Potty Trained 3 Yr Old - but No Pooping on the Potty

My daugheter was the same, but at 3 years, 3 months-she started using the potty to poop on her own. You can try giving it a rest for a week and then gently start back up. she will do it!!

I went through the exact same problem with my 3 year old girl. I got some great advice from my pediatrician that seemed to do the trick. It started out with a talk about how she is in control of her own body and she can poop all by herself in the potty, this gives them a sense of power. After the "big talk", stop talking about it all together. Keep a big reward in sight that she knows she will get when she goes all by herself on the potty. If you notice she is holding it you can mention that it might help to sit on the potty. If she refuses, don't make a big deal of it. Eventually they start to crave the positive attention they get when they even just sit on the potty to try. If she has held it more that 3 days my pediatrician suggested a glycerin suppository, you can find them at any grocery store. They are completely safe and I think it actually made the difference for us because once you give it, they can't physically hold it anymore. After they go using the suppository make a really big deal about it and give them a lesser reward until they can earn the big prize by going all by themselves. Even after my daughter was pooping in the toilet, it took a while for her to overcome the habit of holding it, but it usually just took a little reminder that she needed to sit on the potty. Our ordeal took about 3 months and now she hasn't had any accidents. Just try to make it a positive experience and hang in there, I know it's very frustrating but she will get it!!

This is tough - b/c she really needs a good experience to encourage her. I would try increasing her fruit intake - prunes (if she will), grapes, strawberries or oranges. This may soften the BM. Some kids are afraid b/c it hurts... and the longer they hold it - the harder it gets. Increasing fruit will soften it and increase her need to go.

It's also good if you get her into the habit of reading/looking at books while she sits. This will help her relax and take the time to go vs. feeling pressure.

Hope that helps!

My son was the same! Would pee no problem but was afraid to poop. I know this is hard advice - but you need to let go! You need to ignore it and just let it happen. She will not get over the fear until she is ready to. The fact that she is withholding shows that you are pushing too hard. My son did the same thing. I told everyone to stop harping on him and just change him matter of factly when he went in his pants (gross I know) and a week later he was pooping in the potty by himself. Once we took the pressure off - things worked themself out. It may take a little longer than a week but I would give it a try. It is perfectly normal to have this fear and it happens alot. My son can give yours a run for her money in the stubborn department! Hope this helps. M. B.
P.S. He is now 7 1/2 and still stubborn (it only gets worse!)

I am going through this as well with my almost 4 year old son. I have tried EVERYTHING! At first me and doc had the attitude of "don't push him he will do it when he was ready". But this actually backfired for my son (I know it dosen't for all kids though). He wanted to be a big boy so bad and since he was so afraid of going poop in the potty in his mind he decided he just woudln't go anymore! Well he was holding it for a week and a half at a time and developed some problems from holding so long. So doctor and I are now in poop boot camp haha! Basically he is on Myralax which is a stool softner as well as mineral oil every night. It has done wonders! He is going every other day like a champ and can not hold it in anymore. But I do take him in the bathroom to sit on the potty and try two times a day. It is so hard because he cries and screams and tries to get out of it but once he goes he is so excited and says "I did it!" I guess it is just a matter of time before he gets over his fits when using the potty. It has been 2 weeks now I have been doing this and it is really hard and frustrating but my Doctor told me I had to correct this soon as his case was just getting so much worse and he would not go poop at all.

Anyhow If you ever need to vent I am here and am going through it too! It is hard but I can not wait until my son is a happy pooper haha!

Good Luck!!

My daughter was exactly the same way! She had gone "potty" on the toilet for about a year before before we could get her to poop. It was really frustrating, but eventually she got it, and we haven't had an accident since. I tried to give her lots of food with fiber in it so that she couldn't hold it back, and that seemed to work pretty well. My pediatrician said just give it time, she has to want to do it. Sure enough, once we started preschool in the fall, she got on board. Good luck...it will get better!

She'll get there. My niece used to not go and it got to the point where she got so backed up that when she did go it was very painful and ended up coming out looking like a giant anaconda snake! I think my brother in law actually gave her a dollar or 2 when she did go on the toilet and that was motivation enough for her! Good Luck!

