Potty Training a Boy - Olympia,WA

I tried to potty train my son around that age and for a couple of days he did really well. Then he stopped and didn't want to have anything to do with his potty at all. I tried again when he 2 but he still didn't want to do it. On his 3rd birthday I finally told my son that this was his last day wearing diapers and after this day there will be no more diapers. I had my son try to go potty about every 15 minutes in the beginning then it went to every 30 minutes. I took it slowly at first so that way he can get use to it. It took me about a month or so for him to use the potty on his own.

I find that with boys you can start training them at 2, and spend a year potty training, or you can start training them at 3, and spend a couple of days potty training. Putting a child on a potty every hour is really a lot of work, and would really cut into time that could be spent having fun or getting stuff done. I would give up for a while and wait until he is older, or asks to use the potty.

There are numerous strategies for potty training, and not all of them fit all children/family situations. Here's a really useful website you might find helpful. It gives "readiness" checklists, plus tips on various approaches, the best ages to start them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach: http://www.parentingscience.com/potty-training-tips.html

Good luck! My grandson trained in a matter of days when he was around 2.5, as did my daughter. Both indicated interest and willingness before going for it, and the process was pretty simple and quick for both. Beyond a few stickers for my grandson, rewards were not needed. While it is possible to train children much earlier, it's often with the ongoing need of alertness and teamwork on the part of the parents. Most children won't become completely independent potty-users until age 2 or older, when they can recognize the urge in time, decide to quit playing and go, and take care of their own clothing and wiping needs.

Keep the potty there but back off and give him another year. He is too young.

I think he might be a little young for traditional potty training but if you feel that, that is the route you want to go then you should look into EC (elimination communication) It isn't so much about training your LO it's more about becoming aware of his cues when he does have to go. Either way good luck.

While he may be showing some readiness, he's most likely too young.
While you can encourage this behavior, he will probably not be potty trained at this age and it's okay.

Having a toddler potty handy is great. Have him stand & aim for the small toilet potty.

Have him watch your husband.
Encourage him but don't be defeated if he can't do it just yet.
It will most likely occur at age 3 (starting to show signs at at 2 1/2).
Don't punish just reward.

I have two boys, and I always followed their lead in potty training. I encourage them when they are interested and I don't push when they aren't. Boys are known to not be fully potty trained until around 4 years of age. So don't get discouraged. If you push when your son does not want to, the training can backfire on you and he will become resistant in wanting to learn.
My advice is to use diapers or pullups and just encourage him whenever he is interested. You'll have better luck that way. :-) And less of a mess. lol
If he goes pee in the potty, the only reward needed is lots of praise, clapping and telling him "GREAT JOB" with a big smile. :-D Just as long as you're following his lead, you're not doing anything wrong. :-) Some boys are potty trained by the age of 2 yrs, but my Pediatrician said boys are much slower than girls when it comes to this and not to be discouraged and it could take until they are well into their 4s to be fully trained. It took my oldest son until age of 4. He was peeing in the potty at age 3, but it took a lot longer for number 2 in the potty. :-)

My mom is a child psychologist, and she has this line "No matter what, you're only as old as you are." Meaning, a child can be very cognitively advanced, or very physically advanced, but socially and emotionally they won't be any more mature than every other child that age.

Your son sounds bright and wonderful -- really impressive! -- but I would back off on the potty training. Going potty takes cognitive maturity ("I do this here, I don't do it there") that even the most gifted 1-year-old won't have. Ultimately, he's the one who's going to need to use the potty. You've already mastered that art ;). So wait for signs of readiness from him.

I, personally, this he's too young to potty train. I know there are some or many on here who disagree. I started my first one earlier and it was just not a good idea for either of us. When he was older, like 2 1/2 or 2yrs. 8 months, it's so much easier and they just are done in a day. I've written on here before what my view on it is and how to do it, or how I did. I've potty trained my 8 and one grandchild and helped with 2 other grandchildren so it works and I also found out along the way with the first ones what NOT to do. My advice is wait a bit until after 2 and boys and girls are people and I didn't find much difference really. Sometimes a girl is more interested, sometimes not. I set a timer, put mine on every 15 min at first and then went to 30 min if they went for several times. Then let them sit on the potty a little but I wouldn't do as long as you are. Please wait though until he's a bit older. It will be easier for you, less upset in the end for him.

When I was potty training my son, we'd keep Cheerios next to the potty. When I'd try to get him to go, we'd throw a few in the toilet, and try to get him to hit the Cheerios. He'd get a sticker for every Cheerio he hit. It was hilarious to hear him scream "I got one!" which was almost always followed by "Oops, sorry." (cause he had gotten so excited he peed on the seat, lol!)

I say put him on every hour for maybe 5 minutes. If he doesn't go, put his pants back on him and move on. I do want to say though, 15 months seems awfully young to be trying to potty train. Has he shown signs that he's ready? My youngest showed signs at 15 months, but she had serious issues controlling her bladder. She didn't have the muscle strength yet to do it.

He is too young, IMHO. Let him tell you when he's ready or it will take much longer than necessary.

My sister tried to push it on her daughter (because her fiance was being a royal pain about it), but my niece resisted and was 3 when she finally got it, which is late for a girl, IMHO.

He's pretty young. Keep the potty out and let him use it when he wants, whether it's five times a day or once a week. Huggies makes a diaper that's more like a pull up which makes potty time a little easier. But really, wait until he's at least two and shows some muscle control and interest before trying again. You will probably have less problems later on.

ETA
Try to pick a different reward than food. Stickers, tattoos, or a special potty song may be good alternatives. We have a song we sing and he gets to flush the toilet. It works for us.