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Original poster

At wit's end with poo in bath

64 replies

BathIssues · 26/03/2023 20:36

18 month old DS has gone from occasionally pooing in the bath to weekly to now pretty much every second day. It's driving me crazy.

Any tips on how to stop it happening (probably not possible) or practical advice for dealing with it?

I'm now good at noticing the signs so I can get them out quickly (especially eldest DS, innocent victim in all this!) But then I have to call DH to hold DS2 up while I wash and rinse him, which he hates and makes him scream.

Then I spend the little downtime I usually have in the evening cleaning and miltoning the tub and bath toys. Happy days!

Also concerned with how much is going down the drain, not only is it gross but isn't it going to cause a blockage or something at some point? I try to fish out what I can but sometimes it's not possible.

Oh the fun we have.

OP posts:
YourUserNameMustBeAtLeast3Characters · 26/03/2023 21:18

I remember asking for help with this on mumsnet 12 years ago! I can’t remember what stopped it, probably just quick reflexes to scoop him out and put him on the potty. Also had a small baby at the time.

StackBlocks · 26/03/2023 21:18

You’ve had some good advice OP so nothing to add except solidarity as my eldest DC did the same, almost every day we’d be disinfecting the bath toys after bedtime 😂 nothing worked except potty training just after 2yo. I did get a laugh recently when youngest DC 18m poo’d in the bath for the first time and eldest DC was horrified and disgusted 😂 that’s karma!

Fluffodils · 26/03/2023 21:18

Don't have the bath too warm

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

1 year olds Behaviour & development Families
FictionalCharacter · 26/03/2023 21:19

TrombonesAreNotBones · 26/03/2023 20:48

Ok you need two things.

1 a plastic sieve
2 a flexi bath like the Stokke one.

Put the flexi bath in the actual bath, bath baby. Older kid can be bathed in the actual bath at the same time, if you organise it carefully. Wield sieve as necessary. Repeat 'this too shall pass' as you neck wine afterwards.

This is a good idea. If it’s isn’t possible, I’d stop bathing them together. It isn’t fair on the other child. He might not be complaining but it isn’t very nice for him - either having to sit in someone else’s pooey water or the shenanigans of the parents dealing with it.

LucieLemon · 26/03/2023 21:27

My fourth DC would do this with some regularity when a baby/toddler. It turned out to be pretty useful as he suffered with constipation a fair bit. He grew out of as he toilet trained, so there is light at the end of the tunnel!

We kept toys to a minimum, removed what was solid (bought a box of gloves for the task) and then used the overhead shower for the rest and showered down DS in the process. Bleach sprayed the bath and surround afterwards. It was a bit gross and a lot of faff but as others have said, thankfully it soon passed.

Never thought to use swim nappies, as a pp suggested, not a bad idea!

OutofControl3 · 26/03/2023 21:38

Iv got so many poo story's but once my daughter used to take nappy off through the night and I'd wake to a lovely poo covered cot wall u get the drift I tried putting vests on different ways all these little tricks non worked she always got to the poo 🙄 until one night I put her pjs on then her swimming costume haha she looked a right sight but it worked. Kids love 💩

SootysCaravan · 26/03/2023 21:44

Have a look at the BabyDam bath dividers. At least then it’s contained to a manageable area

MissDollyMix · 26/03/2023 21:51

Oh one of mine did this every night! All the more fun because they shared a bath with their older sibling. We had to do a mass evacuation of the water every night. It was very tedious. I 'cured' it by giving baby prunes every afternoon which forced a bowel clearance shortly after and then we knew we were good to go for bathtime. There is hope. My darling bath-pooer is 10 now and it's all a distant (and in hindsight) quite amusing memory.

caringcarer · 26/03/2023 22:02

You can't keep bathing them together when 1 child is shitting in the bath. It is unhygienic. Bath the one who has a normal bath then when drying that child take out all toys and put the one who shits in bath in without toys. Quick bath and out and on potty before and after bath.

Original poster
BathIssues · 26/03/2023 22:42

Glad I could help!😂

OP posts:
Original poster
BathIssues · 26/03/2023 22:55

That was for @Ihavekids

OP posts:
thequeenoftarts · 26/03/2023 22:56

Ihavekids · 26/03/2023 21:11

Thanks for reminding me that I definitely do not want another child.

Sorry but this made me laugh a lot

carriedout · 26/03/2023 23:04

threeplusmum · 26/03/2023 20:57

Sorry but none of my Kids has ever done that. You need to nip it in the bud before it becomes normal to them.

Hmm
carpool · 26/03/2023 23:25

My youngest used to do this. The older one would leap out of the tub shouting 'Mum, she's done it again!' Luckily she was an early potty trainer so it didn't last long. (they are adults now and no-one suffered lasting trauma!)

WonderingWanda · 26/03/2023 23:29

We had one who was prone to doing this. Get a sieve. Put the older one in first, let them wash / play get out and have some quiet playtime in room while you bathe the younger one.

user1477391263 · 27/03/2023 00:45

Mumsnet is full of panicked threads from mothers whose children have got stuck in the habit of pooing in a nappy and simply refuse to poo unless they are wearing one. If your child has got this habit, see it as a positive step, and keep a potty next to the bath. Stick him on it as soon as you can see him going; even if he only finishes there, it will help him build up an association that is helpful. Win win! And for goodness’ sake, don’t put a swim nappy on him; parents never allowing a child to pee or pee without a nappy on is a big reason why toilet training has become so stressful in the last century.

slamfightbrightlight · 27/03/2023 00:53

carriedout · 26/03/2023 23:04

Hmm
Show quote history

That was my reaction too - as if there’s loads of adults casually shitting in the bath because their parents didn’t “nip it in the bud” 😂

snitzelvoncrumb · 27/03/2023 01:02

He is probably just more relaxed and it then happens. I would bath him on his own, and make it a very quick one.

SeaToSki · 27/03/2023 01:11

I would try having the older one in the bath and little one on the side in a nappy so they can play together while the older one actually is bathing in clean water. Maybe the little one will poo in his nappy because is bath time ish. Then when they have had a good play, older one out and drying on the side,little one goes in the bath and all the toys go in a bucket in the bath to minimise clean up. It might end up being more splashy, but hopefully less pooy

mathanxiety · 27/03/2023 02:09

Separate baths for the older child.

Skip the daily bath for the younger child for a while. He can be topped and tailed, and wipes will clean him off after every nappy change. You can wash hair leaning over the bathtub - use a few cups of water to rinse.

If you have a shower, maybe you or DH can take him into the shower with you.

Ruffpuff · 27/03/2023 02:15

I’d give up with the bath and just get him to sit under the shower. Probably not the best advice though. My ds didn’t care about having water on his head at that age (unlike now), so it depends. I certainly couldn’t be dealing with poo baths every day though 😂

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 27/03/2023 02:30

You need to just shower him with one of those hose attachments.

Tell him he can have a big boy bath when he controls himself like brother does.

Pyaar · 27/03/2023 03:54

Yeah I'd skip daily baths and give showers every few days rather than risk dealing with this on a regular basis

ZZTopGuitarSolo · 27/03/2023 04:02

threeplusmum · 26/03/2023 20:57

Sorry but none of my Kids has ever done that. You need to nip it in the bud before it becomes normal to them.

I didn’t nip this in the bud and now I have a 19 year old who poos in the bath…

No of course I don’t. She just grew out of it.

hggfff · 27/03/2023 04:12

Our 2 year old has done this a couple of times recently and been really upset. We've moved the bath later, basically not until there's been a nappy since dinner before the bath, this seems to have worked.