thread: Scared to Poo

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  1. #1
    Registered User

    Jul 2007
    melb
    8,498

    Scared to Poo

    I am posting for a friend who is not a BB member.

    She has a 3 year old DD who has been TT since Jan she got wee's down pat in potty and toilet very quickly but her problem is poo's.

    She is scared to poo in toilet and she holds on for days, or she disapears and poos in her pants.

    She watches her closely for signs she needs to go and will put her on toilet or potty (has caught 2 out of pure luck), she has tryed praising and rewarding her etc and she is at her wits end at what to try next.

    Any ideas

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Apr 2008
    4,427

    At that age it sounds more pshchological but it might be worth making sure her diet has plenty of fibre in it and that she is drinking plenty of water so its not hurting her to do a poo.

    I am not sure what else to do. Hope someone else can help

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    hiding under my desk!
    1,432

    poos are often one of the last things to happen, tell her to be patient and if she knows she needs to do a poo to put a nappy on her(if that works for her)
    If she is getting upset for her DD her DD will then start to stress about it too and then it will become a pschological problem.. i doubt that it would be now just a bit of stubborn ness

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Jul 2007
    melb
    8,498

    Her diet is full of fruit and fibre and water and she has tryed upping all those things to make it soft for her but the days she holds on of course do hurt.

    She doesn't stress out about it (mum)

    thanks girls

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Victoria
    7,260

    We talk to our poos....
    Seriously, we had a very brief period of scared to poo in the toilet, so we began to talk to the poos and thank them for coming out and talk about the adventure the poo would be having once he is flushed away...

    OMG sounds batty writing it, but it worked really well for us. We did the same thing to encourage her hand washing - thank you bubbles for washing away the germs!!
    Lots of praise, waving goodbyes to the poos and saying thanks for visiting, letting DD push the flush herself all helped.


  6. #6
    Registered User

    Jul 2007
    melb
    8,498

    We talk to our poos....
    Seriously, we had a very brief period of scared to poo in the toilet, so we began to talk to the poos and thank them for coming out and talk about the adventure the poo would be having once he is flushed away...

    OMG sounds batty writing it, but it worked really well for us. We did the same thing to encourage her hand washing - thank you bubbles for washing away the germs!!
    Lots of praise, waving goodbyes to the poos and saying thanks for visiting, letting DD push the flush herself all helped.

    Haha I am PMSL reading that but hay what ever works!!! I will tell her and I am sure she will try

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Oct 2008
    Newport, VIC
    1,885

    Re: Scared to Poo

    Next time I am pregnant and constipated I will definately be giving my poo a stern talking to. Love it!

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Victoria
    7,260


  9. #9
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Sunny Qld
    14,682

    My SIL had this problem with my nephew and she ended up cutting a hole in his nappy and he went to the toilet that way - with the nappy still on. He ended up wearing just the waist band at the end of it

    My sister also had this problem with her son (seems to be common) but his was a medical problem. So if she's concerned, she might want to get her checked out?

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Jul 2005
    Perth Western Australia
    1,697

    We went through this with my DD, and it was very stressful for all of us- for ages we let her ask for a nappy to be put on, and then she just stopped pooing altogether. My GP told me to put her on parachoc because she was getting backed up which hurt, and made her scared, and the less she pooed the more muscle control you loose.
    So we did a sticker chart and were told to just sit her on the toilet for 10 mins after every meal, we made this a fun time, with stories and puppets etc, and she would just get a sticker on her chart for sitting- apparently once they get used to sitting there for longer periods of time they get used to sitting and waiting for poo to come.

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Mar 2006
    7,046

    DD went through a phase too. For her, it was the sensation and I think also the water splashing her little bottom when a big one hit the water. Also the noise because she'd insist on us staying with her and covering her ears whilst she burried herself in our lap or shoulder (we'd have to sit in front of her). Gradually she got over it. We encouraged her to do poo on the toilet and would sit with her but would gradually move away. We ended up supplementing us with out portable towel rack which she leans on - so it must also be a positional thing? But these days she hardly requests the towel rack at all! But we did have a couple of periods were constipation was an issue for us - I had to use microlax on two occassions. Tell your friend to hang in there, keep pursuing it gently but to not worry - it WILL happen eventually.

    MG