Potty training

Angelika - posted on 03/01/2011

Well, my son turned 3 in December and had been peeing on the potty since he was 18months old. Our problem was that he only pooped during the night. Not right after bedtime, but late midnight or very early morning. He was NOT comfortable going poop on the potty, but since he turned 3 i decided it was time. I also knew he was ready: He had a constant interest in the poop in his diaper (which like you other posts, i would take to the potty with him and plop it into the potty and tell him THAT is where poop goes). Anyhow, for me and my son, i explained in a firm voice what my expectations were. I also did not reward him with toys or food/treats as I wanted him to understand that pooping is a completely normal function and EVERYBODY does it. (told him mommy does it, daddy, granny, grandpa, etc). I fed him prunes -baby food jar from from walmart- twice a day to keep the fear/anxiety from allowing him to become constipated AND to make him have to go. He experienced gas - 'bum tickles' as he calls it and then each time i took him to the toilet on the potty seat and had him try to push. I was very excited, overly so, and when the gas came we applauded and he was so proud of himself. When he said he was done, i told him not yet and we made each effort last 10 minutes at the least.
Then as nature took its course, he did have to go. He was unsure of first and then with much encouragement, he pushed and out it came and everyone did a potty dance with major applause. He become very proud of himself.
The next day, he was still unsure too, but each time the poop came, the more confident he became. We are on day 11 and he is pooping everyday with no issues at all.
By the way, i still put him in a overnight pull up. But...it leaks almost every night. I don't want to put him back into diapers as I dont want to confuse him or regress him. I am reducing his fluids before bed and having him pee twice beforehand, but he is just not mature enough to wake up to go pee in the middle of the night...yet.
Try and be patient....you will find what will work for you and your child. Try not to let anyone else's expectations stress you. Good luck :)

CJ - posted on 03/01/2011

I had this problem with my daughter, though she didn't hide, just went in her pants or on the floor where she was standing, and she always told me right after she did it. I just kept on telling her (in a kinda stern, but not angry tone) that poop goes in the potty, not on the floor or in her pants. then one day i managed to catch her in the act and ran her to the bathroom and plopped her on the potty. Granted most of it didn't make it even to the bathroom, some did make it in the toilet. So I praised her(as well as telling her that's where potty goes), gave her 2 stickers on her poster (she only would get one for peeing), and also gave her a hershey kiss as a treat for pooping in the potty. We still had many times where she did not go to the bathroom to poop, but she did start going sometimes after that first experience with some poop making it in the potty, and with every positive reaction she'd get from mommy, and extra rewards, she'd make ore and more of an effort to make it to the potty to go poop. I also noticed that sometimes when she'd end up pooping elsewhere after she started using the potty, she would have me bring her pee manby times around the time she'd end up pooping. Like she knew she had to go, but wouldn't stay on the potty long enough for it to happen, so I had to start telling her to stay on the potty till mommy said she could get down. She hated it and fought it at first, but once she'd go poop after sitting awhile she started fighting me less about staying on the toilet. Now we only really have issues with her not pooping in the potty, or staying on it long enough is when we have company or are doing something exciting that she doesn't want to miss.

Erin - posted on 02/25/2011

ok, i just joined circle of moms now in order to share my breakthrough with others!! just got my 27 month old potty trained in 2 days. our major obstacle was pooping on the potty. i could tell she just wasn't comfortable doing it and was becoming constipated yesterday. i remembered that we pulled the potty seat over to the shower curtain with our son a few years ago....he needed to hide to poop, and he'd hide behind the curtain while he sat on the seat. this worked with my daughter immediately. of course, i still had to be very firm about sitting on the seat, and as supportive as possible, but it worked! we went from one poop on the potty yesterday to 3 today! good luck!!

Sherry - posted on 09/02/2009

When he poops in his diaper take him into the bathroom with you and take off his diaper and empty the poop into the toilet and tell him that is where the poop goes. Also, when you see him go hide, try to get him and take him to the potty. They have very strong emotional bonds to their poop, so he may cry or fight you, but if you can get him to do it by accident then pretty soon he will want to do it. You can also try bribing him with a toy and tell him for every 5 times he poops on the potty he can get a small toy or the one big toy he wants or whatever. I also find it helps to sing songs or read books or something that will keep him on the potty. Then make a big deal out of it when he goes - do a funny dance or something he will remember and want you to do again. Good luck!!

April - posted on 09/02/2009

My daughter used to hide when it was time to poop. I would explain to her that she is a big girl and it's time to use the big potty. It may sound odd, but my daughter did better potty training if I let her run around the house nude, she would go straight to her potty and poop. She would then say mommy give me 5, i did it and was so proud of herself. I also would put panties on her but would put the waterproof pants on over her panties so she still had the feel of underwear and not the diaper, but if she had an accident it wouldn't create a huge mess.

Yvette - posted on 09/02/2009

You have to keep a close eye on him and when you notice he is going to hide somewhere, catch him and sit him on the potty. That's what works for me. After a few times he won't be scared and should start going on his own.

Kimberly - posted on 09/02/2009

If he is going in the toilet, change it to a potty chair for the pooping. That's what I did with my daughter, then encouraged her to go in the big potty. Took a little while, but she is doing great!

Maggie - posted on 09/02/2009

I finally got my son to go by making the potty talk to him. I lifted the seat up and down while it told Oliver how happy it made the potty to get the poop. It sounds weird but it worked! Oliver goes to the potty all by himself and comes out so proud that he made the potty happy.

Amber - posted on 09/02/2009

I wish I had something "helpfull" to say here-but I'm going through potty training with my son too,and sometimes it just feels like a never ending battle! Everybody I talk to keeps telling me "it takes time,ALOT of boys are almost 4 before they're fulling potty trained" I really hope not!! Have you tried making him sit on the potty and just try to go every so often? Good Luck!!!