There is a difference in potty training boy and girls. Boys tend to take a few months longer before they are ready to be trained compared to girls. They may also take a little longer to train. In saying that, every child is different, so don?t necessarily expect your son to take longer than your daughter ? some boys fly through the potty training process.
Timing is crucial when potty training a boy ? it is important you start them in their training when they are ready and when they are content. Trying to train at a time when your child is stressed or going through a big change such as a new carer or nursery or around the time of moving house will be a lot more difficult ? it is best to wait those extra couple of weeks until life is more settled.
By involving your child in the process of his training, you can expect better results. So let your little boy choose a potty, not only will this give him a sense of ownership but it will also most likely result in him choosing a boyish design. There can be a difference in a boys? potty and a girls? potty ? the boys? potty should have a splash guard, or ?bump? at the front that prevents leakages and accidents.
Don?t let your son feel that his winkie, willy or dinkle is something dirty. Decide how you want to refer to his penis and use that term. Whether you go for something cutesy or the anatomically correct term, make sure your son knows that there is nothing wrong with saying that word in the right context and never tell him off for playing with it. If your son develops a habit of fiddling with his bits (and many toddlers do this) then remove his hand from the area and distract him with something else. If you shout, scold or tell him what he is doing is naughty or dirty then you risk giving him a complex about his penis which could last further into childhood and even beyond. Answer his questions about his penis honestly and openly, you want to encourage open conversations about these things at an early age so your child always feels able to talk to you about them. There is also nothing wrong with pointing out that this is something that should be discussed in private rather than in the middle of the supermarket or during a meeting with the bank manager! Your son might also notice that Mummy sits down to pee, so gently explain that boys and girls are different and that while he stands, girls sit.
If your toddler is ready to move on from the potty to the toilet, or if he is making a mess with his wee, get him to practice his aim by placing a ping pong ball in the toilet, it will return to the bowl after you flush each time. You can draw a face on it if you want, and get your son to aim to hit it. This is a simple and easy way to get their aim right and save a lot of cleaning up.