5yo boy messy peeing habits

[Still_Learning]

I am soooo tired of my bahroom getting covered in urine. We've tried the cherrio targets, reminding him to pee in the water.... he always reverts back to not paying attention and peeing all over the place.

Anyone know ANYTHING to do here?? It's so gross and stinky. The grout absorbs it and it's such an ordeal to get it clean.

I want a urinal!!

[AllyRae]

My 6 year old still does it, so we keep a towel near the toilet and he has to help wipe the toilet seat and floor off if he misses, since the natural consequence of peeing out of the toilet is having to clean it up. He doesn't miss very often if he sees the towel because he doesn't want to have to wipe it up. :

[VisionaryMom]

We told DS from the very beginning that it was his job to clean up the toilet seat (or floor!) if he missed. We only had that problem for about a week before it stopped. We just took him back into the bathroom to clean up after himself if he didn't do it on his own.

[luv-my-boys]

As my sig name implies Im the only "squatter" (as DH call it) in the house So from when the boys started going on their own I have made it their "job" to clean up after themselves. They are little so I get that their aim isnt that great. I also ended up keeping a set of bath rugs (the kind that look like a U) in the closet and they switch it out to clean it. It has helped with the pee in the grout issue at our house at least around the toilet. Plus I keep wipes (baby wipes) and they know to clean up the seat and any drips.

[mistymama]

I'll agree with everyone else - if you make him clean it up, his aim will probably improve!

I keep a spray bottle of vingegar/water under the bathroom sink along with rags. In the beginning I had to remind him often to go clean up - but trust me, it didn't take long before he was aiming like a pro.

[Ruthla]

Could you teach him to pee sitting down? My DS doesn't "miss" any more than my daughters did at that age (sometimes waiting a bit too long to pee and then hitting the almost-pulled-down underwear). When he started preschool, he saw other boys standing to pee, tried it at home, then decided he didn't like it. He'll pee standing up if there's a urinal available, otherwise he sits down.

[AbbieB]

When I taught Kindergarten and had a classroom with it's own bathroom I solved the problem by letting everyone know they would have to wipe up after themselves. If a kid went in and found a mess, the last kid that had used it was sent back in to clean up.

I never had a problem and rarely had to send anyone back in.

I think it helps that I made the rule and enforced it with kindness, it was never a punitive thing. it was more about "Do you want to use a yucky bathroom? Neither do I. So let's all clean up after ourselves."

Keeping wipes or other cleaning supplies handy is a great idea.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I would make him sit. That is how I taught ds to use the bathroom.

[pixiekisses]

Yup, my boys sit, I teach them from the start to do that.

[Tjej]

A friend and I were recently talking about this, and apparently it happens when they hold it until the last minute and it sort of shoots in different ways when it comes out so fast.

I have instituted the "clean up after yourself" policy, which I do have to enforce, and it has helped a lot (my DS isn't this old, but a friend of ours who is here a fair bit).

Tjej

[MusicianDad]

I'm in the "have him sit" camp. Boys don't need to stand up to pee.

[AbbieB]

Originally Posted by MusicianDad

I'm in the "have him sit" camp. Boys don't need to stand up to pee.

Interesting. MusicianDad, your insights are always so dead on (at least for me).

The fact that a you, a Dad, are saying sit is making me rethink my approach with DS, who is only 2 and not quite ready. My DH has been very reluctant to take on the responsibility of helping DS learn when the time comes and I was a little nervous of teaching DS to sit, thinking it was too much of a girl oriented approach (as in biological plumbing differences, not feminine vs. masculine).

So at what point do folks that say sit think kids are ready to stand? Is it a height thing? Or thing or is this something they just figure out on their own at some point, maybe as a social thing?

[pixiekisses]

It's better for boys to sit anyway, it decreases the risk of prostate cancer. So really, everyone should.
My 11 yo. sits at home and in cubicles, if he uses the urinals he obviously stands. 6 yo. has never peed standing up, he'll probably learn in a few years.

[VisionaryMom]

Abbie, DS's preschool has urinals. The boys all stand, so I'm sure there would be the social pressure to stand once they're old enough to be around others using the bathroom. Plus, for finicky boys like my DS, standing typically is much cleaner in a public restroom (from what he says anyway). He has a real problem if he goes into a stall and it's at all dirty.

[lerlerler]

http://www.peterpotty.com/

We LOVE ours! (although my boy is barely 3)

[monkaha]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

It's better for boys to sit anyway, it decreases the risk of prostate cancer. So really, everyone should.

do you have a source for this?

[pixiekisses]

Originally Posted by monkaha

do you have a source for this?

Why don't you just google it yourself. I only have the info. in norwegian, so.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

It's better for boys to sit anyway, it decreases the risk of prostate cancer. So really, everyone should.

Interesting. Sitting increases the risk of hemorrhoids. So really, everyone should avoid sitting. You should google it.

[MusicianDad]

Originally Posted by AbbieB

So at what point do folks that say sit think kids are ready to stand? Is it a height thing? Or thing or is this something they just figure out on their own at some point, maybe as a social thing?

Honestly, I only stand when needed. As in, out in the middle of nowhere where the only place to go is behind a tree sort of thing, or public bathrooms.

Just remember that he still has to point and shoot when he sits down.

[MusicianDad]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Interesting. Sitting increases the risk of hemorrhoids. So really, everyone should avoid sitting. You should google it.

I'd rather have hemorroids then prostate cancer.