Potty Training - Tacoma,WA

Three thoughts come to mind:

1. He's not really "too old" yet not to be completely trained. Pressure at this point sometimes drives kids to withhold and create serious health consequences for themselves– constipation, painful movements, anal fissures, and encopresis.

2. If he'll sit on the potty with a diaper, I've heard that some moms have success with cutting a hole in the diaper so the child actually poops in the potty. After several tries, toddlers sometimes realize they can skip the diaper.

3. Here's a very specific process for empowering the child to train when ready: http://www.rogerknapp.com/medical/pottytrainingrefusals.htm. It looks like a great system, though I have not had to use it with any littles, so my opinion is tinged by the reported success of other moms.

You might find this site informative and supportive: http://www.parentingscience.com/potty-training-tips.html. It discusses the various methods of potty training, their advantages and disadvantages. A very thorough resource.

Wishing you and your son the best.

My son was the same way. What finally worked is i went to walmart bought one of those plastic shoe boxes, some stickers, some candy and some little toys. Let him decorate the box with stickers and we called it his treasure chest. Every time he would poop in the potty he would get to pick something out of the treasure chest. Its all about control at this age, by making you put a diaper on him he has complete control over the situtation. The treasure chest gives him that same control (he only gets treasure if he goes poop in the potty) but gets the result that you want.

Check out this site, which deals with potty training/pooping refusals, the issue you are having is specifically mentioned:
http://rogerknapp.com/medical/pottytrainingrefusals.htm

The recommendation is the one Peg mentioned, cutting a hole in the diaper so the poop eventually goes into the potty and the child realizes he doesn't need the diaper...it's a process, so take a look and see what is said.