At what age do you start potty training a boy?

When they're ready.

I'd introduce them to the potty at a young age, talk to them about how they'll use it when they're bigger, let them see you use the potty, etc. But honestly, it differs greatly from child to child. I didn't think my older son would be ready until well after age 3, but then one day it just clicked for him, and within a week he was potty trained, and within 2 weeks even overnight. As long as they're familiar with what they're supposed to do, when they're ready they'll usually just do it. Of course for a few weeks he chose stickers each time he used the potty, but then it just because routine and he's never wet the bed (except once when he was sick). He was 2 years 9 months when he potty trained.
My 2 year old seems very uninterested (he was partially EC'd, but unlearned it when he started walking, and copied his brother who ran away naked after usig the potty and would never sit on it after that), but I'm taking the same approach that when he's ready, he'll just do it.

Now as a nanny, I potty trained girls, and it was closer to 2. But I used the same approach and rewarded with stickers for a few weeks.

- Krista

My DD is 3.5 years and just potty learned, but she did it on her terms when she was ready. DS who is almost 2, shows great interest, but doesn't seem ready. I tried putting a potty chair in the living room/play room where we spend most of our time during the day and all he does is play with it, throw it down the stairs, use the potty bowl as a hat etc etc He knows what it is used for since he's seen DD use it and use the toilet, but I don't think he is actually ready to use it on a regular basis.

With DS, I'm just taking the same approach we used with DD, just waiting until he is ready, better able to talk and communicate more clearly, but more than anything just watching for the signs that he is ready, not that we are ready. If that is tomorrow, great, if it's not for another 2 years, that's no problem either.

I didn't really read anything on potty learning except to pop in here to MDC and read throug the advice on those specific threads. I just followed DD's cues, put the potty chair out and let her get used to the idea. One day out of the blue, she just started doing it, and not from any "training" on our parts. She learned it on her own, on her terms and hasn't looked back since.

I would do the same with your DS, just get the potty chair, get him used to the idea and just see how it goes. When he's ready you'll know.

HTH!

:muchlove

My kids decided that it was time at 18 mos and 19 mos. The first is a girl, the second a boy. We used cloth diapers, always let them see us use the potty, had a ring and a small potty available, but never ever pushed, or even mentioned it until they brought it up. DD still needs to be wakened to be brought to the potty when we go to bed at night, as she's a "heavy wetter" and sometimes wouldn't make it all night (she's now four). DS, on the other hand, was dry at night for WEEKS before he decided to put his stuff in the potty. Every child is different...that said, I have NEVER believed that a boy takes longer to train just 'cause he's a boy. It is different CHILD TO CHILD not on basis of gender, IMHO. And, by the way, I was a nanny for over a decade before I had my own, and it was the same for those kids...they all learned at the age they were ready, and not a day sooner...and there was little difference boy to girl.

My son was ready at about 22 months, but we didn't really go with it because we were expecting a new baby. I then tried at 28.5 months, and he pretty much got the hang of it in a day. We used stickers, some snacks, verbal rewards.... and lots of praise. Showed him how to use the potty, empty it, pull on/off underwear, etc. Key for us was getting cloth underwear and cloth training pants that were a bit big--so he could easily get them on and off. Also key was finding a potty he liked He did not like the molded one piece models... I think he kept hitting his penis on it when he sat on it. We ended up with a Graco training rewards potty... which he loves. Taught him to use it w/o the splash guard and just to push his penis down at first. (Of course, once he saw Grandpa pee standing up....that was his new preferred method. )

The Graco has a soft cushy seat with two handles that can fit on the big potty. Base becomes a step stool. Bowl is really big and easy to lift out and empty. I think I paid $14.99 at Toys-R-Us for it.

We also got this annoying video called "Potty Power"... my son adores it, drives me crazy. He goes around telling people on the street that he has "Potty Power" (and holds up his hand). We have the Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Video which he likes as well.... but the Potty Power video is more potty instructional. Like how they tell them to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while they wash their hands.

For us, we weren't pushing... he wanted to learn.... and was so happy when he had mastered it. The little guy is still so proud of himself everytime he does a "big one" in the potty (his word for a BM).

My ds learned about a month after his 3rd birthday but didn't poop train until he was 2 months shy of 4. The Dr Sears has some interesting tips for potty learning, like how it is hard to push when their feet are dangling, etc. For us, poop learning was really hard, both of my sons poop standing up and it's hard work teaching your body to do something while sitting. I think of it as similar to learning kegels with closed legs, then trying to do them with open legs. Anyway, ds2 has been mostly pee trained (well, naked trained for the most part) since about 17 months and has pushed for poop a couple times but isn't quite patient enough to wait for a result. I don't think it differs according to gender, I think it differs according to each child.

For starters we keep them naked at home and when they start to pee we rush to the potty. 2 things happen with this: 1) they make a connection between peeing and going in the potty and 2) they learn how to stop peeing until we reach a potty. We do that for quite a while before we move to potty learning with clothes and then finally the pooping thing, being receptive to when they want to do things. It's a long process over here but when they are ready to move to the next stage, it happens very quickly.