3.5 year old son won't poop on potty!

Baby_Bunny_Hopeful · August 2013

DS1 has been amazing with peeing on the potty since Day 2 of training.... naps/bedtime are still pull ups.

He refuses to sit on the potty to poop. It's like he's too lazy or afraid of it. He'd rather poop in his pull-ups. But the consistency of his stool isn't normal. It's mushy (not like a baby, but not formed like an adult). This makes it very difficult to train because he is often finding the urge to push and doesn't want to go to the bathroom to do it!!

We have been to the dr, had xrays, started a combo of Miralax AND fiber supplements (to try to have it soft enough that he isn't constipated but hard enough it has form)- but that hasn't worked, either.

Any suggestions????? We aren't sending him to preschool this year because of this issue, and I want it resolved ASAP!! We are out of ideas.

TIA

Unknown · August 2013

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Baby_Bunny_Hopeful · August 2013

Good idea. Haven't tried that yet.

Becid24 · August 2013

My dd couldn't poop for a full yr after pee training, so I worked with her & realized she couldn't sit & poop. So one day I took away her bottoms & undies so when she got the urge she knew to run to the bathroom but sat down & couldn't go so I had her stand over our little potty chair & she did it. The next few days we did the same thing & over just a few days she figured out what muscles needed to work to poop sitting down. She had never even as a baby popped in the sitting position so I don't know why I didn't try this sooner. Best of luck to u

jwthoms1 · August 2013

My 3.5 year old is struggling with this too. We have had him pee trained for about a year but it's been a battle on poop. I also think my son struggles with the sitting and pooping combo. He usually stands to poop in his pull-up I think. He loves books and magazines and he has some little magazines that we let him read on the potty. We have had success about 4 times in a row recently when he sits to "read" on the potty and we just leave him in privacy. I can't say this would have worked last year if I had tried it then. I think he has had to mature. He still won't poop at school or on a public toilet but at home with his magazines he is doing better. Sticker charts haven't worked for him. Candy and treats have had minimal success.