Problems with Potty Training Boys

Readiness

• If you're having issues toilet training your little guy, pay attention to the Mayo Clinic's guidelines for potty-training readiness. Most children show signs of interest in potty training around the age of 2 to 2-1/2. There are several signals to watch for. Your toddler will start staying dry longer: he'll go two hours or more between pees, and he won't usually pee at all during naps. His poops will generally arrive on a predictable schedule. He may seem fascinated by the potty, toilet or underwear. He might also tell you when he has to go, or when he just has.

  Watch, as well, for signals that your child needs to go, or that he is doing it already: he'll squirm, do the foot-to-foot "potty dance" shuffle, sink into a squat, or hold his private parts. Signs of discomfort when your toddler is wet or dirty are also good indications that potty-training time is at hand: he might start pulling down his diaper and pulling it up again, or ask you to change him. You'll also want to wait to potty-train until your child is mature enough to understand and follow basic commands and ask simple questions.

Boy-Specific Bribes

• Often, parents use a combination of praise and small rewards to get their children going on the potty. Some moms and dads make up a paper chart, and award kids gold stars for every successful potty journey. Others give a toilet-training toddler one candy for each pee, and two for each poop. Still others even pay their kids a nickel for Number 1 and a dime for Number 2. If none of these tricks work for your little boy, try tailoring the treats to his current obsessions. Maybe he loves a certain movie or TV show right now: if he pees or poops in the potty, let him watch 10 minutes of it. If you're not into TV as a prize, you could give him memorabilia from the movie or show--find small items of merchandise like pencils and figurines. Or perhaps your little guy wants to go to the park all day, every day: tally up extra park trips depending on how many times he goes in the potty.

Problems with Pooping

• Some children, both boys and girls, may be afraid to have a bowel movement on the potty. This is because some kids see a poop as a part of themselves, and they are scared to flush it away. You can assuage this fear by explaining what poop is and why the body needs to get rid of it: show your child pictures of the digestive system, or read a children's book like "Everyone Poops."

Sit or Stand?

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that, at first, you teach little boys to pee sitting down. The rationale for this is that it's less confusing for a little guy to learn to both pee and poop sitting down. If you're trying to teach him two different things at once--peeing standing up and pooping sitting dow --he may have more accidents and feel more trepidation about toilet training. Wait till he's totally potty trained before showing him how big boys pee standing up.

  However, right around the age that kids start wanting to imitate their parents, they also become aware of differences in gender. This is generally around the age of 2-1/2 to 3--or smack dab in the middle of potty-training time. Your little boy might therefore decide he has to learn to pee standing up right away, so he can be like his dad, brothers, or other boys he knows. If so, go with it: it may take a little longer and be a little messier, but it's easier than trying to force him to sit and pee.

Aim

• When your boy is ready to learn to pee standing up, you'll need to work on his aim. At first, he might pee on the seat or on the floor, and he may also dribble pee on himself by accident if he's not aiming out far enough. One fun way to do this is to place two or three Cheerios in the toilet and have him hit them with his pee. If you decide to use something other than Cheerios, make sure whatever you use is flushable: you don't want to clog your toilet just when your little boy has mastered peeing like a big boy.