Parents are often in a hurry to get their son out of diapers, reports Baby Center, but it is important to take time and allow a boy to learn how to use the toilet at his own pace. It takes time and patience to teach a young boy how to properly use the bathroom and parents are encouraged to wait until their son is ready to potty on the toilet. Parents can encounter many different problems when potty training a boy and it is important to understand them to successfully train a boy to use the bathroom.
Timing
Timing is a problem that can present itself if parents try to potty train a boy at the same time that other important life changes are occurring, says Kids Health. The birth of a sibling, moving to a new home, traveling, make the switch from a crib to a bed, or when a child is sick can all prevent successful potty training. If a child does not feel secure it is unlikely that parents will be able to potty train their son.
Position
KidsHealth indicates that the position a boy learns how to potty train with is an important factor for success. Success is more likely when a boy is taught how to use the toilet sitting down before being taught how to go standing up. Boys may he hesitant to go potty standing up to the toilet because it may make them feel awkward or scared and Kids Health recommends that parents provide a potty seat to address both problems. Healthy Children weighs in by also suggesting that parents provide a step stool to increase competency if the regular toilet is used.
Consistency
It is challenging for parents to consistently enforce the use of the toilet, particularly when away from home, reports Healthy Children. Inconsistency can prevent successful potty training because it prevents the formation of a routine that is followed for using the potty when the urge to go hits as well as the wiping, flushing, and hand washing that follows. Healthy Children recommends that parents follow a routine when out in public that mimics the routine followed at home. For boys this could mean sitting down on the public toilet using a portable potty seat or seat adapter. Baby Center adds that allowing a boy to choose special underwear with superheroes or other designs can help encourage a boy to consistently try to use the toilet even when away from home.
Ability Level
Learning to use the toilet is a learned activity and boys must be taught the proper way to use the bathroom, says Healthy Children. If a boy does not know how to complete each action required to successfully use the bathroom, it will be hard to successfully potty train him. Healthy Children recommends that parents show a boy how to sit on the toilet and how to pull his own pants up and down. Baby Center offers some specific ways to motivate boys to increase their ability to aim when learning to go standing up. Putting a few drops of blue food coloring in the toilet bowl and encouraging him to turn the water green is one motivator. Another activity could include cutting paper shapes to place in the toilet to use as target practice.
Pain
Pain must be a consideration when potty training a boy, according to Baby Center. It is recommended that parents purchase a potty chair that does not include a urine guard because a boy may scrape his penis against it and begin to associate potty training with pain. If a boy uses the regular toilet rather than a potty chair it is important to monitor him to ensure that the toilet seat does not fall down on his penis while he is going potty. Kids Health recommends leaving the toilet closed at all times and installing a toilet lid lock to prevent accidents if a boy tries to go potty unsupervised.
