The Toilet Training Etiquette Guide

As a mum of two boys I know exactly how frustrating it is to walk into the bathroom and find a complete mess and puddles of urine after your little one has used the toilet. Unfortunately, teaching your boy to aim, is a stage every mother will have to go through (and for any women who live with older men too) but with a little bit of creative imagination, it can be done. You can ask one of the Eco Clean Solutions pros to keep an eye after he goes, but eventually he will have to learn.

• Practise, Practise, Practise – Before you even get near the toilet there are a couple of tricks you can teach your boy to help him ‘get his eye in.’ When they’ve finished taking a shower, allow them to pee and aim at the drain. You can even create a point scheme with the highest points rewarded when they never miss the drain. This may not be to everyone’s taste but its better a mess in the shower or bath which you can wash away by using the best handheld shower head, than on your tiling or wallpaper!

• Turn it into a game – Little boy’s minds can wander very easily, and whilst they should be concentrating on their aim into the toilet, they can easily drift off and start thinking about other things… Many mothers will no doubt agree that they are fed up with the cleaning aftermath of their children going to the bathroom so capture their imaginations by transforming the toilet into an activity zone. This was exactly why I invented Pisher, a fun electronic toilet target that projects a spaceship onto the exact spot boys should be aiming for. To really improve their manners this nifty gadget will also applaud and congratulate them when they shut the lid. For extra fun add a drop of washing up liquid into the bowl before he pees. Then when he does the water will create lots of little bubbles which should make the whole process that bit easier.

• Offer Praise – It’s an age old technique but one that’s highly successful. By creating a reward scheme and offering encouragement to your child when they’re learning to be neat and tidy in the bathroom they’ll be far more inclined to do a good job! Whether you decide to create a simple gold sticker chart or you offer them a treat after each trip to the loo, your son or daughter will quickly learn that good behaviour equals a good reward.

• Extra Support – Sometimes it’s not necessarily the boys fault that his aim isn’t up to scratch. It could be that he’s just not quite tall enough to have a clear visual of where he should be peeing. Give him that extra support he needs and purchase a simple stool or step that will mean he doesn’t have to struggle and he can lean his body to just the right position to help him in his mission. Understand the different drain snake types to be able to unclog your toilet when it is causing problems.

• Like Father Like Son – Young children learn by example so sometimes a live demonstration from Dad helps them understand the proper aiming technique. The big toilet can be scary so if Dad can offer that extra bit of support and companionship the experience may be less daunting – it’s also a good bonding experience for both.

Author: Sarit Nahum, mum of two and founder of Pisher (www.pisher.net)