Potty training sucks. I hate to say it, but I know you are all thinking it. Well, maybe some of you love it and are eagerly awaiting the day you begin while others are putting it off until the last possible moment. And still others, those who are “done,” are looking back at us all and laughing at our fear and anxieties. Well, maybe not laughing, but you get the idea.

Anyway, it is about “that time” with my youngest so I decided to do some reading about potty training boys being that I cannot remember a darn thing about how I did it with my first.  I have vague memories of the potty in the living room and a stack of books about fire engines, but that is about it. I wondered (and hoped) if there might be some fantastic, new discovery in the field of potty training– perhaps someone found the magical switch on your child that you flip from “diaper “to “toilet” or that some renowned pediatrician somewhere revealed the mathematical equation that computes the exact day and time to train your child successfully in one day or less. No such luck. Pretty much most of what I found out there is what was out there back then- you know, 3 years ago when I trained my eldest.  So I didn’t find anything new nor anything that made the prospect of potty training my son more desireable or exciting, but I continued reading anyway because, well, I still had hope….

Finally, after quite a bit of searching, I came across something useful. Something I could sink my teeth into. Something that could be helpful in my home.  It was an article about whether to train your son to pee standing or sitting.   I already know that there is no way in heck I am teaching my son to pee standing up.  He is going to learn the old-fashioned way of sitting!  But, what the article said next what got me and it was oh so relevant to my eldest.  It was a list of ways to teach your child to AIM. Ha! Ha!  That is what I need. Not information about when or how to train my youngest, but how to train my eldest to aim— at the toilet that is.  I am soooo tired of cleaning up pee around the toilet  and having it blamed on the dog.

So, sorry to disappoint those you who were looking for ideas about potty training boys. I apologize for not finding that magical technique or switch to make it all easier. But, what I did find may lessen your load as your son gets older and save you a little time when cleaning the bathroom!

Here it is! A list of things you can do to help your son learn to aim. Wonder if they work on the husband too… 🙂

• Have him “sink the battle ship”; use toilet targets, toilet paper, cheerios, or even ice cubes colored with food coloring and have your child aim at the battle ship.
• Change the color of the toilet water to blue by using cleaning tablets or food coloring. When he pees in it, he will see the color change to green.
• Add a little shampoo to the water and it will create bubbles as he pees.
• Let him pee outside – in the backyard, in the woods or even in the snow. Have him practice aiming at something or writing in the snow.
• Let him and his brother or father have a peeing party.

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