Often moms ask “is potty training a boy harder or easier?” Having toilet trained four of my own children, two of whom were boys, my experience is that gender doesn’t matter.

But personality matters – a lot.

Having said that, there ARE a couple of guidelines to consider when potty training your boy that will often make the process go a bit smoother.

– Boys are often adventuresome and competitive; even when they’re toddlers.

Use this knowledge to your advantage. Give the potty training process a competitive edge. “Can you get more stickers on your potty chart today than you did yesterday? If you do, we’ll go to your favorite park to celebrate.”

Also put up a chart of some sort for yourself. Race to see who can get the most stickers the fastest. (Adding extra water to your son’s diet will allow him to need to pee more often. Practice makes perfect!)

Knowing your son has a yearning for a bit of adventure means you need to keep the potty training process fun and engaging. Don’t expect the same rewards or methods that work on Day 1 of toilet training to still be working two weeks (or months) later.

In fact, gathering a collection of potty training resources and methodologies is a smart thing to do. At the first hint of boredom in your potty trainee’s attitude, switch gears and potty activities. For example, take the first potty prizes completely away; that allows you to re-use them later on in the process and they will feel new again for your boy.

– Watch your own attitude.

This definitely goes along with the last recommendation. If a potty training boy knows that Mom or Dad is bored, angry or frustrated during the training process, a power struggle may well ensue.

Trust me, you don’t want this.

You see, you may want your child to be potty trained yesterday, but, frankly he doesn’t care. Life was moving along just fine for him before you introduced this new game.

And that is how most male toddlers in the western world view potty training. As a game.

What you want, of course, is to smoothly turn this game into a habit. And as quickly as possible.

Most little boys will be happy to practice something as long as:

* it’s their idea,

* and it’s fun.

The moment you lose your cool (and we all do it, believe me), your little guy realizes he has power. Just by saying “no” and refusing to cooperate he can watch you swell up like a balloon.

Don’t give him this power. Retain your authority by maintaining your composure. Treat potty training for boys as a matter-of-fact part of life (which it is). Stay calm and positive. Take a breather when you need to. Stay firm when you need to. Recognize the whole process will take longer than you think (it probably will).

And celebrate each little step you and your son take. Potty training will only be one milestone you reach together. Learn how to work as a team now and you will utilize those same skills all during your parenting years for your son’s benefit and your delight.

Author Bio: Colleen Langenfeld has potty trained four kids and helps other moms get more out of their mothering at http://www.paintedgold.com . Toilet train faster using her potty reward charts and creative ideas plus uncover more about potty training a boy by visiting her website today.

Category: Parenting
Keywords: potty training boy,potty training a boy,potty training,toilet training