Ds (2.25) has started gagging (badly) when he sees pooh. Refuses potty. What to do ?

[Oblomov]

Advice please ?

Ds 2.25
Have two potties in the house.
Hasn't shown much interest.

Went round to visit similar aged friend last week.
She is a " big girl. Wears pants. No nappies. Potty "
She told him that he was a "baby" for still using nappies.

He came home and said no nappies, mummy.
Big boy.

I said thats's right love.
When you start to use the potty for wees and poohs, then you can stop nappies and wear pants, like a big boy.

All sounds promising.

Then suddenly, this week,he came into the toilet as I was flushing the loo.

"Pooh, pooh " and started to gagg, really badly.
Then, whilst running around the house naked, jumping in and out of the paddling pool, he did a pooh, in the hall, on the carpet.

Rather than get cross, and taking into account events of last week, I played it down and said, "never mind, no problem".
But still he was gagging & was almost sick.

Now, every time I change his nappy he says "no pooh, no pooh" and starts to gagg.

So far, we haven't managed to do either a wee or a pooh on the potty.
Although he regularly sits on it ,and likes to do so, at nursery.

So now we have a pooh fettish / fear ?
This doesn't bode well, for getting him to go on the potty, does it ?

What do I do ?

My ds who is 3 1/2 still gaggs at the sight of poo, his or someone elses. I think some children, like adults are like that. My ds took ages to potty train and I was getting really stressed about it. My advice would be they do it in their own time, so for the minute don't do anything. The more stressed you get talking to him or asking him if he needs to go will just make it into a big deal. I found the only way to deal with it was to leave ds to initiate use of the potty which he now does with no problems!

I'd forget potty training for the mo - this isn't a good way to start.
Distract him at changing time with books / sparkly stickers to stick on your face / silly hats / whatever works for you, temporarily avoid unhelpful trained friend, and hopefully it'll blow over.

Agree with MrsBadger. Try not to worry too much about it. He is still really very young. Potty-training is very stressful, for old and young alike! With DS1 in particular, I thought he'd NEVER get it, but he did, he did.

O.k. thankyou.
I will just play it down and try to ignore it.

I have no experience of this yet- BUT my ( friendly) HV showed me a booklet she has from british dietitions assoc for toddlers with pooh issues.we were talking about pooh and toliet training generaly , my fav idea was waving goodbye to pooh as it goes off to poohland down the loo!