Son Won't Poop on the Potty

Ah yes...the old poop on the potty conundrum. My son is also 3 & recently potty trained, but refused (!!!!) to poop on the potty. We did many, many things but a combination of these things is what worked:

- Let him be in the bathroom while you &/or hubby poop. Make a lot of pushing sounds, let him see it when you're done, and let him flush it down. (Really kind of gross I know, but I have 4 kids & hevn't been to the bathroom alone in years so it was no biggie for us).

- Explain where it went. We call it the poop trash. We explained that instead of putting poop in a diaper & then taking it out to the trash this thing just takes the poop to the poop trash for us.

- If he does poop in his underwear ALWAYS put it in the potty & flush it down.

- Consider putting him to bed or nap in a pull-up as he will likely wait until then to poop & at least it's not as disgusting to clean. Then after nap, whatever - right back into underwear.

- We talked about it CONSTANTLY. At the store he asked for a car. I told him that we would buy a new car after he pooped in the potty. Every single time we went anywhere he would talk (loudly most times) about how he was going to get this or that after pooping in the potty. This went on for months & I stuck to my guns. No arguments from him when we left without a matchbox car (I should add that he is obsessed with them) because he knew he'd get one after he pooped.

- I would have talks with him asking ahy he wouldn't go...Was he scared, did it hurt, etc. He said it was scary. I personally think it is just hard for them to transition from crouching, standing, whatever to sitting.

- We watched for signs of emminent pooping & made him sit on the potty. We would tell him he didn't have to poop, but to at least try to toot (fart, whatever you call it). This would often result in shrills of delight & running around the house yelling "whoo-hoooo I tooted!" & I would participate in some praise dfor it as it was a step in the right direction.

- Last, he finally went after MONTHS of all of these things when I stood outside of the bathroom w/ the door cracked. Maybe he just doesn't like to be watched while trying to poop??? I know I don't!! LOL!

When the big moment finally came we had a big, old poo-poo party!! We screamed & cheered & high-fived & he told me to get dressed to go to the store & buy a new car. Then onto a new problem....Every time he pooped he wanted to go to the store & get a new car. Well, we went with car stickers after a few times of buying cars, bubbles, etc. but it did eventually work!

It's frustrating & stinky but it will happen! Again, in the meantime I would do pull-ups for nap & bedtime. My best friends son held in his poop @ pre-school everyday but pooped in his pull-up the minute she got him ready for bed until he was 4. But he does poop in the potty now...and your son will too! Hang in there Mama!!!

P.S. Sorry so long!!! :)

Give it time. Keep encouraging him. My 2yo who is now potty trained won't go to a public restroom unless I sing to her...and that's not 100% of the time.

This seems to be a boy thing from all the people I have ever talked to. I had this problem with my son, my daughter would have NEVER pooped her underwear! It was extreamly frustrating dealing with poopy underwear day and and day out... and I was not very good at hiding that frustration! My son had his breakthrough when his sister had caught on to the fact that he had to poop and took him to the potty. He went and from that point on we never had another poopy accident. Maybe he has an older cousin or friend that he might look up to. Sometimes kids are just more receptive to other kids. Hang in there!

Don't keep firm on underwear -- make them a treat or maybe he can pick out some to work toward or like us put on top of pullup and doubleup when at home for easier cleanup?

Still encourage pee in the potty, watch some DVDs or read some books with him, and there are great tips at several sites... I even read where you sit him on the potty while he's going but still in his diaper for comfort and have him drop his poos into potty and flush; then when comfortable that way, cut a hole out of back so poop drops down (he's already heard that sound so not so alarming) and he sees and flushes; then remove diaper and have poop normally. My 3 year son freezes when we talk about pooping in the potty and holds his poop to go while asleep so isn't ready for any of that yet, but we're hoping soon:)

Meet with your Preschool director to review their expectations and schedule or "games" versus yours so you are both working together -- the sign of a great center is that they work WITH you on these small things, and until he's 4 and needs to meet Pre-Kindergarten requirements why are they fussing so much? Preschool is not Pre-Kindergarten. KinderCare on East Piedmont and Sandy Springs has a GREAT director (Reggie) -- maybe talk with him on pointers ###-###-####?

Good luck avocating for your son as he's learning:)

I am going through the same exact thing now. My son is 3 also. I know it is frustrating... Sorry, nothing much to add just that we are in the same boat :( Good luck.

Just wanted to say I'm right there with you. My 3 year old twin boys are completely pee trained, day and night, but still poop in their underwear. They will poop on the potty if they happen to be sitting on it but rarely try to get to the potty for it. I've tried EVERYTHING and I'm at my wits end! One piece of advice that may work for you is have you let him run around bottomless? It worked for my oldest son - he pooped twice on the floor and never again - but when tried it with the twins they couldn't care less about pooping on the floor. Anyway, they go to preschool and don't need to be PTed but have started refusing to wear pull-ups this week. Both days I told them if they poop on the potty before school they don't have to wear a pull-up and that seemed to work. Good luck, I just keep telling myself that if I use positive encouragement they have got to get it soon!

keep the pull-ups and slowly take him off.
show him its safe to poop on potty some times they think there is a potty monster

good luck