Refusing to poo in toilet

[kritti]

Hi Everyone,

just would like advice 3yr old ds is toilet training. Great with wee's we do have the occasional accident but he refuses to poo in the toilet. He will go in his undies or like today he ran outside took his pants off and pooed in the garden. 10 minutes earlier I had him on the toilet reading a book - I was pretty sure he needed to go but he refused and ds#2 (6mths old) required assistance. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get Cameron to actually poo on the toilet?

[Peaceangels]

We had the exact same problem with DS1 a few months ago (he is 3), so we tried the following reward system.

I made up a Star Chart for the fridge, got some star stickers and every time he did a poo on the toilet he got to put a star on the chart, when he had 5 days straight of all poo's on the toilet he got a reward.
I let him pick the reward first so we could refer to it every day. The first one was a toy cash register and the 2nd time I took him to the movies to see Chicken Little. We only had to do it for two weeks and from then on everything was fine!

Goodluck!

[angcaltam]

My son is almost 3 1/2 and is doing the same thing. We have tried everything including the star chart on the fridge, he has 2 stars on it and is happy with that, he will still go and hide and do his poo's in his undies, then goes in and waits near the toilet for someone to go and clean him up.
I can't help you with anything but thanks for starting the thread as I have no idea how we are going to get him doing poo's in the toilet, and I'm due with number 3 today so really need to get this sorted.
I hope that you find something that works really soon, and if you do please let me know.

[book_mum]

" he will still go and hide and do his poo's in his undies, then goes in and waits near the toilet for someone to go and clean him up."

I don't know what it is all about but I have been told by several mums that it is very common for boys to hold onto their poos and do it in secret.

It can create problems down the track if not addressed properly, they need to let go of their poo!! they consider it theirs and don't like to part with it. If they hold on it can cause bowel dysfunction and if they get any fissures can make them even more fearful to let it go and pass their poo.

I haven't found any strategys other than star charts, but I have been addressing it with my almost three year old boy by repeating and hopefully reinforcing, that poo is food our body doesnt want, trying to explain the plumbing concept and that it goes in the toilet. I also tell him that we don't have to flush it, its his choice. That way he has some control over his own waste products and eventually with peer group pressure and maturity it will start to become a non issue.

Come to think of it, every boy I know has had this trouble!

Good luck and let me know if you have any success and share your secret!

Bookmum

[kritti]

Hi,

thanks to the girls that responded. We did a sticker chart yesterday and I put on the toilet wall at Cameron's height so he could see it. I explained to him how it worked. At lunch time he still pooed in his pants and wanted a sticker. I explained again that he only got a sticker when he pooed in the toilet. We had a loud discussion about that. Anyway. last night after having a bath he was running around and popping off ALOT! I reminded him about the stickers and guess what - he ran to the toilet and just managed to sit down when he did a POO IN THE TOILET! he got his sticker!!! Great Idea!

Thanks heaps.