'To Pee or Not to Pee': Potty Training Tips for Boys??

I have 2 boys and you are on the right track.... I think so often parents push their kids to potty train before their ready and then complain it's difficult. He will learn when he is ready.... I started off by placing my son on the potty and letting him sit there for a short time.... if he went potty then I gave praise if no potty then I simply took him off and let him run around naked and looked for cues on having to go... If he's already telling you when he #2's... then he's ready to start. Good Luck!!

I think it really depends on your child. 19 months seems a little early but if you are just going to move slow with him and let him decide when to use the potty I don't see it being a problem.

My son was a little over 2 when he started potty training. He didn't want much to do with it at first but after a while he was really excited when we would clap and make a big deal about him going in the potty! Once we felt that he was old enough to know when he had to go...about 2 1/2 we just decided to start putting him in underwear. After a few accidents he decided he didn't like being wet and he never had an accident again. It took maybe a week.

The key is to wait until they are old enough to know when they have to go so THEY are potty training and you are not training yourself to their schedule. Also, once you do underwear don't go back (except for night time pull-ups). We would put him in pull-ups at night but we soon discovered that we didn't have to because he was never wet so we just quit that all together one day too. The thing is that it may be messy to deal with underwear but it will get the potty training over quicker.

Good luck!

My boys are teenagers now, but they were each closer to 3 when they were completely potty-trained, as were most of my friend's kids (boys and girls, although girls overall seem to "get it" a little earlier). Having said that, however, if your son is ready, then he is ready. Just don't expect him to be completely "safe" when you go out, even if he is completely reliable at home. I often put my kids back in diapers when we went out, because I had had a couple of bad experiences LOL. Also, I used those heavy cotton training pants when I was potty-training because they just didn't feel wet enough in diapers (I think they have diapers now that do that though) I also let them play outside without pants on, again so that they would feel the feeling and make the connection, but we have a completely private back yard!!!

Try it for a week being consistent on taking him to the potty, if he doesnt catch on in a week, he's not ready. Try again in a month or so...This is advice from my mother who has had a in-home daycare for almost 30 years and has potty trained a numerous amount of children!

you're probably going to hear this a lot but you must be consistent. if and when you think he is ready my suggestion is put him in underwear. do not use pull ups--at bed you can--but during the day use big boy underwear. my son had a problem of peeing in his diaper or pull up because he knew it would not get on him. once i put him in nothing but underwear it occured to him that unless he wanted to get his clothes soaked he needed to use the potty. although a pain, i would not have done it any other way. also, just monitor his liquids than take him every 20-30mins until he goes. i know its a lot of work but this is the best way to train his bladder. after he understands this process than stretch out the times in between that you take him. just don't stress him out--he is still young. our goal was to have my son 2 yrs trained. this worked to achieve it. good luck.

I started potty training my son at 18 months--at that age they are so excited about everything (and I hate to say it, but also very compliant). We just sat him on before the bath while we filled the tub. I think once they make the connections between peeing in the toilet and success it's pretty easy (or it as for us). We also gave him a chocolate chip for every successful pee. Then, once he seemed to "get it" we put him on the potty about every 20 minutes the first day (we set a timer), every 25 the next day, etc. He learned so quickly I was amazed--although he's now 3 and still occasionally struggles with pooping in the potty. I think he doesn't want to sit still long enough to go. But, I think about how many diapers I haven't changed in the last 1 1/2 years and I don't mind cleaning up a mess once a week!

All 3 of my boys had pooping on the potty down before peeing. If you know his schedule then I would take advantage of it. I wouldn't push it at all but just ask him or maybe make the time before he poops a naked time and when you see that he is about to go ask him if he wants to try the potty. Right when my youngest turned 2 he was standing in the kitchen naked after a bath and he was looking down like he knew he was about to pee so I asked him if he wanted to try the potty, he said yes, and that was the end of day time diapers for him. His choice not mine. I just asked the question.
My boys were all fairly easy to potty train so I never did understand that boys are harder than girls. I am sure you will hear that a lot. Of the friends that I have that have girls all say potty training their girls were not easy.

You are on the right track. To get my son started one day after he got out of the tub, I said, do you have to pee? He said,No and I said ok I will go on your potty. I was just teasing him but he said, I go on my potty. He started off sitting down to pee and after a month passed he started pooping. It sounds like he is getting there. I would say if you are home, let him run around without a diaper and tell him if he has to go there is the potty. I left the potty in our bedroom and it worked. When my son needed to poop and said, I need a diaper I need to poop, I told him no go on the potty. When I told him I would buy him a pillow pet her pooped two minutes later. If you start now, he may be trained in 2-6 months. Good luck.
ps. if he goes and does well,buy hin some big boy underware. my son loved it.

We started around that time, too because he was interested. We started by watching him closely around the time he normally needed to go. When we'd catch him in the act - at first we just talked about going to potty to do that. Then, we walked in there. Then we started actually putting him on the potty. After a few weeks, we'd watch him, sort of catch him before and run into the potty and sit him on it. (we had a potty seat that went on our toilet). He quickly learned to associated that feeling with doing that on the potty. Of course, for awhile, big celebrations! Rarely had to change dirty diapers after that! Peeing was a bit harder, as it was just harder to catch him in the act. He is now a few months past 2 & just now really realized that feeling before it is too late. He repeats a lot, "don't pee in my big boy underwear!". still have some accidents.. but he's getting it.
Good luck!

I think one of the easiest (but not fastest) ways to approach this is just to pick a time of the day (preferably one when he normally has a BM) to set him on the potty. Sometimes he might go, and then you can praise him. If he doesn't go after a few minutes let him up. When he starts going at that time regularly, you can add more 'potty times' on the schedule. Also, you will likely get a lot of flack from some people for training 'too early' but if you are calm (not pressuring too much) I don't see why it would hurt. Many cultures train even before 1 year! I've started putting my 15 mos. old on the potty before bath time, and he is starting to go reliably. He's very proud of himself and loves flushing the toilet. Good luck!

I read your post and just have to say "I am so Jealous!" :) The potty gods have smiled on you!
Keep encouraging him (as I am sure you will) and enjoy the diaperless future ahead of you!!

you are doing good.. but i would put the toilet in the bathroom.. where he will learn that's where you go. You are doing good.. my kids started at 16 months old.. and were trained totally by 2!! just put him on every hour or wo... for only a minute or two.. you can try puttin cheerios in there.. and he can try to shoot them.. boys love this.. good luck

my advice to you is not necessarily for the age but gender. With my son, I had difficultes getting him to poop on the potty after he was already peeing. I think the reason is that our daycare showed him how to pee standing up before he was pooping. So my advice is to teach him to pee sitting down and don't teach him to pee standing up until he has mastered the pooping part. Good luck