If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty? Update

Once the did it finally was it smooth sailing from then on?

Ds is 3.5 and refused to poop on the potty when I tried to train him. I let it go...didn't want the power struggle. He however struggled with himself and started holding in his poop all together. Today was the saddest most awful day for him. He literally was making himself sick holding it in
Finally while in the bath I saw he was having trouble and I just put him on the potty. After a few min he went.

He was so proud and said no more diapers.

Honestly I could careless if he poops in diapers or on the potty I just don't want to see him go through what he went through today. It broke my heart

I just hope he got over the anxiety part of it.
What was your experience?

Update: he got up this am and went all by himself while I was sleeping thankfully he called me to wipe him

Message edited 8/27/2014 9:32:10 AM.

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Not me but a very good friends daughter. She would not go on the potty for anything. Peeing was fine. Se went to school one day saw someone poop on the potty. Went home that day pooped and that was it. Smooth sailing from there. She was also around 3 1/2.

So crazy how they react and then one day they are over it.

If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

My DD had constipation issues when she was about a year old and it hurt her to go poop. When she was 2.5 she started regulating but then she would start holding it in because now she was afraid to poop. she would not even poop in her diaper. It was pretty heart breaking. We tried EVERYTHING to help her. Even took her off dairy for a while. She potty trained at 3 years 2 months with pee in 1 week. Poop was a struggle because she was now terrified and would scream and cry and sweat. I started giving her Pedialax to force her to go. She started going daily but would scream not because it hurt because she was still scared. After about a week she was screaming so bad trying not to let it out, I just picked her up, put her on the potty while she kicked and screamed and held on to me for dear life. I felt terrible. But I just kept talking to her and calming her once it came out she looked and got really excited and said her belly felt much better. From that day on it took 1 week to poop train her. Now at almost 4 she's been pooping like a champ on the potty for months. It was the most heartbreaking experience of my life.

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

I feel your pain!
Up until her 4th birthday she was still refusing to poop on the potty. Just pooping in her pants. ALL THE TIME.
It was maddening.
She was pee trained with NO issues and NO accidents from like 2.5 on. The poop was a whole other ball game.
I tried everything. Sticker charts, rewards, punishments...nothing work.
She would withhold until she was so constipated it hurt to go. Then she'd do it in her underwear.
A month or so after her 4th birthday, boom. She just did it. With no pomp and circumstance. Just went into the bathroom on her own...without a word to us. A few minutes later she was yelling- MOMMY! I did poopy on the potty!
You would have thought she birthed the hope diamone the way I reacted!
I never thought a poop would make me so happy!

After that, not an accident.
It just clicked.
It took until after 4 years old mind you- but when it clicked, it clicked!


ETA- we had to use Miralax for a while because she was withholding so bad that she was constipating herself to the point of pain. It was awful.
The Miralax was a miracle worker though and once she saw that it didn't hurt to go, I think that really made a difference!

Message edited 8/26/2014 8:58:44 AM.

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

We let them poop in their underwear a few times until they were ready to do it on the potty. I also find that even years later, neither of my kids are good poopers. They get constipated and then have big dense poops and clog the toilet. What I find helps them both go is hot baths. Something about it gets their tummies going. Obviously not every time, but more times then not, it helps them go.

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Mine pooped in his undies for 3 months.
Once he pooped in the toilet, it was all good.

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Posted by NervousNell

I feel your pain!
Up until her 4th birthday she was still refusing to poop on the potty. Just pooping in her pants. ALL THE TIME.
It was maddening.
She was pee trained with NO issues and NO accidents from like 2.5 on. The poop was a whole other ball game.
I tried everything. Sticker charts, rewards, punishments...nothing work.
She would withhold until she was so constipated it hurt to go. Then she'd do it in her underwear.
A month or so after her 4th birthday, boom. She just did it. With no pomp and circumstance. Just went into the bathroom on her own...without a word to us. A few minutes later she was yelling- MOMMY! I did poopy on the potty!
You would have thought she birthed the hope diamone the way I reacted!
I never thought a poop would make me so happy!

After that, not an accident.
It just clicked.
It took until after 4 years old mind you- but when it clicked, it clicked!


ETA- we had to use Miralax for a while because she was withholding so bad that she was constipating herself to the point of pain. It was awful.
The Miralax was a miracle worker though and once she saw that it didn't hurt to go, I think that really made a difference!

If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

How much miralax do you use? Do you mi it in juice, water?

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

I definitely feel your pain. We tried to potty train last week and DD started holding everything. Even after I put her back in a diaper she was holding it until she was hysterical and it was the most heartbreaking thing. Every time she peed I felt like I'd given birth again bc it was such a relief after hours of misery. She's still not totally over it but it's getting better each day. Hope he gets over it soon!

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Message edited 8/26/2014 2:40:14 PM.

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Thanks. I grabbed the pedialax. She's only 17 months so I wasn't sure and felt this was probably a little eaiser on her stomach.

She did finally go but I gave it to her anyway. She was crying and it was hard and it was a few days since she's gone

If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

I went through the EXACT same thing with my son and at the same age too. He was fully trained as far as peeing went but refused to poop. Even when he was still wearing a diaper to bed he wasn't go then either. After a week of not pooping at all I started Miralax. By the next day he was pooping again and actually did it on the potty. From then on he was totally fine with it. It's been about 5 or 6 months and he never had any set backs either. Good luck!

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Re: If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

yes. DD potty trained for pee in Oct 2013 (she had just turned 3 and potty trained quickly). She wouldn't poop on the potty until June 2014. She did it accidentally while peeing, realized it wasn't a big deal, and never looked back...

If your dc refused/was afraid to poop on the potty?

Glad to hear this is common. My son is doing well with pee pee but poop is hit or miss, more hit, and I feel like he knows when he has to go but is scared.