Potty Training for #2 Only!

I don't really have any advice for you, but my son does the same exact thing. He has been wearing underwear for 6 months or more, but he does not like to go #2 on the potty. We will put a pull up on him and then he goes in that. I am anxious to see what kind of responses you get.

K.

My daughter was having difficulty with #2 also. I found that placing a step stool under her feet helped a lot. I had to make sure it was high enough that her feet touched flat while she was sitting on the toilet. She seemed to want to stand to poop so I thought if I gave her a way to poop in the toilet while being able to push her feet against something that it might work, and it did. I've actually seen these contraptions you can put on your toilet so you can squat over the toilet to do your thing but that was a little much for me! oh yea, a cushy toilet seat seems to be more comfortable for some kids, too. For boys, teach them to 'tuck' and get rid of the splash guard, it makes it difficult for them to sit on the toilet comfortably and can cause injury. Good luck! I know this is an interesting phase, to say the least!

Hi,he has the #1 down and he is very close to having the #2 down. Potty training can be frustrating but at least he is telling you he needs the pull up and not going in his underpants. Exercise all of your patience because he is almost there. With a younger brother in diapers he may be conflicted. (big boy Vs. baby)This will be a distant issue, quickly, I promise. I am a Mom to a 35 year old son and a 32 year old daughter and both are potty trained! :-) Denise.

My now 4 1/2 year old had a really hard time with this also. I just stopped putting diapers on him. Yes, he went in his pants but it only took 3 pairs of his diego undies going in the trash to teach him to use the toilet. I started out cleaning them and it just got crazy! So after about a week of him going in his pants I told him they were going to start going in the trash, and that's just what I did. He was really upset about the undies, but I told him he could get new if he started using the potty to go. A day or two later he was going on the potty.

I went thru this EXACT thing with my daughter. I felt bad cause if I didn't give her a diaper she'd hold it. One day I decided enough was enough. I told her we were out of diapers and she's a big girl and can go in the potty. She cried for a bit and even pooped 2x in her panties. By the end of that day though she went in the toilet and has been doing it ever since! I say give it a try, it can't hurt. Another thing that helped her was that I be out of the bathroom when she goes. I just stand outside and wait for her to finish but I understand her reasoning. I certainly don't want company when I'm using the bathroom either! My DD's father was convinced that he got her to poop cause he offered her teddy grams but honestly that wasn't the reason. She just decided that she didn't want to poop in her panties and I wasn't giving her diapers so she went on potty. In fact once she started pooping on the potty I didn't even reward her. She got a good job and a high five and was happy with that. Btw, I totally understand you not wanting your son to hold it in. That's what DD did also but I asked the doc and they said that you don't really have to be worried until about 3 days with no poop. So maybe just give the underwear a try and if he doesn't go on potty maybe he's just not ready yet.

Hi! Just a quick note--but my son did the exact same thing! He is 13 now and does go #2 on the potty so there is hope!

Since he did go #1 on the potty, I tried to force the issue and make him go #2 on the potty. After he did it once, he refused to poop for a whole week! I was freaking out and he ended up constipated, which was awful. I felt terrible! I remember taking him to the pediatrician for advice.

And here it is: "Don't worry about it."

When I whined "But if I keep giving him a diaper to go poop into, what will his motivation be to ever use the potty?!"

She said again, "Don't worry about it."

And she was right. You'll eventually get there. Just be patient. Good luck!

They will get it. One of my 3 sons was 3 1/2, & did the same thing. We were once at an amusement park & told him to remember that he had big boy panties on. All at once, he said I have to go & I rushed him in & put him on, he went & I almost could see the lightbulb go on in his little head... saying "that wasn't hard". That was it. They just have to figure it out & know that it is not hard. Sitting makes them try & strain & that can be not pleasant for them, so they prefer the pull up. He will get it. My niece was so afraid of it that she would hold it & it turned into years of problems because they tried to force it early on. My grandmother once told me that they won't go to school with a diaper, bottle or pacifier :-)
He is now 27 & trust me, you have bigger battles ahead, choose them well. :-)

kinda gross, but i let my DD see my #2 in the potty, so she could see that is where I put it. My sis also showed her.
She was #2 trained before pee trained :)

my daughter did the same thing and it lasted an entire year. She was potty trained by 2 and a 1/2, but ever time she had to go #2 she would ask for a diaper. i tried to put her on the potty to go but she wouldn't, and if i didn't give her a diaper she wouldn't go, which is not good. i know you don't want to hear this but you just need to give him time, even if it takes a while. When she was 3 we had her potty chair outside with us and one day she decided to use it, now she is 5 and there are no problems at all using the potty.

