Potty training boy: how do you NOT take off shorts and underwear?

[Anonymous]

Maybe I'm missing something. If his shorts and underpants are by his ankles, his legs are squeezed together. On the little potty the pee shoots straight forward, and on the big potty or public toilets, where he has to sit all the way back and straddle the toilet, it just doesn't work at all. What do you do? He is almost 25 months.

Should we just teach him how to pee standing up? He does that on his own sometimes, but just sort of aims his body at the little potty and it isn't exactly accurate. I guess we should teaching him how to hold his penis when he does this.

[georgiegirl]

He's too young to aim - and in my limited experience, perhaps a bit too young to potty train.

However, if he is indeed ready, sit him on the toilet and have him aim down (like a girl). Once he has more control, he'll learn how to aim and pee while standing.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP on having him sit and aim down - that is what we are doing with our 3-year old boy and it is working fine. I have also avoided the standing approach.

[Anonymous]

I have to give my son's old preschool the credit for this (I disliked many things about the school, but they knew how to get a kid to pee).

With sitting, they told him to lean forward and point his pee-pee down. At home, he just took his pants off (it is easier), but I think he could manage to keep his legs close and do it. He sort of let his but sink into the toilet and leaned forward.

Standing up, they taught him to lean forward and grab the upright toilet seat (and from small potties, use a wall behind it). Then they can hit the toilet easily.

When out and the boy wants to stand up (and my DH figured this out). You pick the boy up, and let his shoed feet actually stand on the toilet and have them lean foward grap the upright toilet seat or lean on the wall (holding on to their waist). Of course, this is followed by you screaming to not touch anything until they wash their hands

With this, we never had hitting the potty issues - until of course, my son figured out that he COULD aim, and then he aimed for wall.

[Anonymous]

We had to disrobe (shorts/undies) as to not soak everything. Did this for several months before he learning how to stand (3y.)

[Anonymous]

We disrobe. Huge pain. But will try the lets together-aim down strategy!