Be honest---Am I going to traumatize my DD? A little TMI (poop related)

DD is 28 months old. DD always tells me right before she is going to poop. The passed 2 days when she tells me I run and strip her down & get her on her potty. She all out cries until about a minute after I get her on the seat and then calms down. Yesterday she sat for about 15 minutes before going. I made a huge deal out of the success---2 stickers, a lollipop and lots of hugs/kisses/praise.

I did the same today when she told me she had to go. She was none to happy with me whisking her off to the potty chair. Today though she sat on the potty for more than an hour and wouldn't get up. She kept telling me that she still had to do poop. She was so adamant about it that I fed her dinner while she sat on the potty with a blanket on her lap. And...she ended up not pooping at all today.

So....should I not be pushing her at all? I never told her that she couldn't get up and I was trying pretty much for 45 minutes to convince her that it was okay that she didn't go and we could try again later. She eventually gave in when she finally peed but maybe I am trying too hard & she's not ready.

Any advice?

Message edited 3/3/2009 9:21:10 PM.

Re: Be honest---Am I going to traumatize my DD? A little TMI (poop related)

aww-i don't have experience, but no, i don't think you're going to traumatize her! i think you're being enthused about it is a good thing. she might have been excited too and that's why she was so persistent about sitting on the potty... maybe next time she announces she has to go ask her casually if she'd like to go on the potty instead of rushing to it so it is not too big of a deal?
again. it will all work out and she won't be traumatized!

Re: Be honest---Am I going to traumatize my DD? A little TMI (poop related)

Re: Be honest---Am I going to traumatize my DD? A little TMI (poop related)

Posted by ME75

aww-i don't have experience, but no, i don't think you're going to traumatize her! i think you're being enthused about it is a good thing. she might have been excited too and that's why she was so persistent about sitting on the potty... maybe next time she announces she has to go ask her casually if she'd like to go on the potty instead of rushing to it so it is not too big of a deal?
again. it will all work out and she won't be traumatized!

Re: Be honest---Am I going to traumatize my DD? A little TMI (poop related)

It sounds like she is almost there. Have you brought out the pricesss panties or some other big girl prize? Remember She Has to Want This.

Re: Be honest---Am I going to traumatize my DD? A little TMI (poop related)

In the case of my daughter, I would probably say you might. If she is crying when you put her on there she might be scared and she might start holding like my daughter does. At almost 4 she is potty trained but we have to have her on Miralax otherwise she will hold her poop for 7 days and then it hurts. Bad cycle. We blame it on 2 things, we pushed for potty training at 2 and she wasn't ready and being constipated one day and having a painful poopie.

I would not keep her on the potty that long. She might already be holding. If she gets like that I would put a pull up on her and then keeps taking her back to the potty every time she sounds like she has to go, but be calm don't rush it and a frantic manner. If you seemed rushed about it, almost frantic to get her there you could scare her.

If she is crying on the potty, I would show her nothing about the potty can hurt her. Keep it out where she can see it. But if she tries and doesn't go she still gets lots of praise for sitting, we even made up our own potty song.

Good luck

Re: Be honest---Am I going to traumatize my DD? A little TMI (poop related)

Great insights! Thanks!

The reason why I move to get her on the potty so quickly is b/c as soon as she warns me that she is going----she's already trying to push. She just wants to keep standing up to poop though.

I'll definitely go out this weekend and get her some big girl panties & rewards & see if that helps. If not, maybe I'll just back off for a little while. I don't want to scare her or hinder the process---I had just hoped we were getting somewhere.