I hope this doesn't sound mean to you... put him on the potty and leave him there until he goes #2.. even if you have to stand over him or be there the whole time. Tell him he can get up when he's done with #2. And if needed, offer him another reward... not candy. A small toy you know he will like from the dollar section at walmart or something. Keep it around and ready , don't tell him what it is, just tell him he would earn a special toy. I also used reward certificates we decorated with stickers and hung wherever my kids wanted them.
I have seen my niece fall asleep on the potty when her mother had to do this also, but it worked!!! And made a pretty cute picture!
Good luck!

I have the same problem my son just turned 4 and will go put his own pullup on to go#2 if I dont let him he just wont go and that is not good! Im just trying to wait it out my boy is a rockhead and has to do thing on his own time good luck!!!!!!!!

Patience and it will come. literally and figuratively.:-)
My son was 3 when he started wanting to #1 on the potty... But closer to 3 1/2 when he started wanting to go #2. He would do the same thing with holding it... I know its gross, but don't put on a pull up. If he won't go in the potty, let him go in his unders. The feeling is different in unders that sag than in pull ups that soak up the juice and hold things a bit tighter...
Its one of the only things he has control of right now and some just arn't ready to switch over to the potty. He will eventually figure out that he controls going in the potty also. My boy now goes without telling me. Puts himself on the potty and all. (Thank heavens!!!!) One day at a time and there will be the day that you realize... HE DID IT!!! :-)

Dear P.,

Isn't it wonderful your son is learning to go potty on his own. It's great that he knows when he has to go #2.. He is on the right track. Remember for some reason children view #2 as part themselves. So if he has ever gone in the potty or does go in the potty praise him incentives may help but its nature and maturity and persistance that will help the most.. dont flush #2 when your son is there praise and wait for him to leave first after he gets the hang of using the potty and can get past this attachment then teach him to flush... I had this set back with my own son and realized he felt he was loosing a part of himself..yuck but remember they are still learning how the body functions.. good luck

Hello P.,

I have been having the same trouble. We got our little girl 3 to poop once on the potty. We thought maybe if we get her something she will keep it up. Well, that didn't work. Still is not pooping in the potty. I have heard they do it when they are ready. Pushing it sometimes makes it worse. They will probably suprise us and just go one of these days.

The pull up's to me are glorified diapers. Once we put of girl in panties she stayed in them. We only diaper at naps and night time. You don't get as many pull ups as you do diapers anyways. They seem quite expensive too.

Good luck with #2!

M. H.

My son had the same issue. Here is what we did. We didn't do pull ups and made a big deal about wearing underwear. When he had to go poop, he usually had to sit on the toilet numerous times before he would go. (Think running to the bathroom every 5-10 minutes.) I know that using underwear means more messes for you to clean and more trips to the bathroom to help him go, but the hard work and frustration will pay off! What really helped my son is we did a special reward. I made a chart that showed three days. We then took him to a store to look at toys and pick one he liked. We told him if he went poop on the toilet for 3 days we would come back and buy the toy. It took him about 4 days, but he did it. After that pooping on the toilet wasn't an issue. Hope you get some good suggestions!

Let him run around in only a large T-shirt--NO underwear while at home all day. this REALLY does work!

GL:)

my daughter did the same thing. we tried putting the poop in the potty from the pull up and then giving her a treat, she eventually made the connection when she pooped her pants twice. i put her in the tub the second time and made her clean herself, she was not happy and never did it again. i know it sounds harsh, but it worked.