Adventures in potty training: poop stoppage brings whole household to halt

Just wait!!! No tv! The poop shall come!!! You're doing great btw, I've been training/not really but really encouraging Stella to use the pot as well and she's so off and on about it. Sometimes she goes and gets it totally not prompted and poops like a diva on her throne and then,,, well the squished poop, i rather fight till my death than consider having a new diaper! gawd and she's only 1.5...tell me it will get easier!

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2 things that have worked in our house: Full strength apple-prune juice (she normally only gets very diluted juice) and the threat of all threats, a suppository! Nothing will make him poop faster that you threatening to put medicine in his butt.

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We've had issues similar to this with our kids, usually when something happens that makes them feel out of control. Being separated from you probably fits that bill. I'd probably just spend lots of time talking to him about how he felt about mommy being gone, did it make him feel afraid you'd never come back, was he scared, etc (which I'm sure you're already doing). By withholding his poop deposit, he's making sure your attention is firmly on him right now - not much motivation to give that up, esp. with a new baby in the house.

Keep reassuring him, and the poop will eventually come. Or you can always resort to bribery - we've done that too (after you poop in the potty again, you can have a special date with just mommy - no baby brother!). Good luck, and let us know how it all, er...comes out.

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I have been trying to train my 20 month old for a few months now. She has gone number two in the potty TWICE. The first time, she turned around and picked it up to show me. I freaked and stuck her in the tub. When I calmed down, I apologized to her and told her poopie was icky. The second time - She turned around to look and freaked out - running into my arms crying "Icky, mommy, no potty" totally scared of what she had produced. It took a month to get her to even go near the potty again. Now she will TT in the potty when I sit her down, but no poopie in the potty - too scary. I dont know what to do. She is too little to bribe just yet. We talk about it all the time. I admit, my first reaction is the cause for the potty terror, but I dont know how to fix it. Any help??

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We battled this for MONTHS with my son -- he was doing great on the potty training, right up until his little sister was born, and then BAM, no more poops. Our ped said its pretty common, as its something that they can exert control over, right at the age where they are desperate to have more control. So she advised not to battle with him too much, or push him too hard, as it would just likely lead to more holding it in. (So for that reason, she was very opposed to any sort of punishment or withholding of privileges for failure to poop -- she felt that would make the situation worse.)

That said, you absolutely don't want to get into a pattern where they hold it for a couple of days, and then have the experience of a hard and painful poop, as it then gives them reinforcement that pooping is something to be avoided.

Our ped recommended giving our son daily dosings of Benefiber until he was going regularly and easily and on his own. Took a couple of months, and then we had to wean slowly off the Benefiber, but it seems to have done the trick. He's now 4 and a half and rarely has any issues, and when he does, a fistful of raisins and a glass of water usually get the job done!

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My kids did this during potty training too. Two of them, at separate times, refused to poop for five days until I caved and put the diapers back on them.

I don't think any harm will come to him from holding it, except he's going to be really uncomfortable!

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Like all things in parenting, this too shall pass!! (hehe) Let it go, he'll poop in his own time, and probably only once you stop talking about it. He's not going to hurt himself, there will come a point where he won't be able to wait. Using his diet to help it along is a good idea, but don't let him know what you're up to. If he thinks eating will make him poop then you may have to battle meal times as well!

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My eldest son (now 5yo) had this problem after holding it for days when in the middle of potty training. He was a little younger than 3 at the time. We finally took him to the pediatrician as his tummy was very bloated, and she not only told us to back off the potty training, but also prescribed Miralax (a tasteless, colorless, odorless laxative that gets mixed with water or juice). After a couple of days, he couldn't help but poop, (in a diaper of course). At a few months past his 3rd birthday, he decided he wanted the firetruck (his big prize for potty training that was sitting on the book shelf waiting for him), and told me "no more diapers mommy". Wonderfully and surprisingly, he was 24 hour trained instantly. All a matter of when he wanted to. I am now waiting for the blessed event to occur with my almost 3 1/2 year old. He is a bit more determined to still wear diapers and I don't want the battles (I have so many others with him).

Carrie

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I need help, I have a 3 year old step daughter who goes to her moms every other week, she was doing soooo good about not having accidents in her underwear for a few months, but then she started peeing the bed about twice aweek and pooping in her underwear about twice aweek. It usually happens the first days back and the last days she is here. We have tried to get her mom to put her in underwear for bed but she wont. I know the non-consistancy is probably messing her up but how do I get her to learn here and then do the same at her moms? Please help.

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