Been working on potty training and unfortunately my toddler is withholding poop. Please give me all your tips and suggestions

Same with me

Went through this a couple years ago and about to do it again. We quit a couple times, read books like lift a flap what’s a potty for. Let them watch you go. Flush the poop away and say bye bye poop! Maybe flushable wet wipes if aggressive wiping is turning them off. Let them go in a diaper if they need it. My oldest was pee trained for months and would hold it until nap time when he got a diaper and then would poop as soon as he had the diaper. Eventually we bribed him with Amara smoothie melts. I know the experts say not to but it totally worked and I didn’t feel bad because they are healthy. We made a big deal about what a big boy he was every time he pooped in the toilet. Oh and also get a smaller seat for the toilet and a high enough step stool.

We realized ours didn’t know how to poop sitting down on a toilet. So we had him squat over the potty (since he normally squatted to poop) and blow bubbles to get used to it. After about a week of practice, he got it. The bribery of a new bath toy also helped 😆

I have no helpful comment here other than our kids are entering adolescence and oh to have parenting questions like this again…

Going through this with my newly turned 3 year old who won't poop on the toilet yet. He pees just fine, doesn't need reminded, even wakes up at night to pee, but he refuses the toilet and asks for a diaper when the time comes despite lots of positive talk around pooping on the potty.

Is it possible to give him a diaper when he needs to poop? Would that make him more comfortable to avoid withholding?

As a mom of 3, I've always followed their lead. 0 of 3 of mine poop trained the same time they pee trained. All 3 pee trained around 2 1/2. The oldest poop trained before they turned 3, the other two both didn't until after they were 4.

We have one where withholding was an issue up to 6-7-- he just didn't like to do it and it turned into a big problem. Bribery worked really well for us-- gummy bears, m&ms, mini marshmallows (each child had their own favorite).

We also had one kid who really hated pooping on the small training potty. I think she thought it just felt super gross. As soon as we got a potty chair that went over the actual toilet she was much more willing.

Baby Bjorn makes a toilet training seat that fits over the regular seat and a sturdy step stool. It helps for them to have feet rest on a stool and a seat that is comfortable so they are not afraid of falling in.

I’m in the same boat. My toddler refuses to go poop on the toilet it was so bad she started holding it in. Needless to say she’s back in pull ups. We’ve started and stopped a few times in the last few months but each time we get closer to the goal of going on the toilet full time. I wish I had some advise to give but I’m also here to receive. I have 3 other kids 19, 15, 14 they were all fully potty trained between 9 and 18 months. I don’t know what happened to me and why all of sudden I don’t know what to do but here I am. Good luck to you and your toddler

Mine held it in badly enough we ended up at a GI doc for constipation. They ended up having us do miralax and another one that’s name is escaping me. The miralax was to soften it. The other was to help give her that feeling of needing to poop. According to our doc once they start holding it in it can create issues with them not feeling that they need to go. We only had to do that for about a week and then she was set and hasn’t needed it since. (She was about 3 and is now turning 5).

This happened with my son. We incentivized him by giving him a new toy when we he pooped on the potty. The hardest was to get him to do it the first time. It was clear he had to poop, so we told him he would get a surprise if he pooped on the potty. Took a few times before he took the bait and then he caught on. We gave him small prizes for every poop on the potty for a month or so (he was pooping infrequently at that point) and then weaned him off it. At the beginning, I also gave him a very small piece of chocolate laxative. That seemed to help also.

Three boys. We tried everything w my oldest and honestly I just gave up. He went on his own just prior to turning 3. The other two were the same give or take.

Keep a few toys in a basket in the toilet that he is only allowed to play with while on the potty. Toys that are suepr fun and thay he will miss. Let him enjoy the pooping experience first before you add the incentive of a reward if done in the potty and make sure there is no upset face or any kind of negative emotion if he does in fact poop in the diaper so he isnt associating poop with negative emotions.