Potty training - can't get the hanging of doing a poo on the toilet

[QFmum1]

Startd toilet training my 2.5yo DD 2 weeks ago. To my pleasant surprise she got the hang of weeing in the toilet very quickly. Poos not so though. Every day she poos in her pants - grim! She doesn't seem to have advance warning that it is coming and doesn't seem bothered by doing it in her pants...she just cheerfully announces 'big poo mummy'! Have tried reward systems (stickers, chocolate buttons) for trying but to no avail. Also tried getting her to watch cartoons on the iPad while on the loo so she sits there for longer (otherwise she wants to get down as soon as she has done a wee) but again no joy.

Nursery say this is perfectly normal and we should just stick with it but internet research suggests we may be in for months of this if we are unlucky.

Would love to hear any tips for getting her to recognise she is about to have a poo and to encourage her to do it on the toilet.

QFmum1 - are you me ??? I'm having the exact same problem with my DS. Although he's 3.5. Absolutely fine with doing a wee, but does a poo in his pants. What's more annoying is I can tell when he needs one, I ask him and he just says no. Then a few minutes later I either smell him or he tells me he's done a poo. Nursery have also told me this is quite normal. I don't want to put nappy on him when I can tell he needs one cos i dont want him getting used to this. I've tried all sorts........

Hi Ladies, I had this with my 2.5 year old six moths ago. I just went completely back to basics and i spent every opportunity I had with him either playing a game, watching tv or reading with him etc I watched him like a hawk... I could tell when he needed to go but he would say he didn't need to and would get distressed. As soon as I saw his behaviour change, I would take his pants off and he would hover over the potty several times before he would actually do a poo. Sometimes he would get on and off the potty for 45 mins before he would do anything. I worked out that there was two times in the day... normally around 2pm or early eve. He would get so anxious before hand. I had to do this process for a few weeks, but it worked. It was like he had no option than to do it! Overtime he overcome his fear...! Prior to me doing this, he would be just too busy playing to tell me or just would take himself off into another room. He is amazing now... he is three.... I can't remember the last time he had an accident. Hope this gives you some reassurances and lets you know that it will just click for them... but I had to almost put him under pressure to give him the confidence to deal with the sensation and to let him know that it was ok. Me being there to catch it.., really helped.

Campbell83 thank you for sharing your experience and letting us know there is the other side to this.... I thought it would only take a couple of days to do it first time and then he would be ok like with his wee. However i have since found out it's not that simple.....he usually has one first thing normally before I've had chance to take nappy off from the night. And then I know around tea time / early evening. I would love to take his pants off and try and gently force him into the potty, however he hates his pants off, he wants them pulled up as soon as he's finished on the potty so I've no chance there. So for now it's just lots of encouragement and hopefully one day I'll be back adding on here that we've cracked it !!