Help!! Almost 4 year old will not 2!!

Re: Help!! Almost 4 year old will not 2!!

• Brewtowngrl member

  January 2013

  Make him use the pull up in the bathroom so at least he is in the right room.  We had a prized larger toy on top of our fridge as his reward.  We also left him alone in the bathroom to do his business.  He wanted privacy.  

  
  
  

  
  

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• lilles member

  January 2013

  Is he afraid of the potty? Did he have constipation issues in the past? You can try the book It Hurts to Poop. You can get it on Amazon. One big thing is NOT to compare him to his brother everyone develops differently and if you say that his brother is doing it and he is not it might give him further reasons to not use the potty.
  

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• NJLH member

  January 2013

  My 4 year olds are still having issues with this. They both have bad constipation (we have GI appts booked...they;ve been in the past too). When they do go, they tend to tell me a few seconds too late. I hope this clicks soon.

  http://lb5f.lilypie.com/KSqdm4.png

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• erin44

  January 2013

  Thanks everyone. I will try the using the pullup in the bathroom. I will also try the book. He only tells me that he can't do it. Won't say why.

  

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• rsd12 member

  January 2013

  He may just not be ready. My oldest took about a year, and no reward helped. He would go at nap time or bed time. Honestly, I would relax... he will figure it out. It took my youngest 6 months to finally consistently make it to the potty for number 2 and he did not wait till bed time, ha I wish!

  Boy 1 2/06 - Boy 2 12/07 - Boy 3 9/09

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• KathrynMD member

  January 2013

  I would drop it and not discuss it - he knows he should be pooping on the potty at this point - for whatever reason, he can't/won't at this point.  Just let it be.  Make sure he's getting lots of fiber and water so he can poop, but take the pressure off.  Keep the bathroom door open, lights on, etc.

  Honestly, if he's going in the pull up at bedtime/nap time, he's not really having "accidents" he's just having a geography issue - so its not really affecting anyone but you - its gross, but its not hindering him otherwise.  You could try making him dump the poop out of the pull up into the diaper and see if that helps.

  

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• CarolinaDaisy member

  January 2013

  If there is any chance he is contstipated, I'd use a pedialax liquid glycerin suppository and sit him on the toilet. He'll go within minutes and then you can celebrate him being a big boy, give a reward, etc. Maybe it's just hard for him to push sitting down. Is he squatting with the pullup? Occasionally my 4 yr old needs to squat on the toilet seat to go. It's easier to push that way, apparently.

  But try not to make too big of a deal over the pull-up. It sounds like a power struggle....you cannot make him poop. Eventually he will do it, but you need to find a way to make him think it's his idea, not yours!

  

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• violetdiva

  January 2013

  I could have written this lost myself....minus the twins part. In fact I just Posted my woes too.
  
  My son constantly goes in his big boy pants and that's what school makes him wear....it's so gross cleaning them :
  
  

  

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