DS won't poop in potty

[kirstenb]

DS has been toilet trained for almost 3 months now and is doing really well with the pee part- he hardly ever has any accidents, stays dry during his nap, etc. However, he will NOT poop in the potty. I've tried everything I can think of to get him to try it but he just won't. I've tried rewards, he has a potty seat to go over the toilet and a potty that sits on the ground but he won't use either one. He knows poop belongs in the potty and will tell you that if you ask him. I know he knows when he has to go because if he is running around naked, he will ask for underwear to put on. I've tried putting him on the potty when he requests underwear but he will just hold it in until he has on his underwear. I don't want him to get constipated so I will let him put on the underwear when he is done sitting on the toilet. Not even a minute later he will poop in it. It's starting to get a little frustrating. I know it's common to take a little longer to poop in the potty, but how much longer is normal? Does anyone have any suggestions to try?

[sapphire_chan]

It's a really common problem, so Googling should get you articles while you're waiting for BTDT responses. My vague memory of reading about kids who ask for a diaper every time is that you do things like having them sit on the potty while pooping into the diaper/undies, put the diaper on loosely (you could use too-large undies. Not sure how you do it with undies, but then they talk about laying a diaper open over the potty.

Since you are dealing with undies, could you get him special ones that he chooses himself that maybe he won't want to get dirty?

And since he's asking for them when he's going to poop, how about lining the undies with toilet paper so at least laundry isn't as bad?

[kirstenb]

The pooping in the potty with their underwear on is a great idea, I'll have to try that! I did lt him choose his own underwear in the hopes he wouldn't want to poop in Diego and Thomas underwear, but that didn't make a difference.

[Heidi74]

I don't have any answers, but just wanted to say that I could have written your post. DS1 (just turned 2.5) has been out of diapers for four months now, and consistently pees in the potty or toilet. Very few accidents there. The poops, though...not so much. He seems fully aware of when he needs to go...he always turns on his "Fridge DJ" music box and goes in his room...and he won't go if he doesn't have underwear on. Usually he goes first thing in the morning, when he is still wearing his nighttime diaper (the only diaper of the day), and DH changes him before I get up. (I usually "sleep in" until 7, with DS2)

The other day I tried cutting a hole in a disposable diaper, in hopes that he would then stand over the potty...but that didn't work. Those little sodium polyacorate crystals from the diaper went everywhere! I don't recommend that strategy.

Actually, I do have one thought. I have a feeling that it might work better for my DS if he tries standing over the potty first instead of sitting, since he always poops standing up. Kind of gross, I know, but that might work better.

I'll keep watching this thread.

[*Erin*]

just adding to the "me too"s here.
my ds is just now 2, and starting to pee in the potty regularly now, but i wonder when he will ever poop in it. my dd was wearing undies and staying dry full time by the time she was 2.5, but flat out refused to poop in the potty, until she was almost 4, when she dramatically flung her diaper stash down the stairs and declared that she was pooping in the potty now, lol. i know she was very aware of needing to go, and would ask me for a diaper to poop in. i never pushed it. i am very no-pressure, let the child do their thing with potty learning...

[RubyOrganique]

We did part time EC since our DD was 1 month and now at 18 months we rarely miss a pee. But she will only poop standing up. Correction, the other day she squatted and poop in her training pants which I thought was a step in the right direction. We haven't caught a poop in 6 months. I'll be watching this post for ideas. Good luck!