Is it Easier to Potty Train Girls?
Rumor has it that potty training girls is easier than potty training boys. Is it true? You moms with girls are crossing your fingers that it is, and you moms with boys are praying it’s not.
From my experience of training 2 boys and a girl, a girl is not easier to potty train than a boy nor is she harder. So, don’t stress if you are a boy mom and don’t assume it will be easier if you are a girl mom. It’s just a process that depends on the child’s readiness and unique personality.
My daughter was a couple months younger than my boys when she was ready to potty train, but I have a very strong-willed daughter (one day that will be good, right?) that took longer to potty train because it had to be in her terms and her timing. If she got mad at me for not doing something she requested, then she would lash out by having an “accident.” But once SHE decided she wanted to potty train it was a smoother process.
My second son is easy-going, but gets pretty engrossed in his play. When I started potty training him, he was showing signs of being ready and was really excited about it, but he wasn’t quite ready to be interrupted during his play time to stop and go use the bathroom. So he needed a few extra months to mature before he was actually ready to potty train. I decided to take a break from potty training him, and start over when he was a few months older. Once he restarted potty training he got the hang of it fairly quickly.
My oldest is competitive and does not like to lose, so once he started potty training he was not going to give up until he was potty trained. Luckily, he was showing signs of readiness, so he wasn’t defeated from the beginning. He got disappointed in himself if he had an accident, but he recouped and pushed through.
What do you think is going to be the hardest part of potty training based on your child’s personality? Email me to share.
Standing or Sitting for Boys?
When my boys first started potty training they learned by sitting down on the potty. I thought this would be less of a mess for me to clean up, and I couldn’t really show them how to stand and pee (HAHA!). But once they got really good at potty training—knowing when they needed to go, getting on the potty themselves, pulling pants up and down themselves, and washing hands themselves—then I felt they were ready to start standing to pee.
I thought it would be a fun learning experience (and less mess) if I made standing to pee a game. So I kept a bowl of Cheerios in the bathroom, and each time my boys needed to go to the bathroom they would put 3 Cheerios in the potty, stand on the stool, and aim for the Cheerios. They would come out saying that they hit the Cheerios and I didn’t have to clean up pee that missed the toilet…win win!
Each child is unique, so each potty training experience is going to be unique. But you can do it whether you have a boy or girl—strong-willed child or easy-going child!
