making it any kind of issue is risky. It should be connected with posiive emotions. That's what i think anyway.

Trudy - posted on 01/14/2009

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I got rid of my diapers and it forced me to take my son to the bathroom so often. To avoid clean ups. I fix the bed where there is plastic under the sheets and set it where I wake him to go potty. he was 2 and half and trained, never wet the bed at all still hasn't, (knock on wood). I had to train him before he started preschool. My son is 6 now.

Lynne - posted on 01/14/2009

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I don't think there is anyway of knowing just when they're ready. I have two boys....and both were past the age of 4 before training. My youngest was almost 5!....what I did...was I kept telling him that because he wasn't trained...he couldn't the things his older siblings were doing...and that seemed to work!...I do however have to agree with Chasity....once you put underwear on him...don't go back...and hide or throw away all diapers...so he knows he has not much of a choice!

Kristie - posted on 01/14/2009

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Try getting a ping pong ball and putting it in the toilet then make a thing of him trying to wee on it...more like a game than a have to then. So instead of constantly being a nag and a bad experience it's a good experience.
My son was the same...poo trained but not wee trained. My son however wasn't dry through the night until after he was trained during the day so they all vary.
I'm in the middle of training my daughter and it is worse than I remember my son being but she's getting there. I think the key is not to push just reward when it happens cos otherwise it ends up being a bad experience for all.

Sherin - posted on 01/14/2009

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try to take him to thje toilet every 10 minute,my son is 2 to and im trying with him he does good with pee but scared of the poops.

Maggie - posted on 01/14/2009

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There are many things that may help, but remember not to worry or push the issue. Boys usually arent fully trained until they are 3+ ... one day they just get it. I wasted too much time pushing my older son.

Jana - posted on 01/14/2009

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Pour some food colouring in the toilet, when he goes for a tinkle the colour changes, my son loved it, but everything only really started to go well at almost 3 when I decided to take the nappies away entirely (Day & Night)

Angie - posted on 01/12/2009

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I used Cheerios in the toilet with my son, it worked very well, he enjoyed shooting the cheerios. The pooping part was the hardest for my son. So you are very lucky.

Melanie - posted on 01/12/2009

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Thank you all for your help it has been great to hear all the different stories. i think we will have to wait he is still waking up wet so i guess he is not quiet ready, we will keep putting him on the toilet for poo though cos he is good at that and hopefully the wee will just catch on eventually! i think we will stay in pullups till i can have a week off work then just go for it like you said bekki and stay home for a few days and just work on it!

Thanks again for all your help

Bekki - posted on 01/11/2009

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Hi, my boys are 5 & 3. I suggest leaving it as long as you can. The closer they are to 3 years old the better. All my friends had this belief that they HAD to train their children as soon as they hit 2 years old. Most of their children, although dry in the day, still wet at night, even now they are over 3. Both times, I left it until my two boys were 2 and three quarters before I even started and I swear I have not had one wet bed since I trained either of them. As soon as they were dry in the day they were dry at night as well (I did put a nappy on them at night for a couple of weeks to make sure!) I did introduce the potty earlier and they used to sit on it before they went to bed even if they never did anything on it. I didn't make a big deal about it...it was just there! The only other thing I would suggest is that you don't go anywhere for at least 3 days or so give him lots to drink and concentrate on reminding him to go for a wee. Have loads of pants at hand, don't panic if he has an accident (or several!), and most importantly, DON'T go back to nappies at all, except at night until you know they are dry. After a couple of days, if you do have to pop out, make it a short journey, put them on the toilet before you go out, DON'T put a nappy on them and again don't panic if they have an accident. It did take until the 3rd day before either of them got the real hang of it and a couple of weeks before they stopped having the odd accident.

Lisa - posted on 01/11/2009

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Don't panic. I have two boys, both big now, but they were not complete trained until about 3 for one and 4 for the other. They were just too busy to relize they had to go. Just remind them often and it gets better with time.

Sarah - posted on 01/11/2009

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we were told just to chill out cos I was thinking he should have it by now! he eventually got it - our nursery told us that as long as he is in pants and properly toilet trained by the time he goes to school then don't worry about it. I was told that me stressing and forcing him was making him worse. So - chill and it will come but some of the above ideas are also very helpful.
Good Luck!

Bethany - posted on 01/11/2009

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I've got a three year old little boy who will only pee in the potty when I tell him to go , he wakes up from naps dry but really wet in the AM< I just feel that by this age he should "get it" am i wrong?? we've tried everything it seems...help:)

Sarah - posted on 01/11/2009

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My wee boy wasn't ready at 2 but enjoyed pretending to pee on it and every now and then and eventually got it at age 3 - we ended up using the toilet instead of the pottie with the sticker chart (poo came later). He eventually got the 'nappy trigger in his head' and until four nights ago was wearing pullups at night and woke up completely soaked - I'm so proud of him - he wakes up dry every morning with no nappy on!
So keep going if you think he is ready - apparently boys do take longer (not having a girl I'm going by what i've been told)....

Maureen - posted on 01/11/2009

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They are usually ready when they are waking up dry (from nap and in the morning) and when they are showing some type of awareness before they go (telling you or grabbing themselves). I am impressed that he is having bowel movments in the toilet, that is usually the hard part!! I have worked with toddlers for a number of years and find that boys are usually ready when they are closer to 3 years old (some are earlier, though). Good Luck

Sherrie - posted on 01/11/2009

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I think the easiest way to tell if your son is really ready to potty train is if he is waking up from naps dry, and waking up in the morning without his diaper being saturated. And by the way, if youre son is in daycare during the day, is your sitter/daycare center doing their part in helping him learn to use the potty? Some children just are not ready at 2 and you may just be causing more headaches for yourself in the long run. , maybe if you dont see any progress soon, you should back off for a few months, and then try again....

Sherrie - posted on 01/11/2009

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I think the easiest way to tell if your son is really ready to potty train is if he is waking up from naps dry, and waking up in the morning without his diaper being saturated. And by the way, if youre son is in daycare during the day, is your sitter/daycare center doing their part in helping him learn to use the potty? Some children just are not ready at 2 and you may just be causing more headaches for yourself in the long run. , maybe if you dont see any progress soon, you should back off for a few months, and then try again....

Sherrie - posted on 01/11/2009

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I think the easiest way to tell if your son is really ready to potty train is if he is waking up from naps dry, and waking up in the morning without his diaper being saturated. And by the way, if youre son is in daycare during the day, is your sitter/daycare center doing their part in helping him learn to use the potty? Some children just are not ready at 2 and you may just be causing more headaches for yourself in the long run. , maybe if you dont see any progress soon, you should back off for a few months, and then try again....

Chasity - posted on 01/11/2009

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My only suggestion is... Once you start to wear underwear, don't EVER go back. It may be a rough 2 weeks but he will do it. Don't change him as soon as he has an accident, let him feel "uncomfortable" for a bit before you "fix" it. No, you are not being mean but your child needs to understand natural consequences. It will work, just try!

Elizabeth - posted on 01/11/2009

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have you done the cheerios in the toilet? take aim and try to hit the cheerios? i didn't toilet train my boys until they could wake up dry in the morning, that told me they could hold their pee. boys do take longer... he poos? wow, that was always a big hurdle for my kids.