Most children are ready to begin potty training when they are between 24 and 27 months old. When they are between 18 and 30 months of age, most children have the skills and physical maturity needed to potty train successfully. While 98 percent of kids are potty trained by 3 years old, the average age for boys to be potty trained is 31 months.
Signs of Readiness
While age is an important factor in deciding when to start potty training, potty training a boy before he shows signs of readiness is a disaster waiting to happen. Boys who are forced to begin potty training before they are ready are often uncooperative and, as a result, take longer to train. If your son is pulling down his pants on his own, showing an interest in using the potty, communicating his need to eliminate and staying dry for longer periods of time, he may be ready to begin potty training. Having a desire to please and being able to follow simple instructions are also signs of potty training readiness.
How Long Training Takes
On average, it can take three to six months to complete the potty training process. After this time, most boys are able to stay dry during the day and through naps. Unfortunately nighttime training can take a bit longer. In fact, it is not uncommon for boys to continue to wet the bed at night until they are 5 years old. Fortunately, by the time they turn 6, most boys stay dry all night.
Training Tips for Boys
While eventually all boys learn to urinate standing up, it’s easier for boys to learn to urinate while sitting on the potty. This is because most toddler boys aren’t tall enough to effectively aim their stream into the bowl, and standing up can be a distraction. Once boys are able to successfully use the potty while sitting, they can be trained to urinate while standing up. To help boys fine tune their aim, place targets in the toilet bowl and encourage them to sink them with their stream of urine. Toilet targets can be purchased or you can use small pieces of cereal as targets.
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