There are lots of common tips for toilet training. Here are a few additional tips that are suitable for helping boys and girls with their potty training.
Tips for toilet training Boys
- It’s easier to start toilet training with your son sitting down to both wee and poo. Often these happen together and it can make it less stressful.
- Get Dad involved and be a role model for your boy. Dad will have to lose any inhibitions and take your son to the toilet for a few demonstrations. Little boys love to be just like Dad and it’s a sure fire way to help encourage the toilet training process. A big brother can also be a great help.
- Pointing the willy down can help prevent a mess. Try to encourage this from the beginning.
- Teach boys to give their willy or penis a little shake after doing a wee to remove the last drops of urine.
- Some potties come with a lip to help prevent spills, and these are handy in the early days of training.
- Once your son is starting to stand up to wee in the toilet you can help boys to practice aiming better, by playing “sink the cereal.” Float three or four pieces of circular cereal in the toilet. Then have them sink the cereal with their urine. It’s fun and helps with aiming.
- You can also use a ping pong ball to achieve a good aim. The benefit of a ping pong ball is it won’t flush away and it will never get soggy. So it’s always ready for target practice.
- Lift the toilet seat up as this make it easier. Make sure that it can be help up safely to prevent it from falling down and squashing him. Also encourage him to put the seat back down after he’s finished; your future daughter in law will love you.
- Dress for success and dress boys in pants with an elasticised waist so that they can easily be pulled up and down.
- Huggies PULL-UPS
potty training pants are a great incentive to become a BIG KID. They will allow your little boy to have the feeling of being wet before drawing the wetness away to where it’s needed most.
Tips for toilet training Girls
- As a mum, you probably have had the opportunity to go to the toilet by your self for a long time, but now you can start a narrative about what you are doing so that your daughter can make the same connections.
- Dress for success and choose clothes that are easy to remove. Skirts and pants with an elasticised waist are ideal.
- Remember to wipe from front to back to help prevent any infections from developing around her vagina.
- Little girls love playing mum. You can use this to your advantage and have a special dolly that is going through the toilet training process at the same time as your little girl. Allow her to sit the doll on the potty or toilet and take some control of her situation this way.
- Huggies PULL-UPS potty training pants are a great incentive to become a BIG KID. Their unique feel wet to learn wetness liner allows your little girl to have the feeling of being wet before drawing the wetness away to where it’s needed most.
General Tips
- Be Ready to Run! At the start of potty training there will be very little time between your child recognising that they need to go to the toilet and actually going. ‘Holding on’, even for a few seconds, is something they will have to learn.
- Be Positive at All Times – Remember that every attempt, successful or not, should be praised. Showing disapproval of accidents or punishing your child for them will not help them get there faster; instead, you’ll only make it harder for your child to relax and feel confident. Patience is the key.
- Don’t force the issue – No-one can wee or poo on demand. Let your toddler take their time and relax, but don’t forget that making them sit on the potty or toilet for too long could feel like a punishment. It’s very important that this is a positive experience for your child.
- Try making it Fun- Some parents find that “dressing” the flush with a puppet or toy helps. Others keep special books that are only for looking at when on the potty. You can also try buying some special soap that only your son or daughter is allowed to use, or give them their own brightly coloured hand towel, or one with their favourite character on it (or you could buy special paper towels for the same purpose).
Pull-Ups help make potty training fun and easier
- They fit like underwear with the super-stretchy sides they’re easy for the toddler to pull up & down…like big kid pant!
- Pull-Ups have learning graphics: they fade when wet & help little ones to see the difference between wet & dry.
- The Easy-Open sides make it easy for mum to check little accidents and remove easily if necessary.
