2 Yr Old Holding Poop

Updated on February 07, 2011
T.C. asks from Aubrey, TX
6 answers

My 2 yr old had 2 episodes of constipation now she is terrified to poop. She is potty trained but will not poop on the potty or a pamper. I put the pamper on her thinking she'd be more comforable and she still won't go. She's always had issues with constipation so she is on morales everyday so her poop is no hard right now she's just scared. She squeezes her butt cheeks so had to not allow the poop out when she gets the urge. So she'll get a tiny bit out every hour or so.!and is whining and crying while she tries to hold it in. Then she gets a tiny bit out and wants us to clean her butt. We've done this so much over the last couple days I know her butt is chaffed and sore just from wiping it. What do I do? She's so miserable.

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A.S.

answers from San Diego on

I would try to make it a positive experience by giving her a sticker or a treat everytime she does poop. Maybe put some cheerios in the toilet and tell her it's a game to try to sink the cheerios so she can get relaxed going to the bathroom. You might try blowing bubbles with her while she's on the toilet. That way if she goes poop she sees it as a fun experience. I would also make sure that you let her know that the bubble blowing is only if she goes poop. So she will try to poop. Boudreaux's butt paste is the best as far as diaper rashes or chaffing goes. Good luck and hang in there.

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T.T.

answers from Dallas on

We had the exact problem with our daughter when she was 2 and learned that this is very common, especially in girls. I would suggest checking with your pediatrician to make sure there is no blockage or other physical problem, but also highly recommend Myralax. You can get it over the counter, but it may be considerably less expensive with a prescription, using your insurance. It is not like a traditional laxative, as the body will not grow addicted to it, which can cause problems later. You can give her one dose per day and just make sure she is also getting plenty of fluids...i.e. WATER. It's okay for her to take the Myralax for a somewhat extended period of time, until she outgrows her fear of pooping. I can now laugh at the vision of my daughter holding it in...she would squeeze so tightly and stand with her hips swung all the way to one side to hold it in. LOL bless her heart. She came out of it fine and in time, got back on track. Your daughter will, too. Good luck!

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L.B.

answers from Dallas on

Oh isn't it horrible! We went through this for an entire year with our 2 year old. Then our pediatrician finally recommended a tsp of Miralax every day. That saved us! It made it so that she couldn't hold her poo anymore and it finally broke the fear cycle. Good luck!

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C.W.

answers from Tampa on

Hi. Been there... I can relate. I ended up taking my daughter to the GI doctor. They did xrays and blood work to make sure that it was just constipation. It was. Her dr gave her miralax that she took daily after a good weekend clean out with x lax. This seemed to loosen it and make it impossible for her to hold it. I think that as soon as she knew that it was ok to actually go and knew what it felt like to go normal then she was good. It was not an over night fix. Still took a few months. Good luck.

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

We had the exact problem and it's so sad! We gave her lots and lots of fiber gummies so she wasn't able to hold it. Once she realized that it wouldnt hurt she started going normally. We still give her fiber gummies everyday to keep things moving!

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T.M.

answers from Columbus on

Load her up with natural laxatives so she won't be able to hold it - prune juice, apple sauce, flax seed oil. If you want to get her to go immediately you can try an over the counter children's laxative. Vaseline or shea butter on the bottom for the chafing.

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