Sitting: Boys and Potty Training
13th March 2010 by Babies No CommentsIt’s a question that always arises when someone is deciding how to potty train boys: do you start with them sitting down for both urination and bowel movements, or do you try to teach them all at once to stand up for the first and sit for the second? This of course is a question that never comes up for girls, but it makes the issue of boys and potty training somewhat more complex. Does it help the process go more quickly if you try to do both at once, or is it too confusing for the child?
General potty training advice seems to be that it’s wisest to start the boy sitting down for both functions. This has nothing to do with his being a “sissy” or learning to “pee like a girl,” and should never be thought of that way. Remember that the entire process of learning to use the toilet is already a big thing for boys, and potty training only becomes more complicated if they have to learn too much at once. Learning to sit for bowel movements and then stand up and aim for urination may simply be too many new tasks to absorb at the same time.
People often suggest that even though a potty on the floor is convenient for a boy who sits for both functions, it may actually be smarter instead to use potty training seats with a hole reducer on the actual toilet. This would get the child used to using the larger fixture, which he’s going to have to do anyway once he finally starts standing up. But there are also products particular to boys and potty training that provide a urinal on a stand, if you’d rather work your way up to the toilet more slowly.
There’s no way around a few extra stages for boys and potty training, compared to what occurs for girls. The thing is to choose a method that will help your boy feel comfortable and not intimidated. Making sure that people like babysitters and daycare workers use similar methods for potty training toddlers will also help him achieve success as he learns. If the child is allowed to learn in a way he can handle, then success will come much sooner.
Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed treating panic disorder as well as tips on the various anxiety disorder medications available at www.anxietydisordercure.com.
