How to Effectively Potty Train Boys

Boys are not as easy to potty train as girls are, but with persistence and patience, it can be done. You will definitely need to purchase a few items before getting started and prepare your little one for the big change. It's not going to be easy for you, but it will be very rewarding in the end and you'll finally be finished purchasing those expensive diapers.

You probably already have one, but if you don't, buy a potty chair. Make a really big deal about this purchase to your toddler and even present it as a wrapped gift. The more excited you are, the more excited he will be. Tell him it's the place where he will put his pee and poo instead of in a diaper. Let him sit on it and get comfortable with it. At first, he may not like it, but that's okay, just give it time.

In the meantime, let him get used to flushing the big toilet. Many kids are scared of the loud flushing sound and don't like it at all. The more often they hear the flush or flush the toilet themselves, the less scared they will be.

Purchase or check out a couple of books about going to the potty. Three great books for boys specifically are: Once upon a Potty by Alona Frankel; Too Big for Diapers, a Sesame Street Babies book; and It's Potty Time, by Penton Overseas, Inc. These three books are directed towards boys and are great for introducing your boy to the potty.

Buy your son underwear and let him wear them most of the time. When he has an accident, he's going to know immediately that he's wet and he won't like it. Take him to the potty and tell him to finish there. If you take him to the potty every fifteen minutes or so, he'll be reminded to use the toilet instead of having an accident.

Make a potty training chart to show him his progress. It can be something as simple as a pencil drawing of a chart on a notebook paper. Write "Potty," "Flush," and "Hands" on the left side with a few boxes beside them. As your child performs each task, draw a star in each box When the chart is filled, reward him with a prize.

While he is getting used to sitting on the potty, have plenty of books to read while the two of you wait for him to pee or poo. If you have a handheld video game system, let him play it. When they are relaxed it sometimes helps them to go.

While they are young, keep pull-ups on them at night. It's just difficult for them at first to learn not to pee in the bed and you'll have a lot of laundry if you don't. Do not potty train at other people's homes. If you have to visit other people, put a pull-up on your kid. Nobody wants to clean up someone else's pee and basically it's rude.

Stay in the habit of reminding your son to go to the bathroom. Be patient, but stern with the new rules and your son will eventually catch on.