Potty Training Boys – No Secrets Just My Potty Training Twin Boys Story

Well, first let me state my level of experience in the area. I haven’t potty trained any girls. This may work with them. I just can’t testify to that, since I don’t have any daughters of my own. I have potty trained 3 children. My first was going to the bathroom in 2 days. The twins (yes, twins) were very successful in just 3 days.

You may be wondering how I did it. Well, here’s my ‘secret’. I bribed my children a lot! I’m not kidding. I set up a reward system that would reward you for trying, for going, and even more for going #2!

my justification

I am not a child psychologist. Everyone has their answers and I am not one of them. I just spent some time thinking about what drives me to do something that I currently have no real desire to do. The answer – A reward!

We will do what we are currently doing until we feel too uncomfortable or there is something clearly more comfortable to do.

That said, it could take a few different routes. It could make them more uncomfortable. For me, that translates to ditching the super-absorbent disposable diapers that make life so easy and using cloth diapers that let your kids feel the ickiness of their messes. Yuck!

The alternative I chose was to give them the motivation to feel more comfortable doing something different!

My reward

For a week, we talked about ‘Potty Training Day’ and how they would get to be ‘Big Boys’ and wear underwear. We look at the superheroes in their underwear and we get very excited!

We also buy them candy. This can be just about anything your child is excited about. We made M&M’s, they don’t get them very often and they love them. Plus, it’s easy to give them a default amount for tries, hits, and #2 hits (big deal for this one!)

The day of potty training

When the day finally came, we made a big deal out of the whole thing. We got really excited for them and talked about how amazing it would be to wear underwear. They were so excited!

give them a sample

Yes, I gave them a sample of the treats they would get if they tried to go to the bathroom.

give them lots of juice

The juice runs through the kids like nothing else (at least my kids). So, I increased his consumption. I know, it’s got a lot of sugar, but hey.

Set a timer for potty training attempts

Every 30 minutes I told them it was time to go try. If they tried (sitting, standing, whatever works for you) they got a gift (3 M&M’s). If they were number 1, they got a bigger gift (5 M&Ms) and if they were very successful (you know what I mean, right?) they got 10 M&Ms.

• Day 1 – Test every 30 minutes. Reward like crazy. Praise them all day. Accidents – reassures them. Do not scream!
• Day 2 – Ask them every 30 minutes. Reward like crazy. Praise them all day.
• Accidents – reassures them. Do not scream!
• Day 3 – Keep an eye on them and see if you can remind yourself of them throughout the day. Reward only for success, not just for trying. Praise them like crazy.
• Day 4 – Hold – should be fine now. Just keep an eye on it and anticipate situations where it might be difficult (shutters, playground, etc.)

There you go. That’s all I did.