Pooping during naptime

Snapdragon750

My 2 1/2 year old poops during naptime almost every single day.  She's not potty trained, but she has used the potty a handful of times...when she feels like it, which hasn't happened in weeks.  I've tried instituting mandatory potty time right before a nap, and it worked the first two times (got a poop in the potty!!!), but since then she's either cried in protest so hard that I couldn't make her sit, or she's sat for 10-15 minutes with no result, only to promptly poop in her diaper once she's in the crib.

I think she's still too young to try and really push potty training right now when she's resisting so hard (and it doesn't work anyway), but when she poops in her diaper during naptime she doesn't sleep.  What happens now is that if I notice her still playing awhile after I put her down, I go in, change her inevitably poopy diaper (during which time, by the way, she screams, cries, and squirms like I'm torturing her), then I put her back in her bed, have to do the whole bedtime routine again, and then she'll usually nap.  This whole process means naptime goes from 1 to 5 in my house, up to two hours of which aren't sleeping time.  It's not the ideal situation, but I'm out of ideas.  Anyone have any?

Thanks!!

barnwife

We are dealing with something similar. A. (almost 2) is mostly PT though. She has started pooping pretty much every day after I tuck her in for nap. I've tried less fiber and more fiber (to get her "off schedule), but she still poops at naptime.

I spent some time reading stuff online. And we are not alone. The only theory I read that seems like it has some value is that in order to poop, LO needs to be able to relax. And they are so busy with life during the day that it doesn't happen. Therefore naptime is the perfect pooping time.

The only remedy, from I read, is time. Not what either of us wants to hear, but it seems to be the truth.

So I've started putting her in her room with a potty chair for quiet time just before naptime. And most of the time, it works. If she hasn't pooped after 15 or so minutes, I do naptime routine. Then if she is still awake in a little while, I check to see if she has pooped. If she has, we clean her up and tuck her right back in.

It does make naptime really, really long, but I think I just have to roll with it for now.

MoreThanABride

My dd did the same thing for a while after she was mostly potty trained. It sucked, but then she outgrew it. The only thing that really stopped it was when she stopped wearing diapers at nap time. Then she was fine for about a year? Recently she started pooping in her underwear at naptime for attention (at almost 3.5). This time she is fully trained though and we had to implement a sticker chat and find ways to give her positive attention in other ways in order to get her stop.

If she's resisting training, I would let it go for awhile.

JuneMrs

It sounds like your LO is holding it because she's a little stressed about the whole potty training process and when she relaxes during her nap she goes. Let it go! The whole potty thing will come. Putting in requirements about using the potty before nap may make you feel like you're controlling the potty process but it isn't getting you there any faster. When she's ready potty training will happen easily without all the stress and drama. If you push it you can end up with a child that has constipation or bowel issues from holding it.

luvmygirlss

sounds like she's ready but just afraid. Give her lots of encouragement and coaching while she is on the potty. We held and hugged my daughter while she did her duty, and it helped a lot.