One thing I have done with both of my kids is, if they poop in their underwear, etc., take the poop, put it in the toilet (have them watch), and you flush or let them flush. This way they can see what goes on - because when you are sitting on it - you can't see. I tell them too that the poopoo belongs in the potty - not in their pants.
Good luck!

My son was the same way. He didn't like being up high and thought he would fall in the toilet. He wouldn't use on of the toilet seat covers. I finally let him decorate his own little training potty that sits on the floor. It got him to go. It's kinda gross to clean out, but it's better than rinsing it out of their underwear. He eventually has moved up to an on toilet training seat. Give that a try with your daughter. Hope it helps.

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was 4. What her doctor told me was she probably had a very painful bowel movement and is scared to have another one, so she holds it until her body forces it out. The doctor had me start giving her natural "hidden" laxatives to soften the stools: Prune juice in chocolate milk, flaxseed oil stirred into her oatmeal, yogurt or smoothie, dried fruits (apricots were the only ones my daughter would eat), apple juice, etc. Once she realizes her stools aren't painful, she will get better. It took almost a year though for my daughter to get back to normal. My sister's son also had this problem and it took her 2 years because he did not like dried fruits, oatmeal or any of the other fiber foods, so she sprinkled flaxseed into his cereal and told him they were tiny sunflower seeds. :)

I don't have any advice for you other than letting you know that you are not alone! My 3 1/2 year old decided at 3 that she no longer wanted pull-ups, only panties. She had no problem going pee in the potty, but always pooped in her panties. After 4 months of this I put her back in pull-ups. Just recently (after 4 1/2 months of pull-ups) we decided to try panties again because she REALLY wanted them. No luck - she is still pooping in them. I too have tried EVERYTHING - rewards, getting upset, putting back in pull-ups... The only advice I have gotten is not to worry that they will get it eventually.

My son did the same thing. He didn't poop on the potty for almost a year. We tried more fruits and liquids and everything and we just figured out that he wasn't ready. (He would do it at night in his pull ups- he didn't wet himself- only poop in them before he went to sleep). We gave up trying and figured when he was ready he would. One day he told us he had to go poop and did it himself on the potty. Now our frustration is trying to get him to wipe himself :). Goodluck- hopefully it will happen soon.

Hi B.,
This is totally normal...I taught preschool for 9 years and a lot of potty trained kids will not go poop on the potty. One thing to try is to let her poop in her diaper and then put the poop in the toilet and have her flush it down the toilet. I know it may sound a little gross, but it helps them be okay with the idea that the poop goes the same place as the pee. Also, if you offer rewards for potty use, offer double rewards ( 2 stickers instead of one) when they poop on the toilet. Hope this helps!

My son took forever to potty train. I used hershey's kisses. He pee's fine we made a game about the pooping thing. He called his poopy his friend. I don't really know how it started but he was really excited about sending his friend's home and he says goodbye to them and everything. I realize this sounds weird and gross but he enjoyed it and we had very few accidents after it started. I am not suggesting you encourage her to talk to her poop. Talk to her let her make the decision about what her game is. He offered his game and he was in control. I have noticed when he has choices and he can make the decision he is more apt to do what I want cause he decided.

I had the same problem (sort of) with my daughter, and all of a sudden, she's going poopoo on the potty every day now. Don't worry, nobody's ever gone to college in diapers! Just be patient, and it will happen. :)

B.,
Don't shoot the messenger just yet, so read and keep an open mind. I am making this suggestion with the concept that you will get creative with my suggestion. Place live flower petals in the toliet after you have allowed your daughter to smell them, play with them, relax her body, etc. Encourage her to release naturally into the sweet, flowered smelling water and praising her on how special she is while releasing. This is just a concept to allow you to work with dissipating the fear of pooping into water from your daughter's consciousness. Urinating comes much easier to our bodies, than straining to have a bowel movement. If this does not work, get creative. O K

I have been a counselor/healer for many years and sometimes you have to just keep an open mind and try it. It can not hurt; I do believe.

Lonewolf

It will happen, don't get anxious about it, encourage her and you be peaceful, just a season of life, enjoy!!!