Boys - can you train them standing up?

[CuppaTeaJanice]

DS (2.5)is showing interest in potties and toilets, so I think it's time to start potty training.

However I can't see how we could do it the traditional, sitting down way. He doesn't like sitting on a potty or toilet for very long, and however I position him, his willy seems to be halfway over the seat so it's unlikely anything would go into the pan anyway!

A couple of days ago he asked to go to the toilet 'just like Daddy', and happily stood on a step in front of the toilet for a good five minutes. I'm now wondering if it would be easier to train him to wee standing up right from the start? Has anybody else trained their DS this way, and was it successful?

[theyoungvisiter]

You can, but it may make poo training harder.

DS1 never liked to wee sitting down and he was really slow to train for poos, I think because he never got the idea of sitting on the potty.

Whereas DS2 appears to be training himself ( - nothing I've done!). He's sitting on the potty and has done deliberate wees but also several accidental poos at the same time, so I'm hoping this may give him the idea faster.

[CuppaTeaJanice]

I think poo training may be a way off yet - his preferred pooing position is sitting on the floor, usually under a table, knees to his chest, head in hands, with one trouser leg pulled up . He doesn't seem keen to poo in any other way just yet.

[belgo]

Yes, we've been encouraging ds to wee into a little container, since he was about 17 months or so. He is now nearly two and sits down on the potty for wees, but pooing sitting down is harder because nappies allow them to poo standing up.

[MollieO]

Ds managed to teach himself. I remember his CM being shocked when she saw him do it (he has no male in his life so wouldn't have seen anyone standing up to pee at that age!). He said he found it easier. Didn't have a problem about sitting down to do poos either.

[anonMum2]

I started off DS's potty training by making sure he could do both at 20 months, so yes, you can train them standing up. I always give him the choice and half the time he chooses to sit, thankfully, as occassionally he would have loose poo and I'm ever grateful he sat down. Nursery always makes him sit down to wee as at 2 years+ it's easier for them. Having said that, sometimes when he chooses to, he happily does it 'like daddy' and can hold it himself with his targetting pretty accurate.

The bit where they don't like to sit on potty, once they get the gist of it (took DS about 2+ weeks, quite long I thought - probably because he was quite young), he is SO quick his bottom barely touches the potty and he's already finish wee-ing. Therefore he's only on the potty/toilet for less than 5 secs once they know what to do.