Another potty training question

**cheriede** · 07-31-2008, 10:52 PM

Is it REALLY that much harder to potty train a boy? I've always heard people say it, but I'm just wondering if that's the case.

My 4 year old dd just finally became potty-trained about 6 weeks ago. She is a very strong-willed child and it was difficult. I thought my third girl would be the easiest because she has two older sisters, but I was dead wrong. I now have one more child that needs to be potty-trained and I've never been through potty-training with a boy. I keep telling myself that it can't be any more difficult than dd#3 or can it?? The good news is that DS started showing readiness signs at 18 months like dd#1 and dd#2. DD#3 wouldn't have anything to do with the potty until she was 3 1/2years old.

I would just like to have some of your thoughts about the difficulties of training boys and girls. Thanks.

**Sundae** · 08-01-2008, 07:28 AM

I totaly think each kid is different. And feel each one is ready when their ready, wheather they are girl or boy. My SIL said I was going to have bed wetters for it ran in the family, all her kids (4) wet the bed, I did not have any at all.
Just coach him along and have paintence, but you have already done that with 3 so I feel you will not have any problems.

**nuisance26** · 08-01-2008, 08:13 AM

~I think personality has more to to with it than anything. And of course physical development also delays the start of training. Both my kids are speech delayed and very petite(off the charts for their weight). Even after I knew he was ready to master the potty, ds was still incredibly stubborn about it. He would sit on the potty a half hour at a time, singing to himself and laughing at whatever it was he was thinking about. He finally got serious about it after the 5th or 6th attempt and finished training by 38 months. I was so happy thinking about how much easier it would be to teach dd. Wow, was I ever wrong! DD didn't start showing readiness signs until the beginning of this summer! And she's much more resistant to learning this. She actually throws a big hissy fit with screaming when I have her sit on the potty. I've tried 3 potty awareness days without any interest at all from her. After our big family reunion next week I'm letting her run around naked for a few days.~

**blitzen** · 08-01-2008, 08:29 AM

I've never potty trained a girl, but I don't think boys are any harder--like the above poster said, it has a lot to do with personality. When it came to potty training my older son, we made a few attempts without success--then one day he just decided he was done with diapers and he was done. It was really simple once HE decided he was ready.

Now, my second child (also a boy) is 3 1/2. He has zero interest in potty training and it is stressing me out! I just can't deal with the diapers any more.

**AmyBoz** · 08-01-2008, 09:08 AM

It took longer to potty train our middle son than it did to train our oldest daughter. However, girls mature faster than boys, so I think they are generally just more ready for it. That being said, although he is NOWHERE near being trained, my 2 1/2 year old son asks to "go potty" where he doesn't actually do anything, but stands there and tries. Patrick never did that. He was 3 1/2 before he even started being interested in the potty. I think more than a boy/girl difference, but an individual child difference.

My best advice is don't push. It will happen eventually. We're all potty trained now.

**McD** · 08-01-2008, 09:33 AM

I think it's personality. Let me tell you the story of Little Wesley's Potty Training Adventure.

Wesley tells me when he is poopy or pooping and hwen he is wet. He knows when he is going so to me that signified that he was ready to begin potty training. Wesley had different ideas.
This child is so stubborn that he would hold his urine for hours b/c he refused to pee in his underwear or in the toilet. He literally threw an hour long temper tantrum running from room to room (because if he stopped running he was going to pee) demanding we put a diaper on him. At one point, he even stopped drinking anything b/c he was able to figure out that whatever he drank he ended up peeing. Long story short... 3 days, 47 pairs of wet underwear, 3 pees in the potty, he had got a UTI because of holding it for so long and never completely voiding his bladder.

My little boy is incredibly smart but incredibly stubborn.

**nuisance26** · 08-01-2008, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by MrsMcDowell

I think it's personality. Let me tell you the story of Little Wesley's Potty Training Adventure.

Wesley tells me when he is poopy or pooping and hwen he is wet. He knows when he is going so to me that signified that he was ready to begin potty training. Wesley had different ideas.
This child is so stubborn that he would hold his urine for hours b/c he refused to pee in his underwear or in the toilet. He literally threw an hour long temper tantrum running from room to room (because if he stopped running he was going to pee) demanding we put a diaper on him. At one point, he even stopped drinking anything b/c he was able to figure out that whatever he drank he ended up peeing. Long story short... 3 days, 47 pairs of wet underwear, 3 pees in the potty, he had got a UTI because of holding it for so long and never completely voiding his bladder.

My little boy is incredibly smart but incredibly stubborn.

~That's just like my ds! He STILL runs around room to room holding it until we tell him to go use the potty! It's like he's obsessed with the control of it.~

**cheriede** · 08-01-2008, 10:16 AM

My 4 year finally became potty-trained because I finally pushed her into it. She was literally busting out of size 6 diapers and I couldn't find size 7 diapers. I refused to tell her about Depends.

I told my 4 year old that I can't buy any bigger size diapers and that she had to start going to the potty. I stripped her down and she finally started going. Luckily, I didn't have the issue of her holding it (had that problem with dd#2). Of course, I have another problem now. She doesn't like to wear underwear now and I have to check periodically to see if she's wearing it. Then again, I think I can deal with that better than diapers. She is just too funny sometimes!!

DS will go in the potty but he is happy and content still going in his diaper. Truth be told, I want a break and don't want to even think about potty-training him. So for now, we are both fine with him in diapers. As long as he isn't 4 years old and I can find the next size up in the diaper, then I don't really have too much of a problem.

**hugxlaughxsmilexlove** · 08-01-2008, 09:37 PM

DD1 was potty trained by 24 months - she loves wearing undies (she's 4) and probably changes them 2 times a day!
My 18 month old is just starting to sit on the potty, has gone pee once but will otherwise just sit there. Definitely have a lot of time with her - hopefully by 24 months though as DD3 is due Oct 12.. don't want two in diapers for too long!!