argh!!! 4yr old keeps pooing in the bath!

[lucylala]

Have just totally lost it with my 4yr old daughter - she keeps pooing in the bath! It's soooo annoying, run her a bath, she poos in and we usually have to empty bath and start again.

We've had lots of chats about it, everytime she has a bath we sit her on toilet and tell her to shout if a poos coming when she's in the bath but every single time she does a poo. It's usually only a little one and when I ask her why she just says 'it just comes'.

We've not been shouting at her cos I've got bad toilet issues and am determined that dd doesn't grow up feeling embarassed about bodily functions.

However, tonight, I've just scooped her out of the bath and told her if she ever does it again she's only having showers from now on. Have left her with hubby now and she's crying.

She loves her baths and it gives us 30mins break so don't want to stop her.

Anyone else experienced this? She's was only 4 a few weeks ago and has never had any problems getting her out of nappies in day or night and she's only wet the bed about twice in her life so I know there's not a physical problem.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

Have you tried making the water a little bit cooler? Shorten the time she is in there? Go on holiday to somewhere where there is only a shower?
She has got her bowels nicely trained now to go in the warm water!
yuck though

hi just thought i would ask... is she constipated at all? the warm water might be helping her relax to do a poo and she might fing it really hard to do a 'dry' poo. my brother had this problem when he was about 3/4 to the point that we all decided that we werent getting a bath at the same time as him (my brother, sister and i) he grew out of it (thank god as hes now 21) but it was only helped when he was given lactulose/extra fibre diet) i hope you figure it out soon and get a poo-free bath in the near future
xx ei xx

Perhaps she doesn't feel it coming until it's too late ?

DS (4) doesn't like doing a poo.

He holds it.

If he needs to go, but has been holding all day, the warm bath always does the trick. Very natural reaction to the warm water apparently.

He is quick to get out and on to the toilet tho so we use it to our advantage.

ahh, never thought of that, i thought it might be something to do with her relaxing and know she's had a few 'hard' poos recently that have made her cry - maybe she is constipated - will crack out the fruit tomorrow and see what happens!
Thank you!

my friends little boy well not little hes 10 suffers badly from constipation. if he hasnt been for a couple of days she puts him in the bath and he goes straight away. tmi

We used to bathe elderly residents if they were consitpated - rather clean poo from bath than have little old men (who are not as good as little old ladies about eating sensibly, for some reason) in great discomfort from constipation.