Toilet training boys: potty or toilet seat, standing or sitting?

[DomesticGoddessInTraining]

I'm nowhere nearly ready to start toilet training DS, but just musing over the options (instead of studying; I can get distracted by just about anything...).

Rather than go through potty training then progressing onto the toilet seat, I'm considering trying to skip the potty stage when the time comes so would appreciate any success (or failure) stories and tips and tricks.

Also, and I appreciate that this is probably a pretty daft question, when do you teach boys to pee standing up? Can you do it from the start or is it more sensible to wait till they've mastered sitting down?

Hello DG, fancy meeting you here !

I have just read the MN Toddlers' Guide section on potty training and found it very interesting and informative. But am interested in others' opinions, cos, like you, I'm not ready but finding the whole thing quite daunting already .

My DS is 4. When he was training (aged 2) he was worried about the big toilet and preferred a potty - smaller, more attractive etc, can use it whilst watching TV . My DD is now 2 and she is currently training. Despite DS and me and DH using the toilet, DD much prefers the potty. So I would go for the potty and then progress to the toilet afterwards.

Some little boys can train standing up for a wee, but I think most train sitting down and then learn to stand up later. I think - certainly this is what DS did.

I bought ds a potty and one of those seats that go on the toilet. I thought I'd try both. DS preferred the potty at first, because I could have it in the living room for quick access. He was wary of the baby toilet seat thingy at first, and actually preferred going on the proper loo seat. I was quite happy with this because I thought it would be easier when we were out and about, I wouldn't have to carry the seat around with me.

Now he's happy to do any combination of the above, it's a whim thing with him.

As for standing up/sitting down, ds started by doing it sitting down, but one day when he was running around naked and I was bfing dd he took himself off to the loo and did a standing up wee by himself (he put one foot on the seat and one foot on the floor so he could get some height to get his willy over the loo seat). It's just another one to add to the mix, sometimes he wants to do a "daddy pee" and sometimes he wants to sit on the potty. Not sure if that's been any help.

Thanks all for taking the time to post. If my DS thought it was going to get him more TV time he'd sit on it all day qk

Eddie - you mean there are pages outside of talk?!?!

We started with sitting on a potty first, then sitting on the toilet, then finally "standing up pees" which he learned to do peeing outside with Dad (note my DH wasn't peeing in the garden, just teaching DS1!!!)

Thanks everyone, that's all very useful to know.

at the lack of time to change rooms cat64! Thankfully we have no carpets downstairs and a downstairs loo. Our carpets upstairs need replacing but I'm definitely waiting until the toilet training is done before doing that!

Would still hope to hear from anyone who went straight to toilet seat without using a potty just for another perspective, if any such person comes across this thread...

I didn't bother with a potty for DS or DD1. I bought a little clip-on soft toilet seat that was comfortable and made the toilet less of a gaping hole to fall into, plus a little step stool. I had DS stand to pee right from the start -- he aimed at cheerio fishes. He loved being able to pee standing up, as his older sister had to sit (although she also tried standing occasionally when she found out what her brother was up to..)

I also thought it made sense for them to start as we intended to continue, and why learn to go in the potty when they would have to relearn about the toilet eventually, and possibly develop fears about falling in, being swallowed, etc. Using a potty would just make two jobs out of one process, I thought.

We bought several potties for DS1 to try - he hated all of them, we gave up and he started off sitting on the loo (with seat thing) each night before the bath, it didn't matter if he did a wee or not, we gave lots of praise for sitting on the loo and more often than not we would have no wee on the loo and then a wee as soon as he stood in the warm bath!!!!

we gave up and on the advice of a good friend just started to see if he would we in the toilet if daddy was doing it at the same time (cross swords they call it) it worked and we have never looked back, always standing and for a few weeks holding off having a poo until we put his nightitme nappy on but then we cracked it.

similar events with DS2

We have a potty downstairs and a Potette for emergencies when out, but learning to wee standing up was a real turning-point for DS. He wasn't keen on sitting on the nursery toilets, but has happily stood up at an assortment of nursery/public loos and behind various bushes, and all his reluctange about weeing in unfamiliar places vanished within a day or two of mastering standing-up weeing. He's showing an interest in sitting on his loo seat now, but still prefers pooing in potties.

Thanks all for taking the time to reply. I think when the time comes we'll see how we get on with the toilet seat. We can always get a potty if it doesn't work out.

at 'crossing swords'!