Is Boys Easier to Potty Train than Girls?

Updated on August 06, 2011
K.L. asks from Covington, LA
18 answers

My question is that I wanted to know rather boys are easier to potty train than girls? The reason I ask because when I had my 2 girls people would always tell me boys are tend to be easier to potty train. Is that true? My two girls are 4 and 5 and yes I some diffculty getting them potty train. It took my 5 til she finally got in Pre-K to finally straighten up and use it. And my 4 year old is getting alot better.Still some accidents but I was told by her dr. it was normal and ok.They was always home so,no daycare or etc. Now my son is 2 and he's been so easier to potty train. I didn't even forced him or anything and this morning he did number 2 in the big tolit. He been rufusing to sit in his highchair anymore and at that point the diaper came off and at first been using the little kids potty but now he's climbing onto the big potty. Is it because he sees everyone in the household using the big potty?? Or is it that he's trying to grow up on me so fast.lol. Should I let him run naked in the house? He has big boy underwear,but i think he likes to be naked and free. Also does older siblings makes a younger child want to use the potty earlier than a child who doesn't have any siblings at the time? Thanks.

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Featured Answers

M.B.

answers from Orlando on

My son was both day and night trained at 2 so he was super easy! And I gave friends with little girls who are almost 4 and still not. I would want to think girls are stubborn but what girl isn't! LoL but I think it really depends on the child not so much gender

T.C.

answers from Dallas on

Funny. I've always heard opposite! Girls average potty training a few months earlier than boys (according to Baby Center).

I think the key is to wait until they are ready and then it doesn't matter the gender, they are both pretty easy (compared to trying to train when they are not ready).

Barebummed gets the best results in my opinion. No pull ups, no diapers, no underwear, no nothing...just bare bums. They think about it differently when they have nothing on them. They are much more aware.

And, yes, siblings are very helpful in potty training, in my opinion. :-)

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R.K.

answers from Boston on

I've always heard girls are easier but I think it has a lot to do with their personalities. My first boy was stubborn and took forever my second decided he was going to be a big boy and never had an accident day or night from the day he decided to potty train it was shortly after he turned 2.

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

In general I think girls are easier/quicker to train than boys.
However - there are individual girls who are hard to train and individual boys who are easy.
Guess it really doesn't matter how every other kid is because you only have your own kids to worry about.

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B.C.

answers from Tampa on

Both genders are a challenge, it depends on your child individually and parents approach. Boys have to learn it two ways :)

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A.S.

answers from Clarksville on

I think it has more to do with the kid and not if they are a boy/girl.

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A.G.

answers from Boston on

I always heard girls were easier but I potty trained 3 boys with no problems at all.

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

I have never trained a girl, my son was the worst experience I have ever gone thru ... I think he is seeing everyone else do it and wants to join the party and I would encourage it.

H.E.

answers from Dallas on

I have one of each, and I found that my son was much easier to potty train than my daughter. Right before he turned three, we ran out of nighttime pull-ups (he wore undies during the day) and it was too late to run to the store, so I resigned myself to cleaning sheets and a mattress later that night or the next morning, but he did not have an accident, nor did he have the next night or later nights. It was that easy.

My daughter, however, took forever to nighttime potty train; I don't think she was fully trained until she was four, almost five. Now I don't know if that is a boy/girl thing or just an individual personal thing. Even when he was a baby, my son would cry to be changed as soon as he was wet (even if it was just a tiny bit) or dirty (he would scream with a dirty diaper), but my daughter did not mind either way.

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I only have a girl and she was easy. She was trained by 26 months.

S.A.

answers from Chicago on

I have found the opposite to be true. My oldest is a girl. She was trained by age 3. My middle child is a boy and even seeing his older sister use the potty, he was extremely difficult to train. He was not full trained until he was 4. The baby is another boy and I'm dreading the day when I have to start training him. He will turn 2 next week so I have awhile yet. You are lucky that your son is interested so young. Go for it! I think you should make him wear the underwear and tell him that's what big boys do. I've never been a fan of letting them run naked.

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C.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

I really think it depends on the child. My daughter and son were about the same as far as potty training, except my son had more accidents because he'd wait until the last minute more often than my daughter did. He also will still have accidents at night occasionally at 6 years old, whereas my daughter hasn't had an accident since she was four or five. So it really depends on the child (I think, anyway). Good luck with potty training, and just remember that they will get it eventually. Hang in there!

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A.M.

answers from San Francisco on

In my experience girls are easier.

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T.S.

answers from Washington DC on

I'm sure every kid is different, and I don't know about "easier" but in GENERAL girls are typically potty trained EARLIER than boys.

This sounds like a just a case of different kids being different. It probably has a lot to do with your son being the youngest in a house full of people who don't wear diapers :) and a lot to do with him just being who he is!

If he likes to be naked, and you're home, I'd let him run around with a bare bottom. It can't hurt and it makes it easier to get on the potty :)

Yay for your big boy.

T.

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B.P.

answers from New York on

I am not sure what the research suggests but I think it has to do with the individual child. The more strong-willed the child, the more difficult it is. Most of the girls I know around my son's age are pretty strong willed. My son trained right after turning three. I know about 5 little girls who were not trained until about 3 1/2. My son's peers are girls and they are not trained either. But, my son does not like being dirty or messy. Some kids don't care.

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I have four, two boys two girls, I can assure you the girls are easier to potty train. Until I read this I have never heard anyone say boys are easier.

Potty training my older daughter was, well we are out of diapers, do you want to go to the store with me to buy diapers or underwear. She picked underwear, never had an accident. She had just turned 2.

Younger daughter was two and a half, the boys three and a half and four and it was a nightmare.

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes, Boys are easier to potty train...My boys were easier than my daughter...

But it's all in the child and IF they are ready...

M..

answers from Detroit on

Mine sure as heck isnt!! Took my daughter a week! Going on about 6 months with my son. He will be 3 next month!!!!

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