Potty training your son requires patience and practice for three to six months. Although many children show signs of potty-training readiness between the ages of 18 and 24 months, KidsHealth.org reports that boys generally show interest later and take longer to potty train than girls. Certain tips and tricks can help make potty training easier for little boys and their parents.
Imitation
Although your son doesn't have to be exclusively potty trained by a male, watching dad or a big brother go to the potty can help your son imitate this act.
Books and Toys
Such books as "Once Upon a Potty: Boy," by Alona Frankel; "The Potty Book for Boys," by Alyssa Satin Capucilli; and "Big Boys Use the Potty!" by DK Publishing are designed to get boys interested in potty training and to explain how other boys transition from diapers to big-boy underwear. Read these books to your child before and during potty training to help foster an interest in this process. Place a potty-training doll or stuffed animal on the potty chair to help demonstrate the purpose of the chair.
Target Practice
Turn potty training into a series of games to engage your son. When urinating, encourage him to aim at targets tossed in the toilet, such as pieces of O-shaped cereal, torn bits of toilet paper or small bits of colored paper. Color the toilet water with a few drops of blue food coloring, and then show your son how he turned the toilet water green by urinating.
Bare-Bottom Training
If the weather is nice and you have a private yard, let your son roam outside without wearing his diaper or training pants. This technique can help him become more aware of his body functions, because he can see his body releasing urine or passing a bowel movement rather than hiding this act in his diaper. To help your son practice his aim, paint a target or place a paper target on a tree, and encourage him to urinate on it. If you don't have a private area outside, let him play naked in your home in an area with an easily cleaned floor. When he shows signs of urinating or passing a bowel movement, guide him to the potty chair.
Rewards
Give rewards as motivational tools for successful potty training. A reward can be as simple as positive verbal praise or more elaborate, such as stickers on a chart, a trip to the park, an extra bedtime story or a candy-coated chocolate piece for each successful potty break.
Diaper Ditching
Take your son to the store and let him pick out his very own big-boy underwear or training pants. He may find it easier to notice when he is wet if he wears real underwear or training pants instead of diapers, because underwear is uncomfortable when soiled and some training pants turn a different color or feel cool after becoming wet.
