Potty Training Boys: Standing VS. Sitting

Everybody says that potty training boys can be a lot more difficult than potty training girls. Well, the numbers agree with this. On average, boys finish potty training about 4 months later than girls. Boys generally finish potty training shortly after their third birthday, while girls are usually potty trained before that time.

One of the big debates these days is whether you should potty train your boy by letting him stand, or by having him sit. A recent study on this showed that boys that are potty trained standing up, on average finish about 2 months ahead of their sitting counterparts. That's still longer than girls, but significantly shorter than boys that are potty trained while sitting.

If you do decide to try to potty train your little guy by having him stand - it's important to make sure he feels stable and comfortable. Because most toddlers are not going to be reaching the regular toilet - you need to provide him with a secure and safe way to go potty. If you use a stool to let him reach the potty - you need to be real careful as you don't want him falling off - not only might he get hurt, but he might be reluctant to try again.

Why not just use his potty? Well, the little man's aim is probably not going to be very accurate - so you might be spending a lot of time cleaning it up. Also, if he needs to use his potty for number two, you don't want him to have to sit on a dirty potty after he's just tried to use it for number one.

Another option you can give him is a potty training urinal. These are rather new on the market - but are made just for your little potty trainer - and are a great solution to this dilemma if you decide to try to potty train standing up. Not only are they the right height for your toddler, but you also don't have to worry about him falling off of a stool while trying to pee.

One of the advantages of potty training standing up, is that it's super easy for dad to show the little guy what he needs to do. Potty training by example is a great way to go about it. Plus, after watching dad he'll probably be pretty excited to try it out himself. And to help with his aim - a little trick I used was to place a few cheerios in the urinal or bowl to give him something to aim at. That always works great and makes potty training more like a little game than a necessary task.

Potty training boys doesn't have to be difficult. It might take an extra month or two, but with a little bit of practice, your little guy should be done a little bit sooner if you give him a safe option to stand while potty training.