Potty Subject

My oldest child had similar issues at that age. At 2 1/2 she very quickly got the peeing all figured out, but poop was another matter entirely. It took another six months, and during that time she did the holding in until it wasn't healthy and we finally had to give her an enema. From all of that we learned we were putting way too much pressure on her and causing more harm than good in the process. So we finally backed off for a couple of months. Then, as we neared her 3rd birthday, we would casually reference her birthday a couple of times a week and say that 3 year olds go poopy on the potty not in their pants. Very casual . . . no pressure, no dwelling on it. Then, when she turned 3 we hung a big chart on the wall and she would get a sticker for each day she pooped on the potty. After X amount of days she earned a small reward (something from a dollar store, etc.). At the end of the process, when we were confident she had it down, she earned a big reward (I think it was a tricycle or wagon or something like that). This less stressful approach worked great . . . it only took about 3 weeks from her birthday and she was completely potty-trained!

As an aside, I have a 28 month old who also freaked out the first time she pooped on the potty. Potty training her will be interesting . . . she's one of those kids who likes privacy when pooping in her diaper, but then she is in total denial that she did anything in her diaper.

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Hi L., I had the same issue with my son, he would pee in the potty but wouldn't poo poo... I tried leaving a diaper off but he would just poo on the carpet if I didn't get him diaper... anyway I bought a potty chair and would sit him on it, I ended up having to leave the potty chair in the living room as that was the only time he would use it.. but what really help was my sister in law.... every time he went over there he had no issues using the potty, so I was over there quite often... do you have a friend or relative who has kids and/or potty training as well? Don't know if that helps at all.. good luck..

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Have you tried the good old fashioned trusty candy as a reward? Hershey kisses are just big enough to seem like a big treat and they don't ppo that often, so you wouldn't have to give him too much. If you haven't tried it, give it a whirl. Next time he asks for the diaper say, would you like a diaper or a Hershey Kiss? He will undoubtedly say the Hershey Kiss, tell him if he poops in the potty he can have the Hershey Kiss. That is so sad that he misinterpreted your enthusiasm and thought he did something wrong! How sad! The thing is men just don't ever get excited unless their sons do something for them to be proud of and then it is so unusual that it confuses the child.

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Your son is not quite ready. He is close, YEA! This is something he can do when he decides, and give him permission to take charge. I would tell him at his "success" he must be proud of himself. Some children don't walk until they think they won't fall, some children won't potty train until they know they won't fail. Let him keep his big boy pants on and he will probably decide on his own that he wants to go to the potty. Have no anxiety, this will be a memory quite soon, make it pleasant and not a bargain.

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2 1/2 is pretty young for a boy to be potty trained... so give yourself and your son a big hand!! You are doing better than most. There is a book called everyone poops that is entertaining as well as informative. Perhaps... and this is just my suggestion so take it for what it is worth... when you or your husband go poop... invite him to come sit on his potty with you guys and have a special moment together... read the book and talk about how everyone does poop and show him the picture where the boy is pooping on his potty and the daddy is pooping on his potty and the baby is pooping in his diaper. You might even mention "see babies poop in diapers, but you're a big boy... so you can poop in the potty like mommy and daddy... that is so exciting". It may take a while, but by making potty time with you a special time he will eventually get it...

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I know my youngest did something similar. But he would not demand and diaper he would just do it in his underwear. My mom kept telling me that's one thing in his life that he could have some control over. Just try to be more patent that I was! It would frustrate me to no end.

Good luck and God bless!

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I was just talking with a friend the other day about this. Her daughter trained at 3 but was holding her poop until 4. She finally slipped some liguid pediatric stool softener in her drink so she had to go. She said it worked great!

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Bibery! I think I spent close to $100 on poo poo prizes. I had the little cars from Cars lines up on the mantel. I gave him Lighting McQueen and the track/case to hold more cars. He could see, but not touch all the additional cars. It was over a week before he got one, and he cried the days he went in a diaper and didn't get a new car, but within three weeks we were consistant! Good Luck!

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try making your son run around naked for a day or two. when he gets the urge to go, then he'll go to the toliet. he will not want to soil himself nor the floor. a friend of mine did this with her son and it worked...

when he has the urge for excreting, you might have your son sit on the potty and play his favorit music in the bathroom...

good luck.

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Dear L.,
My son is now 21! But I remember those days!If I remember correctly, I just had to hold my horses. I think we put a potty chair in the family room and he would sit there seeing if anything would happen. not for hours!
I think we also did the M&Ms reward approach. He didn't completely potty train until he was closer to 3 - or maybe a little beyond 3? Can't remember now, but I do remember coming to a decision that I just wouldn't fret over it; I would let him conquer it at his own pace. I think that's when the potty chair came out of the bathroom and into the family room.

Good luck. Don't fret too much. Put it into perspective! I'd rather clean up baby poo than clean up after a teenager who has vomited after drinking too much alcohol.

Think about this: no college student poos in his pants - they all learn eventually! It's your attitude/perspective that will drive you crazy. If you tell yourself you can't stand it, then it will drive you crazy. If you tell yourself, "Hey, I can deal with this" then you will be able to handle it!

By the way, choosing to adjust your attitude or change your perspective about things works in lots of situations! It can help when Prince Charming seems more like Dud Deadly later on in the marriage! I know this because I had to learn how to change my viewpoint and it changed my marriage and saved it!

Well! I certainly have gone on. Sorry about that.

Good luck!

A.

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You are doing great at 2 1/2. He should be so proud of having #1 all taken care of.

My son started working on #2 at about the same age and didn't get it all figured out for another year. I sincerely wish I could take back all of the frustration I displayed to him and give him back control over the process. I suspect he would have potty trained faster if we hadn't been having a battle of the wills.

If I had to do it over again, I would let him be in control. I would give him the diaper just to poop. Soon, he will want to take the next step and he will probably do it when no one is paying any attention and when it can be his own accomplishment. I know how sick you are of diapers. I have been there. Good Luck!!

All that being said, I think you can set a big reward for him for when he chooses to make the switch. Like. "you do it when you are ready, but when you do, daddy is going to take you to pick out your own Tonka truck." Then he has an incentive, but it is his timeline.

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