a plaintive "poo poo" at bedtime.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I have half-arsedly, part time been doing some potty training with dd (pretty much since birth), she always poos in the toilet and has done for near a year (she is nearly 2). My problem is this.

On the one hand advice is to make toilet time, pleasurable and relaxing for your child. Read, sing songs, chat. And obviously you need to be responsive, if they are wet, or ask to go, you take them.

My issue is at most bedtimes now dd tells me she needs a poo poo. I am 80% sure she doesn't. I don't want to not take her in case she does need, and I want her to know if she tells me I will take her.

When I take her I want her to develop positive associations, so don't want to be all stroppy because she doesn't want to go to bed.

We also co-sleep/ feed to sleep (in case this is relevant for attention -seeking etc)

How should I respond to this?

Take her, keep it simple, no entertainment, no diversions, but no grumps. Then nightynight.

you can't avoid her trying it on really but she'll soon tire of it if it is boring as hell. IMO. :)

Does she poo when you put her on the toilet or not?

Octavia, once for the pre bedtime, and an occasional wee.

Ginpalace: but will that not impact the day time training (and later on, night) if the toilet is not an attractive place to be?

i would do as Ginpalace says

if she has been doing poos on the toilet for a year now I don't think that making it boring at bedtime will put her off tbh.

just take her, if she does one great, if she doesn't then she goes back to bed. you don't have to be stroppy, you don't have to be all full of joy. just take her to the loo

Thank you all :-) i'm always really bad at not seeing the wood for the trees...

Only if it is not attractive at bedtime - keep it a good thing for day.

She will be bright enough to know the difference.

Thinking about bowel movements, they are relatively unusual at bedtime, so not going out of your way to encourage that isn't going to hurt.

Making it a pleasant experience the rest of the time will still encourage.

You will still be being consistant, just one theme in day and another at night. But you won't derail your teachings if you are still being pleasant and willing about it, just not doing any extras.

My dd went through a couple of weeks of pooing at bedtime - we always took her but left her to it.