3 year olds and pooping...HELP!

Tiffany - posted on 06/29/2010

Thank you guys so much!!! All great ideas. We're going to try any and everything to get him pooing in the toilet by the end of summer when he starts prek. He's so stubborn. I have my fingers crossed that one of these ideas works and I'm glad I'm not alone :)

Michelle - posted on 06/05/2010

i watched something like this on one of the nanny shows. the child only wanted to do poos in his pull-up. what the lady said was to open the pull -up out and lay it in the potty, so that to him he is still doing poos in the pull- up but it is in the potty. then after a week take the pull-up out. it worked for the mum on the show.
hope it helps
let me know how you go.

Brooke - posted on 06/02/2010

Has he watched his Daddy poop on the toilet? Sometimes when my son sees his Dad go, it makes him want to do the same. I hope this helps and good luck!!

Sharon - posted on 06/02/2010

Hi, I am a mum of a three year old boy, and when i was potty training i had a similar problem. My Mum told me to try and get him to use the household toilet rather than the Potty, and surprise surprise it actually worked, as time has gone on i have discovered it was the fact that he didn't like to look at it and using the potty he saw it all the time. If i was you get him a small step to put in front of the toilet and get him use to peeing in the main toilet first then you will so find that he will start pooing in there too. It could also be the fact of him having to wipe his bum that he doesn't like, get the kiddie toilet wipes instead of toilet paper, as to be fair it is a bit rough on them. I hope this helps you xxxxx

Amy - posted on 05/30/2010

Hi Tiffany! I feel your pain! My 6 1/2 yr old has toileting troulbe that she see's a specialist for. Whew, it is a long road.

For your son, I am assuming that he does NOT have a constipation problem? Sometimes if it causes them pain they will refuse to go. But you mentioned that he asks for a pull up? So, he recognizes the urge to go and can go without a problem?

Try to get him a little foot stool to start with. Our Dr. has said it does help them to feel more secure while sitting on the potty, since their legs are too short to touch the floor without one. Also, maybe try reading some books while he sits. We also sings songs that we make up. For instance, the tune from Cinderella that goes "We can do it we can do it, we can help our Cinderelly.... etc" We change the words and sing "I can do it I can do it, I can poo poo in the potty, all by myself, all by myself". Music is proven to be a motivator and singing encouraging words that gets them to feel independent sometimes will help also.

If he's not fearing the toilet and not having pain, try some of these things and see if you get results. It won't be an overnight fix, but hopefully something wil help. Maybe let him go pick out the foot stool and explain what it is for while buying it. Good luck!

Virginia - posted on 05/28/2010

Hi. I am mum to a 3 year old girl an 6month old baby girl. I went through the same thing with my 3 year old absoutley refusing to go poo in the potty or big toilet. she would hold it in and sometimes dirty her undies just because she was trying so hard to not go. I was really worried she was doing herself damage so in the end i took her to the doctor. the doctor said to give her lactulose solution which is a bowel stimulant. I was against giving her laxitives but this just gives them a strong urge to go. IT WORKED! since then no problems she goes every day! I have since read that this is a control thing..when they poo is one of the few things a child has full control of and when they see their parents getting worked up about it, its even more attention grabbing. Best of luck.