started withholding poo

[Seona1973]

ds has been potty training for a few weeks and had been happily peeing and pooing on the big toilet. A few of the times he did a poo he said it was sore and now I think that is causing him to hold it in which is in turn making it even sorer when he needs to poo. After being clean for a few weeks he managed to poo his pants 2 days in a row (both days when he was in a creche so I couldnt monitor when he needed to go).

I dont know whether he now associates pooing on the toilet with pain and now he doesnt want to do poos there. He quite clearly needed to go today and kept getting skid marks in his pants but it took a lot of encouragement (and about 15 minutes!) on the toilet before he managed to do anything. What do you think I should do for the best? Offer him a nappy to poo in till he doesnt find it sore anymore? Keep him in pants and see if I can catch when he needs to go and clean him up if he does poo them? Put him back in pull ups? (although that feels like a step back when he has done so well). Would something like lactulose help in stopping the poo hurting?

He is only 2.2years so is quite young but I dont want to take too many backward steps.

bump

another bump - please give me your ideas

I'm no expert but is your DS constipated? I think I would look at his diet to address that that first, then maybe think up a new reward for getting him to stay on the toilet. Everyone recommends that you don't go back..

I think lactulose is only for adults, but I'm sure we got given syrup of figs when we were children.

Good luck

my d has had constipation since 20 month old she is now nearly 4 and suffers from chronic constiption because her bowel has expanded so much, she has a healthy diet but is on constant laxatives. This all started cos she was afraid to poo and held on for 9 days, i would take a step back if you think it is necessary, your son is still young and you do not want to be in the situation we are in now, d still has a phobia of poo and does it in a nappy and it has to be runny otherwise she just holds it in,she can hold it for up to 2 weeks and even after picolax(given to empty bowel b4 operations). I would let him do what he feels comfy with so it doesnt develop into a serious problem x

forgot to add lactolose is for adults and children but we swear by movicol-however gp dont usually prescribe this in the first instant, there is also laxoberal. Lactolose softens and laxoberal gives an urge to push x