If you’ve hung out around the site for long, you know that I do NOT believe in gender stereotypes. I want my boy to play with dolls and my girl to play in the dirt, and I want them both to grow up to be whatever they want to be. But sometimes, there are undeniable differences between the sexes. And nowhere are these more obvious than when you’re trying to figure out how to potty train a boy.

My daughter was stubborn as all get out, but Potty training a girl seemed to be pretty straightforward. You sit. You pee. You receive your bribe reward. A couple weeks later, you’re walking around in big girl underwear like it’s no big deal.

But with a boy there are certain…physiological differences. Namely, a penis. But you might also find that your son has different interests and energy levels to contend with,  and that presents its own challenges.

So if you find yourself with a kid of potty training age, and that kid happens to have a penis- here’s how to potty training a boy (without going crazy in the process).

This post contains affiliate links. You can read more at our legal page. Thanks for supporting The Salty Mamas!

Avoid the Splash Back

If you’ve already potty trained a girl, you likely have a little toilet or toilet seat on hand already. But you may or may not be able to use it.

See, when a girl pees, it trickles right on down. With a boy? Think of a rogue water hose. That stuff can go ANYWHERE.

You need a toilet that’s designed to help potty train a boy. They come with an extra “splash guard,” or have a built in feature to keep everything where it belongs (namely, to keep urine off of your floor). We really like this one– simple, easy to clean, and takes care of business.

Ride the Potty Train

If you didn’t catch our advice to never mention the potty train in time, you’re going to have a very disappointed little boy in your hands. You’re going to need a potty train.

For us, that means that whenever he pees, we “ride the potty train” by marching the little potty to the bathroom while singing, “chugga Chugga Chugga Chugga, chugga chugga chugga chugga, POO. POO.” We make a big ceremony about flushing the contents of the potty and washing our hands. It’s weird, but EFFECTIVE.

Grab a Boy-Specific Book to Read

If you’ve got some masculine energy on your hands, you might need books that cater to those specific interests. Mainly, gross jokes and toilet humor.

Suzie over at He-Is-All-Boy.com has some HILARIOUS books that your little guy is sure to love. They’ll help him get interested in toilet training, and frankly, they’re just a lot of fun.

Consider reading these special books only when your child is sitting on the potty for a little extra reinforcement. It’ll turn all that time you’re waiting into something a little more fun, especially when you’re using a book that’s just his style.

Color Changing Potty Magic

Have you seen Crayola’s Magic Color Changing Drops? We use them in the bath on the reg for a little extra fun while we’re getting sudsy.

But don’t use those blue ones in the tub! Nope, those are reserved for the toilet. Drop a blue color drop in the toilet, and tell your little guy that he can turn the blue water green with his pee.

It really works, too. Your little guy will get a kick out of his magic pee (omg, I die a little just typing that, but if it works, IT WORKS). Talk about incentive to go!

Sit Backwards on the Toilet

My mother-in-law swears by this method for potty-training-a-boy, and says it worked wonders for my husband. Instead of sitting on the potty the normal way, your son will straddle the toilet, facing the tank. It eliminates splash back, and is more fun.

Tell him he’s a cowboy, and that the toilet is his horsie. Heck, give him a cowboy hat to wear everytime he sits. Whatever you can do to get him on board? Do that thing.

Buy Some SuperHero Underwear

Is your toddler SUPER into super heroes like mine? We bought this pack of DC Super Hero Underwear for Abram, and we told him that the underwear gives him super powers. So when he’s wearing the Flash undies, he moves super fast, and when he’s in Superman, he’s crazy strong. He LOVES it.

Except.

If you pee on your Flash underwear, of course you have to take them off. And then you can’t be super fast anymore. Nope, when you pee in your superhero underwear, you get a plain colored pair from this pack. You can’t have superhero undies back until you pee in the potty.

Clearly, you’re kid has to be old enough to “get it” before you use this trick. But it’s been really effective with Abram so far!

Take Aim

We haven’t actually done this yet, because I’m terrified for my son to find out that he has that much control over his urine. BUT a ton of boy moms swear by dropping a cheerio into the toilet, and having your son try to “hit” the cheerio with his pee.

I mean, you’ve got to give it to moms in the creativity department.

Get the Cool Soap

My son never wants to push pause on his play long enough to wash his hands.  As soon as I saw these soaps that a local mom makes, I knew we had the solution.

These soaps are not only super fun (they come with a toy inside!) but they are excellent incentive to get kids to wash their hands. If they wash their hands enough, the toy will be released from the soap and then they can play with it. Make sure to hype it up every time you wash. We like to chant, “come out army guy,” as he scrubs, but you do whatever works for you!

My favorite part is that these soaps are handmade by a local mom, so buying a soap supports small business as much as it does your son’s potty training endeavors. You can get your own by requesting to join Amanda’s Facebook group here, and then seeing what she’s got for sale.

*******

It can be a long process, but with the help of these potty training tips for boys, it can be a lot more fun.  Drop your favorite potty training tips in the comments below!

The post How to Potty Train a Boy (Without Driving Yourself Crazy) appeared first on The Salty Mamas.