How to Teach Your Son to Use the Urinal

Doting parents note several milestones in their children's lives -- the first smile, the first tooth, the first word, the first step. But there is perhaps no milestone so exciting as the first time a boy learns how to stand up, unzip his pants and hit what he's aiming for. Once your son knows how to use the urinal, you can take him anywhere. Diapers and wipes become a distant memory, and the future is bright with another long list of firsts.

Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure he's ready. According to the Mayo Clinic, some kids aren't ready for the potty until they are between the ages of 2 1/2 to three years old. Don't rush it; if you force your child to start something he isn't ready for he might rebel, making the process take longer than necessary. Look for clues that your child is ready for potty training. Let him tell you when he needs to be changed, notice if he wants to watch you go to the bathroom, or if you see him trying to pull his pants down and use the toilet on his own.

    • 2

      Tell him like it is. Tell your son his that his urine and feces go into the toilet, just like mommy's, daddy's and his siblings.

    • 3

      Get him excited. Take your son shopping for pull-up training pants and big boy underwear. Make a big deal about the transition he's about to undertake.

    • 4

      Teach him to sit down first. In the beginning, it will be complicated for your son to understand that he has to stand up to pee and sit down to poop. Let him get comfortable using the bathroom on his own before you teach him how boys do it.

    • 5

      Let him watch how it's done. Encourage your son to go the bathroom with his dad, uncles and older brothers to see that men stand up to pee.

    • 6

      Make it fun. Put round items in the toilet and tell your son to have target practice. If you live in an enclosed area, let him have target practice on a tree or in the grass. Let him get comfortable pointing and aiming.

    • 7

      Show him a urinal and explain the difference between a urinal and a toilet. Encourage his father, uncles and older brothers to take him to public restrooms so he can see how a urinal is used.

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