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Original poster

Potty training a constipated 2 1/2 year old! HELP!

6 replies

Emma2a · 07/11/2011 11:20

Hi all,

I have been potty training my little girl since she turned two in March. Everything seemed to be going V well. Then it all stopped! Only weeing on the potty and becoming so scared of having a poo sitting down that she started holding it in and becoming constipated. So after 8 months, she is on lactulose, and senna when she needs it. She will still have a wee on the potty but having a poo is a No Go area. We have tried everything, special books, talking about poo's on the potty like Mummy & Daddy etc and nothing is helping! Now, out of desperation, I have put her back in nappies so she will have a poo. It has been nearly 7 days since she last went because she is in pants and felt I had no choice but to put her back in nappies to build her confidence again in having a poo. She eats V well, too well in fact! Lots of fruit and veg. We have tried prunes & prune juice, Liquorice, figs, but she cant eat oranges or orange juice.
If anyone is having the same issues, or has been through a similar situation with their child, I would be so grateful for some advice?

Thank you in-advance, a desperate Mum, Emma.

OP posts:

elsnana · 07/11/2011 11:48

Hi there Emma, this is really weird as my grandson did this when he was being potty trained, he was absolutely terrified of pooing did exactly the same things as your daughter, a young mum i knew at the time was going through the same experiences with her daughter, infact worse than my grandson, her little girl was extremely constipated and in pain she used to run and hide when her dad came home as he was the one who used to try to 'sort it out'. We tried everything with our grandson, i do believe it is something most children go through, whether it is that they dont know whats happening and are frightened, i dont know, i do know that it will sort itself out as it seems to have done with most mums i have talked to, i am now looking 'forward' to our 20 month old grandson potty training when the time comes, fingers crossed that it's not the same, if it is then i wont worry i will just bide my time till the 'stage' is over.

By the way my kids did exactly the same, there 38 and 34 now, dont worry Emma.

Jammygal · 07/11/2011 12:50

My son went through 12 months of severe constipation for no apparent reason......are you sure it is the potty training or could it just be a prolonged bout of constipation???

At the time I was beside myself as he would not do a poo for a week and woud disappear under the table, in a corner etc when he needed to go.

He was prescribed lactulose and movical. I was told to give him a few tsp a day but found this too much! In the end I gave just half a tsp a day , then reducing it down to half a tsp every other day.....eventually he got momentum and everything fell into place.

Good luck, keep at it, it IS just a phase! She will out grow it......

Original poster

Emma2a · 07/11/2011 20:01

Hi both of you,

Thanks for the advice.

No I dont think it is a stage in life that has caused it, I think this has happened because I put her in pants and she would hold in her poo until she had a nappy on. Then, some times she wouldnt have a poo and it would start to dry out and become painful to pass, hence being terrified about going for a poo in gerenal. I feel I have no choice but to put her back in nappies until she becomes more confident again. I just hope I havent wasted the last 8 months potty training!! God, I thought teething was bad!

Thanks again both of you, for taking the time to reply.

Emma.

OP posts:

Jammygal · 10/11/2011 14:45

Wierd one I know but........my friends dd wouldn't poo except in a nappy so..........she wore pants but when she got the 'urge to poo' she would put a nappy on her for the poo bit iyswim. Then remove afterwards......she slowly weaned her off nappies bit by bit.....you could then perhaps go straight for the loo and perhaps skip the potty for pooing ???!!!??? HTH ;)

suiledonn1 · 10/11/2011 17:57

Hi Emma, my dd2 is about to turn 3 and has been weeing in the toilet fine for months now. She is the same as your dd in that she will not poo in the toilet or potty and will hold on for days.

Like you I have started letting her wear a pull up when I see she needs to go. She poos in the pull up. I clean her up and then back in her normal underwear for the rest of the day.

She is doing really well with the weeing - rarely ever has an accident and goes to the bathroom by herself.

I was thinking of posting about this too so I hope you don't mind if I join in and see what advice you get.

windywoos · 10/11/2011 21:26

my dd1 went through this stage too. It's amazing how quickly you forget the details though. I remember sitting with her in the bathroom after a bath, having had a tummy massage, reading endless stories whilst she sat on the potty or toilet. What eventually worked for us was bribery. One chocolate button per plop. And she was nearly at school before she began forgetting about this! I can't remember what got us to the stage of producing a poo on the potty though. I think it was just sheer perseverance and much time spent sitting down on it.

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