My 4.5 yo son is peeing on the floor right next to the toilet. I think he is just not paying attention to what he is doing and I know he is not holding "it". How do I get him to understand that he must pay attention to what he is doing, without following him into the bathroom and watching him. He is possible ADD, so I can talk to him about it and have, but it still happens.
For a while go in with him and throw in some Cheerios or Froot Loops. THen have him get the O's.
And if when he pees on the floor have him clean it up.
My son liked making rivers in the grout between the tiles. I just had to talk to him about it. It may be intentional. Little boys do wierd things-just like their daddies ;)
Lots of little boys have trouble paying attention when peeing. I had one boy who would literally forget he was peeing and would turn and spray everywhere. Sometimes just giving them a target helps. A few Cheerios tossed into the toilet to aim at can make all the difference. Good luck!
We bought some toilet bowl stickers (like targets) online and it helped tremendously! Boys love to aim at something! There are also disposable kind you can have him put in each time (they are flushable). http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/CTGY/Potty-Training-...
Hope this helps!
K.-
When my sons were younger (I have 3 older boys and a 2 year old boy), they did the same thing. I made THEM clean it up along with the whole toilet. They got the hang of aiming real fast! Good luck
Welcome to the wonderful world of boys! Ha!
Make sure the area around the toilet is caulked...keeps the odor down....reminding them over and over is what we have to do at our house....it has happened with all our boys....I am thankful to be on the last boy, right this minute....he is having the same problem, also 4yo....we have daddy give refresher courses about how to hold on and to aim....and we also make sure he watches when daddy has to go in and clean it up, all the while being "ugh, this is so gross, next time make it in the water son"
The idea about throwing in a target is good and easy....fruit loops?
I am a Dad raised by rhree sisters. I have a different point of view about a lot of things but no one would disagree urine on the floor is unacceptable. Just because one is male dosen't give one the "right" to sand and pee. If one can't be accurate with ones aim, one must either sit or commit to cleaning up everytime. Standing is riskier and should be reserved for those able to handle it. The choice is his: sit or clean. I submit that his aim will improve rapidly - with or without a target.
I am surprised that only one person suggested to have him sit down (note that it was a man!). The rule of our house is to sit on the toilet to keep the bathroom clean for everyone. When we are in public, my 3 yo son may stand up. This way, no one has to clean the toilet every day and we can enjoy other things.
I would just make a game out of it for him. Ping pong balls don't flush. Put some in the toilet and tell him to shoot them. Some have also gone so far as to paint a target at the bottom of the toilet.
I agree with last post, give him some targets to aim at. You might also consider letting dad go in with him for some more specific training like how to hold it and aim.
Throw a few Cheerio's in the toilet to give him something to aim for. (Fruit Loops if you want it colorful). No need to go buy fancy target at the baby stores.
put cheerios where he can get them and have him throw one in before going. Have him aim and try to sink the cheerio.
I need help with this too!! For now i take away Buzz and Woody(thier most prized posessions) and no Wii for two days. On the second day i check for pee, if there is none they get thier toys back and get to play Wii. If is not clean, they get to 'try again' for two more days... Not much success, had Buzz and Woody for close to a week now with no Wii. I too am at a loss... and if i gave my boys fruit loops who knows what they would be trying to do in there.
I had great success with my boys using the Fruit Loops. They loved having the colorful targets floating in the bowl. Having the targets will help him focus. Good luck!
As a Special Education Teacher , please don't be quick to label your child. Many times it is the manner in which a child is beilng disciplined. Different personalities call for different discipline methods. Try giving an award and/or a consequence for accuracy in the bathroom. Be in the bathroom one time as a matter of fact type of incident, brushing your teeth, looking for something in the medicine cabinet etc, make some kind of a game. As a mother of FOUR sons (no longer 4 yrs old) they often missed the bowl, and so did their dad (smile) When I returned home with the fourth son, theri bathroom smelled like the monkeyhouse of a zoo. Because for three days those little boys had been using the bathroom and their father was not cleaning around the toilet. I don't know how bad it is, is it bad enough to make it his responsibilty to clean up after himself. That should remedy the problem soon, or it may make for a bigger problem? You may need to monitor and see how he is standing, does he need a stool? An Essential Practical Guide to Family Living was recently released addressing many child rearing problems and relationhip issues. Order if you are interested at www.destroyingyokes. com
my son also does this - he is a lot more careful now i give him a cloth and make him wipe it up every time!
Babies are us has a product that looks like colored targets for your toilet. Every time your son wants to go pee, just give him a target to put in the toilet and he can try to hit it. It will make peeing in the toilet fun.
His job is now to clean the toilet area. Have a tutorial and teach him how to scrub the toilet with a brush, how to wipe the whole thing down, and how to scrub the floor around and get it clean. Tell him that he must do it daily until he can aim better. You can inspect it daily and tell him whether it is a "clean the toilet day" or not. You can also share with him that the neater he is when going to the bathroom, the fewer Clean the Toilet Days there are.
VickiS
Why not put a Cheerio in the water for him to aim at? He sounds like a typical little boy and just needs more patience and instructions. I bet he will like aiming for the "O" in the water. It is worth a try.
Best wishes.
I have a question, What time of day or night is your son having trouble with peeing on the floor next to the toilet? Some boys, when they have been sleeping hard are not quite awake or if they are extremely sleepy or tired do have trouble with their aim and miss the pot altogether. I have a few ideas that you may chose to try, keep talking to your son about going in the toilet,
assist your son by verbally instructing him to aim in the pot and you may need to assist him by positioning his body directly in front of the toilet. You may want to check into buying the targets that you put in the toilet for your son to aim at, or put a few pieces of cereal in the potty for him to aim at. You could have your son assist you in cleaning up the mess he made without scolding him . You may want to check with your pediatrician to see if their could be any other reasons and ask for any other ideas they may be able to suggest to you . I hope this helps for other information check out my website at www.Howtofindchildcare.com
Teach him to put one square of toilet paper in the water and then "sink the battleship."
