Preschooler 3 Year Old

Poop just takes longer, it just all of a sudden clicked for my daughter. You should find something that she REALLY REALLY wants at the store and tell her that if she goes poop then she gets to get this toy.

I know when my dd started potty training, #2 was harder for her to realize ahead of time. Several times she didn't realize it was too late, well, until it was too late.

Just be patient. All of these urges are new feelings for them when trying to control them.. It will come to her, it just takes time.

I just went through the EXACT same thing with my daughter, she turned 3 in March although I had her completely potty trained the December before her birthday. She would pee on the potty and poop in her pants. What I did was buy her her favorite character panties (Dora, Spongebob, Hello Kitty) and told her that she can't get Dora dirty or wet. I put my daughter on the potty and let the panties hang around her ankles (like ours would) and she got the hang of it. She did have an occasional accident, but she got better and better. You might find once your daughter is making a conscience effort to go on the potty, she might start in her panties, then finish in the toilet. Either way, applaud her. Or what you can do is when she poops in her panties or pull up, let her see you dump it in the toilet and let her flush it. These all worked for me! I hope they do for you!!

hi my son will be turning 3 in october and i think that it is just normal for a child to constantly have accidents when it comes to pooping because i have been trying to potty train my son since he just turned 2 and he has told me that he is scared to go pooop in the potty but then just two days ago he did poop in the potty i just think that it will take time and consistincy

I have a 3-year-old boy who has the same issue. Only he knows when he needs to use the potty and asks for a diaper and when I tell him to use the potty, he'll say "No" and then have an accident. If I try to put him on the potty, he'll just scream and cry.

Just wanted to let you know you are not alone out there! Although I'm hoping you'll get some good advice that will work for both of us! :-)

just a few things have you put her on panties? because they feel more grown up that way. pull ups ...... i never felt them because they are just an expensive diaper. just limit her fluid intake because she s gonna have accidents. um...not really sure what else, give me a little more info on your training.

It is totally normal for them to get #2 down last. Maybe you could offer incentive like you will give her a candy, or take her to the park or for ice cream when she gets so many poops in a row (keep track by letting her put up stickers on a chart every time she goes). Good luck and hang in there.

Another thing I do with my son is sit him on there and tell him to "push". I make it like a game and say, "put the poops in the potty so they can have a party." It's silly, I know, but he was opposite of most kids and learned poop before pee. He was also totally potty trained at 32 months. I think part of it was the reward system we used, giving him sticker for pee and a candy for poop.

Something else to try may be talking about it after it happens. Say, "oh doesn't that feel yucky when you poopoo your pants? Next time let's use the potty so we can keep your underwear clean." I've even heard (and did it a few times) of throwing their underwear away if they mess them, right in front of them. This way, it gives them incentive to keep them clean so they can wear them. If you make it real special, going out to pick out her own favorite panties and then she messes them and experiences the loss, she will not want to do that again.

Overall, I suppose each child does it in his own time, when he is ready. But I do believe there are things we as parents can do to guide them along the way.

Hi C.-

Both my kids were over three when they started using the potty reliably. I have read if you put too much pressure on them, you can actually cause set backs so I would just let her do her thing. It was like someone flipped a switch with my kids, now 4 and 5. One day they just decided they were ready and that was that. Hope that helps.

I've read that in some kids the having to "poop" feeling comes a little later than the having to "pee" feeling. It'll come.
If it get's too messey offer her a diaper to poop in until she decides to start going on the potty. If you make her feel that it's alright and she can do it at her own pace she'll feel comfortable asking for a diaper and soon will tire of it and then go in the potty. Good luck

C. O said: "My 3 year old (she just turned 3 at the end of June) has the knack of going potty when she has to pee but constantly has accidents when it's "the other"."

I had the same problem when my daughter was that age. I asked her why she wouldn't go on the potty and she said "Mommy, I don't want to get the potty dirty." So I just decided I wasn't going to push the issue. By the time she was 3 and a half she was using the potty all the time for everything. I'd say give her time. She will come around.