Question

Moms!  I need some advice.Moms! I need some advice. I am potty training my two year old son. He’s pretty much got it down, he will go pee-pee on his own even in the middle of playing. but for the life of me, he won’t poop. He will hold it until I put a diaper on him or he will ask me to put one on him. He did it once and it totally freaked him out. so now he refuses to do it. Any advice?  

Answer 1

Following. going through the exact same thing

Comments

@alkali The struggle is real  

Answer 2

I’m in the same boat!  

Answer 3

Our pediatrician told us that with boys it could take until they were 5 to poop on the potty. My boys would tell us they had to go and we put a pull up on and then right back to undies when they were done.  

Comments

@hangover Really? Did it take until they were 5? I try to encourage him to do it when he asks for a diaper. But I hate for him to hold it, so I just give in.  

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@helotry it did. The problem was when we pushed them to do it on the potty they would hold for days. So then we had to do miralax. Dr said as long as their pooping it was OK to go back and forth with pull-up and underwear. Never diapers though. Pull-ups only bc their more like undies.  

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@hangover That makes sense about using the pull-ups. The only thing with our LO is when I use a pull-up, I’m guessing that he thinks it’s a diaper and he will pee in it. So we went straight to undies.  

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@helotry have you let him poop in undies? Maybe he will hate the feeling and will go on the potty.  

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@hangover He won’t do it. He will hold out.  

Answer 4

I'm in the same boat. Basically all the advice I have gotten is don't push it. When they are ready they will. Until then, reward them for "trying" and if they ask for a diaper to poop give it to them. ETA: We are giving him 1 M&M for sitting on the potty to try. He got pee potty training in a day no issues what so ever. He had 1 or 2 accidents since we trained him in January. He seems to be warming up to at least sitting on the potty because before he refused to even try.  

Answer 5

For us, it came 6 months later.  

Comments

@disuse On their own? Did you do anything specific to encourage it?  

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Had another baby . When her brother was born, she decided she wasn’t a baby anymore. I’ve heard some actually regress.  

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@disuse That’s so funny! He’s asking for a “baby sister”  Like almost everyday! Meanwhile he’s still in our bed, right up under me and refuses to poop in the potty! I’m like “woah there little fella, one step at a time”  

Answer 6

If he’s asking for the diaper maybe try lining the potty with the diaper. Or put the diaper on him but have him still sit on the potty then after that is comfortable for him have one side undone etc until eventually he’s more comfortable with the potty

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@tyika I tried to get him to sit on the potty with the diaper on. he likes to go and hide and poop. He gets very embarrassed afterwards, like doesn’t want you near him.  

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You could even start by moving the potty chair to his favorite hiding place then. Ask him to sit and tell him you’ll walk away and give him privacy if he does

Answer 7

Normal. My son didn’t go #2 on the potty until he was almost 3. Now my daughter is doing the same. She will only go in her diaper after her nap

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@ballast Did you encourage him to do so? Or he did it on his own? We gently ask him if he wants to try and he shuts that down everytime!  

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Yes a lot of encouragement and rewards but he just took his own time. My daughters done it a few times and we reward each time but it’s not consistent.  

Answer 8

We had that problem except our 2 year old guy wouldn't let us put a pull-up back on him once he was in undies and WOULD NOT ever poop in them, so he'd just hold it for 3 days at a time. It was an absolute nightmare, but the pediatrician told us start giving him daily Mirolax and a suppository if it gets to Day 3. He never had "tablet time" so we allowed it if he would at least sit on the potty, which with the help of Mirolax, bought enough time for it to "slip right out". I'd give him 2 M&Ms and a small cookie (child never had a sweet before) if he pooped. Took about 3 weeks, but now we have a consistent pooper who happily goes potty without the help of Mirolax and doesn't even expect a treat. Good luck. I remember losing my mind when we were going through it, but eventually almost every kid figures it out.  

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@damle3088 Did it cause any issues with his tummy? I feel so awful when he holds it, I just give right in and put a diaper on him. With my girls, it just came so natural with them. But that was 12 years ago.  

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He didn't start complaining about his stomach hurting until the 3rd night, then we would make him do a suppository and 15 minutes later he'd be empty. We haaaated doing it as much as he did, but if you give him regular Mirolax he just won't be able to hold it for 3 days. Really push the freedom of the tablet, lots of attention and positive praise and a "special treat" that maybe he's never had before. Main thing is consistency. I think he eventually figured out the potty was the only option. maybe just get rid of the pull-ups so that can't even be a choice. I can't imagine cleaning a 5 year olds diaper. I mean it was only a few months ago, but after what I see in that toilet when he's done now I don't know how that would fit in a diaper anyway. He's super proud of himself and has even taken on encouraging his little brother to go potty (which he is now! )

Answer 9

Following. going through the exact same thing

Answer 10

So we’ve got the pee thing down but the poop! He will poop in his nighttime pull-up, in his underwear and on the floor. We’ve gotten him to poop twice in the potty. He said he went by himself but I’m not convinced since his but was clean. I just need him to poop in the toilet!  

Answer 11

My son only wears pull ups at night or if he is not feeling well. He has been being and pooping in the toilet with no problem but sometimes he wants his privacy and makes us stand outside the bathroom door and sometimes has us close almost all the way. He has been using the big toilet for about 4 months. Maybe when your son pooped in the toilet water splashed on him and Ii scared him. Lol, my son likes to describe his poop, that is a baby poop, that is a daddy poop, dinosaur poop, etc ‍♀️‍♀️

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@kosygin That’s so cute!  dinosaur poop!  

Answer 12

Wonder if you have him wear the diaper but sit him on the potty while he goes into the diaper as a transition?  

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@kapp49 we tried. he’s so embarrassed when he has to poop. like he doesn’t even want to talk about it. he just wants to go and hide.  

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Hmm - ok then maybe some of those everybody poops kinda books :) Good luck! <3