C.M. asks from Columbia, SC on September 17, 2006
HELP!!! Potty Training Nightmare!!
OK, I'm really not sure how to word this question. My 2 year old daughter is in the process of potty training, and does very well in the daytime. At night, however, she will poop in her diaper, take it off, then proceeds to play with her own poop. She does this in total silence and usually after we are all asleep. When I dicover the mess, She says things like "sorry, no play with poopy", but she keeps on doing it. I've tried SO many things so far. (waking her up to potty, rewarding her with something if she does not do it, verbal praises, time out, etc...) I would love any and all advice on the subject. Has anyone gone through something like this? I'm just not sure what to do anymore. Help!
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A.S. answers from Louisville on September 21, 2006
Toddlers are facinated by poop and will play with it. My son is 19 months and every chance he gets to take off his diaper, he'll play with it. My grandmother recommended to me putting pajamas on that button in the back, so he can't get them off himself.
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K.H. answers from Indianapolis on September 17, 2006
Hello C.. My only suggestion would be to put your daughter to bed in a zip up sleeper and then put a safety pin through the zipper so she cant play in her poop. My daughter does this constantly, and in total silence also. That is the only way I have found to avoid this, and having the frustation of cleaning up her, and her room! Good luck.
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T.C. answers from Charlotte on September 17, 2006
Two words...Duck Tape!!! Wrap the tape around the diaper at the waist (just make sure it doesn't get on her skin). In our house it served two purposes. One, she couldn't get her diaper off and make a mess. Two, she didn't like the idea of the tape so after a few nights she promised not to take it off if we stopped the tape. It worked.
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C.M. answers from Wilmington on September 17, 2006
We are also haveing potty training issues in our family. My daughter is also 2 and does similar things. The only thing she will do in the potty is pee and she has pooped on the floor even in the day. We have decided to put her back in diapers and to drop it for a while, hoping she will decide to do it on her own. We did finmd however that if she pees alot at night the pullups dont hold real well.
S.D. answers from Lexington on September 17, 2006
My son was doing the same thing. I thought I was going to go crazy. He finally became fascinated with pooping on the potty and now he gives it his all to poop each time we go to the potty. The advice about the zip up sleeper was good. But, the only thing I can say is she will soon get over it and move on to something else. Good Luck!!
S. answers from Spartanburg on September 19, 2006
well I had a cat who used to do that, but I know this is different. It may be a matter of punishing her. I would definitely make her clean it up in the morning if she wants to play and make a mess then she can clean it up. Plus I would do either time out or spanking depending on how bad it is, she needs to realize that this is not good. Plus it is really dirty and if she is putting her hands in her face or mouth, that is really not good. you can going to have to have some strict rules and stick by what you decide. hopefully she will learn quickly.
A.S. answers from Louisville on September 21, 2006
Toddlers are facinated by poop and will play with it. My son is 19 months and every chance he gets to take off his diaper, he'll play with it. My grandmother recommended to me putting pajamas on that button in the back, so he can't get them off himself.
S. answers from Spartanburg on September 17, 2006
Wow, it sure looks like a challenge, C.!
Let's see: playing with poop, eh? Have you tried to talk to her about bacteria and illnesses? You could draw nasty-looking bacteria on a piece of paper and demostrate how they translate from the feces to (possibly) her mouth and make her sick.
Children do understand drawings a little better than theoretical explanations. Also you could explain the the foul odour of things is a sign that they are bad for her: you could make her smell rotten potatoes or whatever has gone bad, so she can make the association bad smell-keep away.
I am not sure if it'll work, but you can try!
Have you talked to the pediatrician? What do they say? Good luck
S.
J.S. answers from Los Angeles on September 18, 2006
Put her in pajamas that she can't remove. Then you can deal with the poop in the diaper instead of on the bed.
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