How I Toilet Train My Boys

1. Catch Them When They Pee/Poo

The early days takes a lot of close observation, which is why toilet training is such a pain because I have to attend to my other kids and housework as well.  Inevitably, there will be lots of accidents and cleaning up.  You cannot toilet train without dealing with accidents.  Wearing a diaper or a pair of training pants is counter-productive, as you cannot catch them doing it if they are wearing diapers or training pants.    I usually leave the child butt naked at home.  If not, it would just be a simple pair of underpants that will be wet and soaked through the moment he pees.  My youngest now wears an pair of open-crotch pants at home so that he can go to the potty without help.  

Training pants and pull-up diapers are really unnecessary and counter-productive.  Yes, they may catch one or two pee and prevent accidents.  But they also cause you to not catch the child peeing/pooing in time, which is vitally important in toilet training.  Even if you do, they are such a hassle to remove in time.  In the beginning days of toilet training, the kid cannot wait.  He also cannot pull down the pants on his own yet.  So my advice would be to save yourself some money and just let your child go butt naked.  If not, just get some basic underpants that your child will eventually have to wear anyway.  Underpants are also easier for the child to take off on his own when he is able to go to the potty without help. Save the training pants or pull-up diapers for times when you go out with your child.

2. Bring them to the Potty

The objective is simply this : Try to catch the child just before he pees/poos and quickly bring him to the potty so that he does his act there.  Then he will associate elimination with the potty.  In other words, what you want to establish is this correlation: Pee/Poo = Go Potty

In the beginning, you will have many misses but eventually, you will start catching him in time and when that happens, the child will start to understand that pee/poo = go potty.  Even if you miss the chance, as long as you see your child do it, immediately after that, put him on the potty.  It will also help to establish the pee/poo = go potty association. It actually does not take long for him to get the idea.  Once you catch him in time for a few times, he will soon learn to go on his own.

People like me need some discipline to make myself conscientiously bring my child to the potty.  So if you are like me, it is a good idea to bring your child to the potty every 2 hours.  If he pees, great.  If not, no harm done.

3. Reward Works!

Even if you are the type of parent who scorns at the idea of reward/bribery, even if you are the kind of parent who are horrified by the idea of giving the child sweets, seriously consider using this method for toilet training.  Nothing incentivise a child to go to the potty than a good reward, usually a candy.  You can try using toys or star charts but I find candies work the best because it is instant gratification.  Besides, at 1.5 - 2 years, the child may not be able to understand the concept of star chart.  If you are really uptight about giving candies, then consider getting something natural, like those fruits gums from health food stores.

Once the child understands pee/poo = go potty = treats!!!  you are almost there for toilet training.  Of course, this reward system does not go on forever.  I phase it out when going to the potty becomes the norm.  In fact, my youngest (who is only at the 1st week of toilet training) no longer asks for reward. The sense of achievement is enough thrill for him.