Your little man is sitting with you, watching TV. You take a drink of pop, so does he. You grab a couple of chips, so does he? You get up to use the restroom, so does he? Could it be? Is he ready to start potty training? He just may be. There are a few things to remember if you are ready, or think you are, to train your little boy.

The first thing to consider is if he is ready or is simply wondering about what daddy does in the bathroom.  Pushing him to train just because you are ready isn’t going to do any good at all. Most children will be ready between eighteen months and three years of age. Of course, this is a guideline. Your little one may be early or later than these ages.

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How do you know if he is ready? Well, does he stay dry for at least two hours? Does he make a specific face when he needs to go? Does he get restless? Moreover, the big one- does he ask to wear big boy underwear? These can all be signs that he is ready to learn.

There are several thoughts as to how to speed up the process of training.  Using diapers that pull on and off like underwear, but have the benefits of diapers. Maybe you should try training pants that look like panties, but act like diapers, pulling moisture away from his skin. Should you go straight to underwear and let him know what being wet feels like?

The answer is different for every little man. If he shows interest in wearing in his own underwear, by all means, let him. Take him shopping; let him pick out his own designs. He may think the ones with trains are the coolest when you would have picked out a super hero for him.

One of the best ways to get him to use the potty is by giving him plenty of choices. While in other situations, choices may not be a good thing; here it may be what gets things moving. Let him, chose if he wants to use the big potty, or the little one. If he wants underwear or pull up, type diapers with his favorite character. He may change his mind several times during the course of making the decision, or even through the day. Let him.

Watch for fidgety moments when he is playing. Ask him if he needs to go. If he responds that he doesn’t, give him a few more minutes. Then check again. This time, you may want to tell him now it is time to go instead of giving him the option.

A question that is unique to little boys is the ever present: should he sit or stand? This again is a matter of personal decision and preferences. It may be preferable to let him start out by sitting then move to standing. This may help relieve some confusion when it comes to bowel movements.

Dress him in loose fitting clothes so he doesn’t have to mess with buttons and zippers. Also, be sure to teach him how to wipe, wash up, and flush when he is finished.

The main thing to remember is to have patience with him. While it’s second nature to us, he needs to learn how to tell when to go potty.

Parents who have a child that wets the bed need to approach the problem in the correct way. Talk openly about bed-wetting, and be prepared to reassure the child that the problem can be overcome.

Praise is very important to children, and will encourage them to try harder. Most of all remember never to make your child feel bad about their bedwetting problem; punishment or criticism may make the problem worse by putting stress on the child.

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Below are five tips for helping your child get through the night without wetting the bed, these are:

1. Always make sure that the child goes to the toilet before bed, make this a regular routine for going to bed. It is not always a good idea to wake the child and send them to the toilet before the parent goes to bed, in some cases this can cause a child to wet the bed as they will get used to passing urine before their bladder is full.
2. Another part of the ‘bed time ritual’ that can help overcome bed-wetting is to limit the amount of fluids that a child has around two hours before bed. Although this can be very helpful for night times, it will not help children who have problems with wetting themselves during the day.

   Children should continue drinking up to 8 cups of fluids spaced out through out the day, and should avoid caffeine infused drinks at all times, especially during the night as caffeine has a urine producing effect on the body.

3. A light on in the toilet will encourage children to visit the toilet in the night. If they wake up with a full bladder having easy access to the toilet will make it easier for them to find their way, and use the toilet.
4. If there has been an ‘accident’, parents should encourage the child to go back into their bed after the sheets have been changed. By using a plastic protector between the sheets and mattress, this will make changing the bed easy and stop the smell of urine in the mattress.
5. Praise is so important with children, and so is recognition of progress. Every opportunity available parents should make a point of telling their children how well they are doing and noting how hard they are working to overcome their bed-wetting problem.

A chart that keeps record of a child’s dry nights will help them psychologically to want to succeed, and a parent can create an award system for reaching a number of dry nights in a row.