dd2 potty training, holding in her poo

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Dd2 is 3 and a half. She's training late partly due to illness and partly due to stubbornness! Anyway, we've been really cracking on for about five days' and she's 70% reliable with her wee. However, the first time she pooed w/out her nappy she got really upset and wouldn't sit on her potty. Since then she hasn't pooed and I think she must be holding it in as she's usually pretty reliable. What can I do? She's eating fruit and drinking loads.

From bitter experience - DO NOT let this become a battleground. If you can bear it (in that it seems to be a backwards step), let her put a nappy on when she needs to poo. You can then gradually coax her back on to the potty in a few weeks' time when she has got over her anxiety. You really don't want to get into the long-term with-holding thing, it's a complete blardy nightmare.

If she hasn't pood for three or more days, you need to get her to do it for the good of her bowel. Let her put her nappy on, or whatever she needs to make herself feel comfortable. You might need to give her some Lactulose (a mild stool-softener), prune juice or somthing along those lines - my son responded quite well to Califig mixed into chocolate milk to disguise the taste.

Thank you. Am not interested in battles, I know ho wpointless they are. She has a nappy on at night and I was hoping she'd poo in that but nothing. She's really chilled about doing her wee but no poo. Guess I might need a laxative but don't want to go there if I can help it.

I'd see the GP before going down the laxative route. Try the other stuff first - Lactulose isn't a laxative, just a stool softener, so that it won't hurt as much if she's trying to expel three days' worth. One of the problems with with-holding is that when they do poo, the stools are so big that they hurt themselves, which makes them even more reluctant to poo, which becomes a vicious circle. That's why you should try to get her to move her bowels as soon as possible.

Other ideas (TMI alert) are to rub her anus with oil to lubricate it a bit, or let her poo in a warm bath.

Fun, motherhood, isn't it?

my dd is 3 and like your Dd2 she is about 70% wee reliable, she will not poo in the loo or on the potty. She will do it in her pants or in a nappy. She has been swimming since 8 weeks without a hitch but this afternoon has managed to poo in the pool! I am going to try a star chart now with the reward being returning to the pool when she is pooing in the loo/potty.
I agree with policywonk, the holding it in thing is a nightmare, and it is why I have not tried to make a big deal about my dd not managing to poo on the loo. But pooing in the pool, and the pool having to close... so embarrasing
Good luck, let me know when she goes!

She can poo anywhere as far as I'm concerned, so long as she goes! Am familiar with lactulose due to three pgs.

She is getting lentils for tea.

Btw dd2 has been promised a whole climbing frame...

yummy, lentils lucky girl! my MIL would probably tell me to also say 'you will get these for tea until you poo in the toilet'
What is everyone else getting?!

Good luck.

Thanks. Hope something has happened by morning.

any result yet?

Thank you for being so interested in dd2's poo. Yes, she has had a good clear out, I feel so much better so can only assume she does! Unfortunately each one happened when she had her nappy on but I am more interested in her wellbeing than in ticking some box on the developement chart.

And the lentil bolognese was yummy!

Fab - good for you. Sounds as though you're dealing with it much better than I did!

I'm used to my dcs' bowels doing weird things! But I would hardly say I handled it better. Thanks for all your help.