When it comes to potty training, the most common question is, “Should I teach him to urinate sitting down or standing up?” In this sense, potty training boys can be a bit more challenging (especially for mom!) than potty training girls, however, one should not despair. It just comes down to the approach used instead of the method!
Potty training kids is a pretty big task on its own. If you look at it from your child’s perspective, you are asking your child to learn several different things. A child becomes aware of his body around one year of age, but it is not until you start training him that he begins to associate the feeling of fullness with the result: pee or poo.
The next step in potty training comes when your child realizes that instead of just doing his diaper job, he has to stop what he’s doing and go get his potty. Then he has to use his coordination to take off his clothes and underwear and use the potty. If on top of all that now he has to make a decision about whether what she’s feeling requires her to get up or sit down, then she could run out of time and have an accident. Can you see why, when potty training kids, teaching them two different things from the start might not be a good idea?
While there really isn’t a wrong way versus a right way, most experts will choose to sit rather than stand. Then, once you have successfully potty trained your child and a period of time has passed without accidents, you can switch to standing.
Another reason why sitting is a better starting point for potty training children is because, as they begin to “exercise” and control their muscles, bowel movements often occur along with urination. If a child is standing up, this will not only cause an accident, but will definitely confuse her child by making this more like one step forward, two steps back.
From two and a half to three years old, children are very interested in gender roles and you may notice that your child imitates his father or older brother. This may cause him to insist on standing while he urinates. If this happens, just do it. The power struggle is not worth it, and in this case, you can set your child back. If you’re potty training a child who wants to pee standing up like dad, then focus on getting down the pee part first and then the poop part.
Also, if your child is in day care, be aware of their potty training methods. If they always start standing up when potty training, then be a team player and teach them the same way!
