[danaalex]

i have a 26 mo dd that has been doing the unthinkable.......... 6 times in the past two weeks she has pooped and then proceeded to play with it.

Here's the situation, the first 4 times were either right after she went down for her nap or right after she woke up from it. she was able to get out of her clothes, and her dipe. she either pooped then removed all clothing, or she stripped first then pooped. the first two times i was patient with her telling her it was wrong and that mommy didn't appreciate her doing that. the second two times i expressed anger and frustration with her actions, through words. then number 5 and 6 happened, yesterday in the living room and just now in her bedroom/playroom.

now she is totally clothed mind you when both of these events take place. normally during the day she comes to me and says pee-pee, that means she needs her dipe changed cause she pooped. yesterday i was putting clothes and dipes away in the bedroom and she comes in covered head to toe in poop. i was pissed. it was on the furniture, the oriental rug, the floor, everywhere. i cleaned her up and verbally expressed my anger and disapproval then put her in her crib for 5 min. she didn't cry at all when she was put in there, but she kept asking to get down. tonight she was playing in her room and dh and i were in the kitchen i went to check on her and sure enough, poop all over her floor and her toys. so, now she is again sitting in her crib. dh and i have both verbally expressed that we are upset with her actions and that we do not play with our poop, and we need to tell mommy and daddy when we poop, or we need to go sit on the potty.

there are no clothes she is not able to get out of. she has mastered every type of diaper cover too. i am at my wits end with this. she will not go on the potty, i have tried.

you wise mommas of mdc need to help me. i am begging you. i have absolutely NO idea what to do. i have to go get her, she is starting to get upset. any advice would be appreciated!!!!!!!!
thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please ignore any typos or badly written sentences i am nak and typing fast to get back to dd.

 

[Nanner]

Have you tried duct tape? This is a phase and will pass. Duct tape is a pain for you, but after a week or two she may not try even with no duct tape on the dipe. Maybe with that and a onesie, pants, and whatever else you can put on her to either prevent it or slow her down anyway! Sorry I'm not anymore help!
Sara

 

[luckylady]

Has anything sressful happened within the last few weeks? Could she be doing it to get (negative or otherwise) attention - I see you have a new baby in the house? it is normal for toddlers to go through a phase of finding their poop very interesting (something I am NOT looking forward to). The best advice I have heard is to not make a big deal out of it, tell her poop is yucky, which you have done. But if it does seem like she is doing it out of anger or some other negative reason I would check to see what's really going on with her. It could just be that she likes the reaction she gets from you.

I have heard of mom's taping the diaper shut with medical tape, packaging tape, etc. Also try dressing her in a one piece until this passes.

yuck. I feel for you.

 

[oatmeal]

dd did this ONCE when she was 12 months - I put her down for a nap with only her dipe on and she got out of it and covered everythign and herself in poop. I think they take the dipe off and then poop.

I never let her go anywhere without dipe and cover on, except during naked time after bath while I watch her. It hasn't happened again... I am not looking forward to that phase!!!

I think she is doing it to get attention. I would talk to your ped, and I think the tape on the diaper is a great idea as long as it's a deterrent and not a punishment thing.

also maybe go into poop overdrive to raise her awareness. read her "Everybody Poops" and some poop potty books, etc?

Not sure! Good luck!

 

[ja mama]

I have a friend battling with her three year old the exact thing you're describing, down to the naptime routine. I'll ask her for advice for you, but don't hold your breath she'll have any. Like I said she's still battling this and has been for months! They've just started seeing a behavioral specialist over it.

The one thing I know she has to do is lay down with dd until she falls asleep, and go get her as soon as she hears the tiniest peep, because if she playing quietly, you alreadyt know what she finds. If you come up with anything that works post it as I'll pass it along to my friend.

 

[stafl]

I realize you got a new baby there, but is there any way you can just watch her closer when you know it's about time for her to poop?
My DD only played in her poop once, when I wasn't watching her/playing with her at the time. Mostly she just wanted my attention.

 

[0cean]

try taking her with you when you poop and telling her what you are doing then showing her the poop in the potty and then let her flush it maybe? you have to do it with a fun attitude !!!

then stay near her durring the times when she has to poop and when you notice signs that she needs to go ask her if she wants to try. (with a big smile!)

it could take several attempts, bribery is not out of the question if it does not work after several initial trys, but small scale.

i see this as a sign for potty training need, unless there are other signs of behavioral issues, but if it is taken in the wrong direction it could turn into something very bad...

good luck

shayna

 

[mamaduck]

This is *so* normal. Really, really, really normal. Lots of kids do this. I promise! I've known plenty of normal, happy, well adjusted kids who have gone through this. Its not a reason for concern over her well being. Its not the "unthinkable" from a toddler's perspective. Its just interesting and fun. I have a theory that children who go through this phase will grow up to be very artistic!

But that doesn't change the fact that its absolutely horrible for you to deal with! I can understand your frustration!

I wouldn't go the punishment/shaming route at all though. The last thing you need at this age is to create negative feelings about poop right before she needs to be potty trained. It will make learning to use the potty that much harder.

I agree that its probably time to start potty learning a little bit. Maybe just introduce the idea.

I would also go to great lengths not to leave her alone and awake in her bed! I would stay nearby until she falls asleep and I would leave a baby monitor on so that I could get her up as soon as she stirs. If she doesn't have the opportunity to get into her diaper, than maybe she'll forget about it.

 

[justmama]

Like others have said, this is a REALLY normal phase for little kids. My daughter did it also. she would restrict hers to naptime and like your child, she had mastered EVERY outfit, diaper, diaper pin(eeeeeek, stopped pinning after that incident!), and diaper cover. It just made me so frustrated when it kept happening over and over and over again!

So I did try the duct tape on her diaper. That helped but even if she pooped during nap, she wouldn't sleep. I mean, she wouldn't be able to get to her poop because of the duct tape but she still wouldn't' sleep because she didn't like the feeling in her diaper. so I started giving her lunch, waiting 10 minutes, and then capitalizing on her defecation reflex. I would wait those 10 minutes after a meal(in this case, lunch) and take her to the toilet or let her poop in her diaper before bedtime. That way she got her diaper changed and she was happy and comfortable for nap and I could stop duct taping because it was ruining my diapers. They got all pilled and yucky. Maybe this is an option for you???
Meg