Teaching a rambunctious, and often attention-span challenged, boy to use the bathroom successfully can present quite the challenge. While nothing can make this task easy, you can facilitate your son’s learning and enable him to become adept at it more rapidly. Instead of struggling with your potty trainer, use easy, and often enjoyable, methods of potty training your boy.
Outdoor Practice
Getting your tot excited about the prospect of potty training is often the first step on the road to potty training success. AskDrSears.com recommends that struggling mothers try to entice their boys to potty properly by allowing them to practice outdoors. When you begin potty training, take your tot without his pants. Slip on an oversized shirt to maintain his youthful modesty a bit, and select a less populated area to keep the practice session discrete. As he plays in the great outdoors, he will begin to feel the need to relieve himself. By allowing him to squat and complete the task outdoors you can show him just how enjoyable controlling his bladder needs can be.
Craft a Schedule
When you begin potty training, you must anticipate your child’s potty usage needs. Prepare a schedule of potential potty visits, penciling in a potty stop every two to three hours. Follow this prepared schedule, placing your son on the potty at each of the scheduled points, regardless of whether he expresses a need to use the bathroom. After setting him in position, encourage him to try to relieve himself. Reward him if he is successful with a sticker or small candy. This scheduled practice will get him more use to mastering his bladder and bowels and will likely increase his success.
Start with Sitting
While you ultimately want your son to stand when he pees, starting him standing is likely not a good idea. Start out having him sit while he completes all of his potty needs. As he masters peeing, let him transition to standing.
Practice Aim
Once your little man transitions to standing, encourage him to improve his aim by placing objects on which he can aim in the bowl of the toilet. Place small cereal pieces or other flushable targets into the toilet. Ask him to take aim as he pees. Praise him if he successfully hits these targets, or give him a treat to celebrate his success.
