My son turned 4 in July and he is potty trained but he does not want to poop in the potty. In general, over the last few years he has held his bowel movements until they are large and painful and we have to give him something to help him get. I've been looking into things to give him or add to his diet to help make him more regular but I do not want to give him anything that would cause loose bowels either. Even if he does not poop he is always leaving marks in his underwear and he will come home from daycare with several pair of dirty underwear.
Any suggestions?
He might have encopresis. Talk to your pediatrician about it.
Some kids have more trouble with poo than pee in the potty.
Otherwise, make sure he knows that his poop is waste, not part of him.
Offer a reward for pooping in the potty.
Let him sit backwards on the potty--that might feel more secure.
Let him "watch" the poop come outbid him & into the potty.
Try a squatty potty?
Good luck!
Your son probably has a large blockage of poop but some poop is getting around that and coming out - thus the skid marks even though he's not pooping. You need to get that large blockage taken care of right away. What's happening is that his bowel is growing larger to accommodate the large blockage. Once the bowel enlarges, your son won't feel the need to poop which will cause more constipation. It is a vicious cycle.
My GS had that same problem. What we were told to do, and what worked, was to use a suppository to break up the blockage. After that, we gave him Mineral Oil twice a day as a stool softener. It took a long time to get him back on track because after you get rid of the blockage, the bowel has to shrink again, and that takes time. During that time period, you can't let him get constipated again or the cycle will start all over again, so must do whatever you can to ensure that he poops at least every other day.
The part where you say he is coming home with marks in his underwear makes me suspect Encopresis....
This is where the feces basically backs up in the colon, and becomes a very hard and large mass, and very difficult to get moving... however, some liquid feces or much softer stool often sneaks past the mass of hardened stool and escapes, sometimes when he passes gas.
The best thing is to talk to the doctor.... you may have to go with a regimen of something like miralax to have him poop on a much more regular basis, or at least until he gets past the part where he is afraid it will hurt to poop.
When he's home w/you, try to do these things:
-make sure the toilet seat is comfy (hv a child insert ((they're soft & he
can pick out his favorite character)), hv a child step stool to put his feet
on ((helps to have legs up a little & their legs don't get crampy from
dangling)).
-give great praise when he does go. Almost like a mini party to celebrate
his big boy deed. Even give him a small treat. Think fanfare!
-When you're home w/him, encourage him to try to go after a meal. But
only have him sit there for 10 mins.
-Give him something to do while on the toilet: book, toy, spell & sound
kind of toy)
-Give him a treat after the first 3 times he succesfully goes on the toilet.
Can be a lollipop or Matchbox car
-Also, helps to wipe w/wipes to get cleaner. Harder at daycare to monitor
clean bottoms & undies but it will get easier as he ages. 5 will be a good
step etc.
If you haven't consulted with a pediatrician I urge you to do that to rule out any medical issue and to get advice on diet and ways to soften his stool. I would stop being concerned about loose stools. You need to get his stools soft.
What does he eat? Dairy products can be constipating. I'd stop those. Increase his fiber and liquid consumption. Give him Miralax on a regular schedule. Increase the dose until he has a soft bowel movement. Continue giving it until he has a soft movement for several days.
Sympathize with him about the pain. Sit with him when he's on the toilet. Distract him with reading and toys. My grandson liked me to hold his hand.
My older 2 did this and the ped said to sneak fiber into their diets. We put prune juice in with apple juice, fig newtons,etc. My little one loves frosted shredded wheat. If u can keep them fiber filled they will eventually need to go.
