Toddler poo withholding is going to give me a breakdown

[AintOverUntilTheCatLadySings]

My 2.5 year old has always hated pooing. We decided to potty train her a few weeks ago because she was refusing a nappy and wanted to wee and poo on the floor.

She picked it up pretty quickly but has now decided that she won't poo at all. Which is causing her pain. She'll hold it in to the point that she's constantly soiling herself with tiny fragments and smears of poo.

Her poor bum is really sore from the constant dirtiness and wiping.

We've taken her to the doctor to rules out any physical problems and have been prescribed lactulose for her twice a day.

The constant crying and soiling is pushing me to the brink of a breakdown. Although I'm outwardly calm and positive.

I've tried books about poo, reward charts, letting her watch me poo, talking about poo, the Pooland app, high fibre foods etc.

She tells me her tummy hurts constantly (because she always needs to poo but is holding it in) and it's dominating our every waking hour.

I'm having to combine childcare with a full time job and am 4 weeks pregnant after 4mcs so just really need her to help me out here and poo literally anywhere. Potty, nappy even floor would be better.

She's back in nappies right now because she's asked for them.

I had this with my DD at a similar age for almost 6 months. She’s now almost 4 and absolutely fine in that department but I remember it well. I would leave the room and cry it was so stressful. No amount of bribes or iPad time would work.

The only thing that worked for us was the movicol; the doc prescribed a tiny dose which did nothing so I upped the dose myself, I think ERIC site have the dosage details and eventually it worked. Once she realised it didn’t hurt she was happy to do it on the toilet, I went completely overboard on the praise and a sticker chart and she eventually cracked it

Hi, I went looking for advice and found this post. We are going through the exact same with my toddler, withholding going for a poo and I mean ALL poos. It honestly sometimes feel like it’s dominating our life. Similarly tried so many strategies. How are you getting on now? X

I haven’t read the whole thread but my daughter was the same - MOVICAL is what you need - it will sort the problem

Realised I should have read the thread as it’s old and everyone said movical

Please tell me you got her pooping somehow?! My daughter is 3 and I’ve got the same problem, she’s on Laxido but withholding poop! I’m almost 12 weeks pregnant with my 3rd (this little girl is my first the 3 year old) I’m literally on the edge and about to have a breakdown over it I literally don’t know how to get her to push a poo out, also tried everything at this point and no luck

Hi, I just came across your post and wondered how you’re getting on now it’s a few years down the line? Better I hope.
We have been living in withholding ‘hell’ for over 6 months now. My daughter started a few months before the age of 3. She’s now 3 and is still in nappies. The withholding situation totally dictates what we do as it depends on her mood and ‘squirming’ behaviour as we call it. I feel that sometimes play dates and parties are a waste of time because she can’t take part for being on her hands and knees trying to hold in an poo, and that makes me really sad. Unfortunately the ‘squirming’ abdominal movement has become so entrenched that this is now a go-to behaviour for other stuff not necessarily related to poo (e.g. when she feels over stimulated/tired/bored etc). We manage to get a poo sometimes either in the potty or bath but that is under extreme bribe conditions! She’s known to a paediatrician and is on a high dosage of laxatives (Laxido) which I hate but it’s necessary. I’m also deeply worried about her becoming dehydrated because water is the only thing she likes but she never drinks it voluntarily (I have to basically feed her it like a bottle throughout the day) and she doesn’t drink nearly enough considering the amount of laxatives she’s on. I also have a young baby to look after. I know the advice is to try to ignore this but it’s extremely difficult when it can be all day, every day and has such an impact on the whole family. My concern is that this is a very long-term thing when I’m close to braking point with it already. I was just interested to hear where you are with things now. We have tried various things but any tips are most welcome! Thank you for reading.