Poops in undies every day...am I missing something?

[whitneyg]

My DD is 2.5 years old and we have been casually ECing since about 6 months old.  Over the past year or so she has been in undies while at home and has been pretty successful in keeping her dipes dry as long as I take her to the potty often.  We have always had about the same catch/miss success with poop and pee, neither seemed to be more frequent than the other.  Then, about a week and a half ago, she decided that she won't wear her diapers anymore and has been full time (except nights) in undies or Flip trainers.  She has had 2-3 pee misses since the big switch, but has consistently pooped in the undies or trainers every single time.  I am taking her or reminding her to go potty (she can pull her pants down and up and use the little potty all by herself) at least every half hour.  She has even pooped in her undies after 15 minutes of reading books on the potty! Is there something I am missing here?  How do I get her to stop doing this?  She has pooped in the potty hundreds of times and suddenly won't do it anymore, even though she will tell you that poops belong in the potty.  She also doesn't seem that bothered by it since she gleefully announces right afterwards "I have a poop in my pants."

Thoughts? Suggestions? Commiserating? I'll take anything.  It is such a nightmare to clean up that I am almost wishing she was back in diapers.

[skycheattraffic]

At 2.5 she is old enough to respond to some PL strategies. I'm not there yet myself (dd is 13.5 months old) but I have read up on PL and thought of a couple of things that may help. One is to engage her in the cleanup so over time she figures it's just easier to go on the potty. She can help rinse out her undies for example and then get a thorough cleaning from you. Some kids enjoy the novelty but soon it gets old. Another idea to help with the mess (especially when out of the house) is to put on a diaper cover to contain things better and explain that once she poops in the potty she won't have to wear it anymore.
At her age and with her experience using the potty, she could be doing this for attention so try to be calm if she has a miss (I know it can be hard on a bad day). It sounds like she's not withholding and her poo is soft but maybe she got scared once when pooping on the potty. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful but I thought I'd toss some ideas out there for you. I know our girls are different ages but I can relate to what you're going through. At times dd sits on the potty for ten minutes then stands up and starts chasing the cat while watering the floor. Ugh it was cute a couple of times but there are days when I just give up and toss on a sposie (I normally do cloth without cover or pocket when we are out). Remember that she is learning and she has a big head start on many kids. She will put it together and before you know it she will be done. Hugs.

[tri31]

Hi, mama. Sounds your doing fine. Your LO is taking control of this process. For them, mistakes are more like experiments. It's really hard for the adults, but they work it out eventually. My son has been pottying completely independently since Christmas.He reached a point in which he would not allow me to offer or help in any way. His preference is to climb up (by himself) on the big potty, no seat reducer, and squat. At first we were all like.. AAAH! But it works for him, and we all have gotten out of his way. 

His older brother on the other hand would sign, to be taken to the potty every time and needed to be kept company. Totally different needs, and preferences. There is no one way.

[whitneyg]

UPDATE: She pooped on the potty today right after dinner! It was no big deal to her, just like the hundreds of other times she has done it (prior to the past week), but we made a huge deal and she got to call her grandparents and dad (on a business trip) to announce the exciting news herself.  She was thrilled with all of the excitement.  We'll see what happens tomorrow, but I was sure happy to not hand wash poopy pants today.

[whitneyg]

Ugh...another undie-poop at the park today, and she didn't even tell me about it...just kept right on playing until I caught a whiff.   Back to the drawing board I suppose.