Poop Training

Oh my goodness, I am in the EXACT situation that you are. I am potty training my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I am lucky that she's been waking up dry from both naps and night (although I get up about 1 or 2 in the morning and take her to tinkle). I cannot, for the life of me, get this child to poop in the 'big girl potty'. She hasn't done it even once....every time in her panties. I've tried bribes of every kind, letting her walk around in her dirty panties for awhile, non-chalance, displeasure, we'll throw a party when she poops, EVERYTHING! Every day she waits for me to turn my back. I was determined not to let it happen today and we sat on the potty FOR AN HOUR (in addition to the other times today). She will wait until I'm doing something else and she knows she has a minute, even if she has to wait a day or two. SO...if you get this figured out, or find something that works, I'm waiting on pins and needles. Good luck to you!

http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/potty/pooppotty.html

Try this link- maybe it will have some advice you can use. I looked it up because my 4.5 year old is still refusing to poop in the toilet if he is wearing underwear. I don't know what his problem is; we tried the lay off and let him use a diaper, but then he said he wanted to wear underware because he's not a baby; then we tried naked time all day for a couple weeks and he used the toilet, but when he went back to wearing underwear, he pooped in them again. My current tactic is to make him clean himself up, and his underwear, and to sit by the washer and dryer until his underwear is clean and dry again. This is day three of that tactic. I think your son is too young for that, but just to share with you that you are not the only one.

Hey D.
He's still pretty young. I would just go ahead and let him poop in a diaper. It's better than holding it for days. My daughter is an expert at poop holding. she can go a whole week w/o pooping. God knows why she does that? Dr. says its a control thing she'll eventually give up when ready. In the mean time give yourself a break and avoid all that by letting him use a diaper to poop in. He knows where it's supposed to go just give him more time. If he was 4 this would be a different story. Drop the poop from his diaper into the potty with him watching. If he's getting his poop done at home preschool should be fine with their potty trained rules.
As far as the wetting through at night. Have you tired the night time pull-ups? They are certainly more absorbent.
And Yes! Potty training Sucks!

Is it a requirement of his new preschool that he is potty trained?

How much do you talk to him about going poop in the potty? Does he really know that what you want him to do?

My son was difficult to potty train since he's developmentally disabaled. We gave him an immdediate reward evertime he went poop in the potty. He really liked playing with balloons, so we would blow one up for him and let him play with it until it popped. (well supervised of course). While we were doing the potty training, that was the only time he got the balloons.

I was told (by potty training experts for developmetnally disabled children) that it would be good not to teach my son to stand to go pee until he got the poop down -- the more practice he got sitting on the potty the better. They also suggested not having him sit to long on the potty. When he looks like he has to go, just get him into the bathroom -- or get a little potty chair to him.

Hi D.,
If he is mostly dry at nap time, have him wear underwear for nap. He may end up wearing a diaper or pull-up at night for a while. My oldest was a bet wetter until she was almost 5, though she was fully daytime potty trained by 2 (including her nap). They do have night time pull-ups that work well. What you have to remember is that night time is not really part of the potty training process for kids who are bed-wetters, so diapers probably won't set him back at all. No matter how much they WANT to be night time trained, their little bodies just won't cooperate with them! As their bodies grow, they will grow out of it. (Oddly enough, my youngest was night time potty trained as soon as she was daytime trained, which my older daughter thought was "so unfair!" =)

Anyhow, with regard to the poop thing, BOTH of my kids did that! The way I resolved it was, I made sure they were on Miralax so the poop would be soft (because when they "hold it" for days, it gets really hard and painful, which makes the whole process way worse). And then, when I knew they would have to go, I'd make them sit on the potty. They'd try to arch their backs and not go, but I'd force them (wrestle with them?!) to sit and go. It sounds mean, but I was sort of at my wits' end, and I figured that holding it for days wouldn't help anybody. Also during this time period, I'd have them run around bare-bottomed, no underwear or shorts or anything. Most children will not poop on themselves or the floor, so when they felt like they had to go, the potty was the only place they could do it. After 2 days of that, the problem was solved. Sometimes they just need a little help changing their habits. When you think about it, your son has been pooping in a diaper for 2 years now, and so that feels normal to him. Pooping in the potty is a totally different habit, and toddlers have a hard time changing their habits. Sometimes it just takes some intervention from mom and dad!

I hope that helps - good luck. Potty training is not a fun process, but it will be over soon! =)