Poop Training - New Philadelphia, OH

You could try getting him to go on the portable training potties. That worked better for my kids. Sometimes they would get busy playing or watching TV, and they just refused to leave what they were doing. The babysitter would put a potty off to the side of the room and remind them to go. She had another one in the bathroom as well.

I used stickers to reward my kids for trying. That worked well for one son. The other I used several different techniques. Finally, I found that I could reward him with a small piece of chocolate or a sucker for trying to go poop, another candy for going poop, or maybe a candy for going and flushing the poop down the potty. I suggest start on smaller goals and work up to going poop on the potty.

Maybe if he's wearing a pull-up, you can ask him to tell you immediately after he's gone and reward him. Perhaps that will help him realize when he needs to go...?

I also had my boyfriend go to the potty with him. The two little boys and him would go together like a big male bonding thing. I instructed the babysitter to have her older sons help my boys out or talk about it like he was a big boy for going.

I offered several rewards for going such as the park, zoo, playdate with a friend, taking out the sleds to play in the snow, going to the Dollar Store to pick out a toy, etc.

My friend's son was afraid to poop on the potty too. It must be a boy thing? When he would have an accident, she would have her son watch her put his poop in the potty (from the underwear or pull-up). Then he learned that poop always goes in the potty. Also (this may sound weird but it worked for him), she would have him stand above the potty to poop...until he felt more comfortable sitting on the potty. I never could picture this, but she said it worked for him. He's all potty trained now and will be 4 in July. Another idea is, does he never want to wear a diaper? I used that scare with my daughter cuz she did not want to wear a diaper ever again. When she would have an accident I would say "accidents happen sweetie, just don't make it a habit or you'll have to wear a baby diaper like your baby brother does". That totally worked! Good luck!!

Until he associates the feeling with what he has to do, you just have to be patient. It is perfectly normal for a child to get the pee part down before the poop part. My own was "afraid of poop", so we let her poop in a diaper, only putting it on when she told us she had to go. You could try putting him on the mini potty every couple of hours, or shortly after he eats, give him a book to look at, and have him try to poop. Eventually he will get it. It only prolongs the agony if you get angry and upset or shame him. This is just part of parenthood, so be patient and let him do it in his own time. Videos from Bear in the Big Blue House and Elmo have shows about going potty. Good luck!

Our son is getting it...we're so excited! (He's our 2nd child, 1st is a girl.) We began potty training a couple of weeks ago. He pooped in his underwear twice, so we realized that we needed to explain what the feeling was before he actually poops. That made sense to him & he's been telling us before he goes since then. Yea!! I think you just have to find whatever he will connect with to link the feeling with the action. Good luck! Sometimes it takes a while, but he'll get it eventually. Just keep your patience & realize that he's only 3. =)

Hi J.,
Reading your request brought back memories. Now I can laugh but at the time I remember it wasent so funny. I wish I had a cure all for you. You can probably bribe him as much as possible and until he is mentally ready very few things will work. When ever my son would make the face or start to hide behind something I would try and get him into the bathroom, but they are clever little people. As much as you are looking for solutions now please trust me when I say this to shall pass. And in a few years when he is older you will think about it and chuckle.
Good Luck.

Relax. It's going to drive you crazy. My six yr old just now stopped pooping his pants. They stop whenever they are ready.
No matter what you do - they don't do what you want them to do.

I'm lucky because I can tell when my daughter's pooping (her face gets red and her expression changes, lol), so unfortunately, I have little advice that will help. When we see her going, we ask her, "Are you pooping?" Because of this, she's learned to tell us when she's going (she now comes up to us and says, "Poop. Poop." when she has to go.

As for the fear of the toilet, we just try to make it fun. We wave bye, bye to the pee and poo, and she gets M&M's when she goes big girl potty (which is the only time she gets M&M's). We sing and patty cake while she's on the potty to encourage her to sit there for just a minute longer and applaud when she's going.

Sorry -- all I can tell you is what's working for us! Good luck!

Above all be patient and try not to punish or shame him. I had a lot of trouble with my son and was looking up different websites about regression. I'm not saying this is the same situation, but they all just encourage you to be positve with your child. If you stay calm and consistant they will get there in time. It was long frustrating few months with my son and we had tried everything. I hate to admit it but it turns out I was making it worse on the poor guy. When I just finally chilled out on the whole thing he eventually got it. Good Luck!

J.,
Know that you are not alone! Many kids potty train this way.
Here are a couple free potty training kits you can send for maybe they will help you out.

This is an encourging dvd
http://www.pull-ups.com/na/potty_training_DVD.aspx

This is a really nice one
http://www.charmin.com/en_cn/pages/offers.shtml

This one is dora and deigo!! awesome kit!
http://www.totallyfreecrap.com/Archive/2009/jan/potty.htm

Here is also free printable disney character charts

http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/CTGY/FREE-Potty-Trai...

Hope these will help and that you start seeing improvements!
S.

LOL...sorry im not laughing at your problem, but I am laughing at my own son going through this. You have gotten some great advice! With my son, there was NOTHING that worked. He went twice in the potty, then wouldn't go even in the small portable potty. He only went in a pullup, so I took away pullups on the advice of a friend, thinking, at some point he will HAVE to go, and he will give in and go to the toilet. NOPE. He held it for 8 days straight! This is no lie. He got so constipated that I felt so horrible that I never did that again. Kids just have to do it on their own. There are books/dvds etc that I'm sure could help. We even did what someone else above suggested, and wou8ld make him wash himself and dump out the poop (with our help since feces are nasty)that didn't bother him. He told us what age he would start pooping in the toilet, and don't you know,the DAY of his bday, he went in the toilet and never went in a pullup again (or underwear). He just had to do when he was ready. Its natural at your sons age for him to be scared of the toilet. Since he has been willing to go in the portable potty in the past, just stick with that until he is ready to move on.
Don't worry, you wont have a 17 yr old boy pooping in his underwear!!!!

This is a more common problem than you know. He knows when he has to go, don't let him fool you. Make him rinse the undies in the toilet when he poops them, and make him take a bath. He doesn't want his play interrupted, so make sure that going in the underwear is more trouble than sitting on the potty. Maybe have a special toy or book that he can only have when he is pooping on the potty. Also, give him a piggy bank or jar and let him put a coin in each time he goes #2 in the potty.

As for the flushing toilet, it takes time for them to gain confidence on the big toilet, make sure you hold him and stay with him until he gets a little bigger.