Pooing in playground...

[StrawberrySauce]

My 5 yr old DD nearly always needs to do a poo when we go to a playground (too much jumping around, maybe!). Our playgrounds do not have toilets. What we usually end up doing is going into the bushes at the edge of the field and doing a poo there, pushing it as far back as I can and covering with leaves etc. I know this is disgusting and maybe I should start carrying a bag around for these occasions, but what does everyone else do? Does everyone use the bushes, or does everyone carry bags???!!! (Obviously I wouldn't let her do a poo in the actual playground.)

No toilet in playground doesn't mean no toilet anywhere.

There has to be a cafe, a restaurant, something around. Playgrounds are not usually half an hour from the rest of humanity.

It's just a bit odd that you say she nearly always needs to poo in the playground... now and then I'd understand, but nearly always suggests it's got into a habit that you possibly could address by gently encouraging her to hold on!

yes I think she would probably stop if you took her home each time she asked for a poo

hester - yes, I do sometimes say she has to wait and maybe I will try that more. Yesterday this happened and - TMI - a huge poo came which I am not surprised she couldn't hold onto!!

needing to poo is not a discipline issue fgs
people really do scrape the bottom of the barrel for something to exert control over don't they

Thanks Franny. To be honest, whilst I accept completely the opinions here, I am surprised more people have not said their kids do exactly the same as mine! I never thought mine had toilet issues. She's only 5.

There are playgrounds near me which are half an hours walk for a young child from a toilet, and that's in London.

Strawberry, is at all related to meal time or snacks?

Thursday - love the name!!

I honestly think it's just because she is jumping up and down and bouncing - like she always needs to go when she's been on the trampoline.

Cote D'Azur, if we walked to our nearest Parks neither would have any toilets near by, nor any shops/cafe. They are 15 minutes and 30 minutes walk respectively (actually there is a restaurant near to one of the parks but it is normally closed when we go to the park.)
DS1 is 5 and able to "hold on" to a certain extent, but does eat a lot of fruit, so 30 minutes might just be pushing it and isn't it terribly bad for you anyway?

Strawberry Saue - do not worry about it. DS1 was exactly the same. Had no idea he needed to go until he did need to go. I used to carry plastic bags and loo rol and wipes. I used to dispose of in bins as per a nappy or take it home.

Used to take plastic bottle for emergency wee too and pour it down a street drain when I found one.

It is not a discipline issue. It will stop happening.

Guess it will have to be the Potette or a plastic bag then.
Quite agree half an hour is a long time to hold on.

i am not saying it's a discipline issue.

i do think it's strange that she can go before leaving and still need to go when she gets there as well.
i mean, how much poo can one 5 yr old girl contain????? which made me wonder if it was a habit thing??

who knows? I would try saying that you need to go home though, because at 5 poo-ing in a bush isn't particularly nice anyway is it? and if it is some kind of habit thing it'll break it. if not you'll soon find out.

Then I would suggest, Franny, that children who eat a lot of fruit are eating too much??

Fruit is quite acidic, and not necessary in all but the smallest portions.

I must admit, a five year old who needs to shit in a bush on a regular basis may have a bit of a problem.

Well she will go to the toilet before she goes - she might just do a wee though! I can't make her do a poo!!

Thanks everyone - I'll just start carrying round bags and more tissues.

If you're planning to take a plastic bag & put it in a dog bin, I hope you don't live on my borough - the council have just removed all the bins from the parks without notice in order to save £60,000.

Apparently they are planning to put in a few extra ordinary litter bins (unlined and without a lid, so they'll smell pretty revolting after a few hours on a hot day) but they haven't got around to it yet, so the dog owners have just been hanging their bags of crap on the empty posts...

Stick her on the loo and get her to try and blow a balloon up before you go out, if there is a poo there it will push it out

I'm not saying it's a discipline issue either (I'm intensely relaxed about this sort of thing). Just that if it's happening nearly every time, that suggests that a habitual response has developed and - just for the OP's convenience, and so she won't need to carry round shitty bags - she might want to try gently turning it round.

I'm not saying it's a discipline issue either (I'm intensely relaxed about this sort of thing). Just that if it's happening nearly every time, that suggests that a habitual response has developed and - just for the OP's convenience, and so she won't need to carry round shitty bags - she might want to try gently turning it round.

Of course, it could be that it's happening nearly every time because OP always visits the park at this time, and dd is a creature of regular habits. In which case, a potette is probably a good idea

Well if my DS ever needed a poo while in some of our local parks, he would have to go in the bushes as several of them have no loos and we are car-free so would have to go home on the bus/tram which could take up to half an hour. He has had the occasional wee in the bushes before now but luckily no poos yet..

this thread is making me want to poo

do you mention it to her before you go? I wonder if she's associating it with pooing.

One of mine always wanted to poo when we went out and I do think it was the running around and the fact that he left his pooing very very last minute. Does your dd do that too (leave it very last minute)?

sorry but to let a 5 yr old pooh in the bushes.......is shit.
yuck

and if you are going at a similar time each day, it may just be that this is the time she likes to poo

What concerns me here is that a school age child is happy to shit in the open.

My ds wouldn't have done that at three, leave alone five.

Of course, there are always exceptional circumstances, even as adults, when we may need to do this.

But every time?

And I have to admit, SS, if this has been going on for some time, I'm fecking staggered that you've not thought to bring a bag with you before now. 'Tis no more thought than a dog owner brings into play whenever they take their muts for a walk.

Get a grip, girl.

It's pretty rude to the other parents/kids who are using the playground, isn't it?

Does she have a sudden urgent need to poo at other times, at home or at shops, etc.? Or is it just the playground? I agree, it could be a habit.

And I know people don't agree, but I do think it MIGHT be a discipline issue.

My dd wouldn't poo in a bush (she only poo's at home) but as a child i pooed in a few bushes whilst fishing with my dad .

I think maybe it has become a habit and making her wait until she gets home could be a good idea, if she really does need to go straight away then always make sure you pick it up and put it in the bin, i would hate for my child to fall over in a pile of human poop.