Tips for Potty Training Your Toddler

Ok mommies! All of us know that having an infant isn't always easy, but we do not have to worry about the dreaded potty training of our child right then. We always think we have a couple of years to worry about that, only those two years seem to fly by fast! Before you know it, it's time to teach your child how to use the "big boy/girl potty." All mothers who have ever experienced this know that this can be a very frustrating event. I, being a mother, went through the very same thing and here is what I did.

When my son was about 1 ½ to 2 years of age, I decided to try and start potty training him. This was no easy task. It took a lot of patience, and well was darn right frustrating. Being a woman I of course didn't know how to properly show him how to potty like a big boy, so I had to sit him on the potty. I would take him with me to the bathroom and have him watch me when I would go. It didn't take him long to master going to the potty sitting down.

I knew eventually he would need to learn to stand up and go urinate like big boys and men do. My ex-husband wasn't a big help with me at all in this area. So I had to think of ways to try and get him to pee standing up at the potty. At first I would stand him up and tried getting him to potty by encouraging him to hit the water with his "tinkle." He would like at me like he didn't understand. So I thought ok what else could I do that would make him want to pee standing up. I had a friend that has used Cheerios to potty train her son. She said that this provided a target and could be made into a game for them by trying to get them to pee on the Cheerio. So I went out and bought a box and tried doing this. He still didn't understand about potting standing up. My step dad stepped in and began helping me. Whenever he had my son he would take him to the bathroom and show him how to potty standing up. My step dad also would put a Cheerio in the toilet and show him how to aim and hit it, making it a game. My son finally caught on and then began potting standing up. For those women who are single or your husband, partner won't help you in this area of raising a child, then seek another male figure willing to help him.

When I had to potty train my son there wasn't all these inventions out like there are today with helping in this area. There are things now that will aid in helping your child to potty train. One thing that is out on the market is called The Potty Scotty Kit. It comes with an assortment of things to teach a little boy how to potty. This doll is anatomically correct so that your son can see exactly how the "pee" comes out. It comes with diapers and bottles for feeding. From what I understand this doll also drinks and wets on demand. Potty Scotty also comes with a parent's potty training guide. Another tool in aiding potty training for boys is the Toilet Time Targets. This is similar to the Cheerio's training that I mentioned earlier. Toilet Time Targets come in an assortment of colors and animal shapes. This can become a game because you encourage your child to aim at the targets. These are also flushable as well.

Potty training can be hard at times and frustrating. Hopefully, with the things I mentioned in this article, it will be able to help a new mom out there who is in the midst of potty training and isn't sure how to get her child to potty.