Potty training DD2 (25 months) - great with wees but poos in pants unless I get to her in time!

[mintymellons]

Just that really.

Been training DD2 for almost three weeks. She's fine with weeing but seems to find it hard to hold her poo for even a minute - like when she needs to go, she needs to go! This is fine if I'm with her in the same room as I can whip her on the potty and she's happy to poo on there, but if I'm not there she doesn't seem to come and find me, but just does it in her pants. This has happened a handful of times over the course of the three weeks since we began. It's just frustrating as I feel like we haven't quite cracked it becauser of this.

Any ideas?

No words of advice, but in exactly the same situation with DD. Also in week 3 and she doesn't seem to be able to hold the poo. She will tell me she needs to go but goes immediately and can't wait til we get to the potty!

Watching with I interest!

Ooh, hello! Hopefully someone will be able to offer advice to help us out :)

Actually think DD2 is sort of doing it on purpose based on today's antics.

I took her to work with me at pre school. I heard one of the staff members ask if she needed the toilet and she went off with her. Next thing another colleague asks if she has any spare pants as she's "had an accident". her pants were a bit stained as she'd obviously started to poo and then been popped on the loo quickly. I don't think she asked to go.

She then did one in her pants earlier this afternoon while I was out of the room and didn't tell me, in fact I asked if she needed the potty and she said no even though she had poo in her pants!

And just now she was a few feet across the living room and I noticed her doing sort of heavy breathing, I went over and she'd pooed again. To be honest, I shouted at her and she said "torry, mummy".

So, she's gone from asking for the potty when she needs a poo but not always making it, to now just doing it in her pants without asking first.

I feel a bit gutted as she's done SO well with wees.

Hi Minty! Not sure if you'll read this now, but just thought I'd update that things finally clicked for dd, and she's been dry since Monday! After we went away for that weekend for the wedding, things stalled rather, & I really thought I was kidding myself that she was ready. Then suddenly out of the blue, she weed on the toilet before bath every night last week, then managed it all day on Monday too, & just 1 accident since! (which was my fault actually, as she was sitting on a high stool, & couldn't get down to take herself).

However, we haven't had any success recently with poos, so after seeing this thread, I wondered if you'd solved this problem with your dd? Dd did poo on the toilet twice when we first started training, but has only been in her knickers since. I knew she needed to go earlier, but she wouldn't do it when I sat her on the toilet. It makes going out difficult, as not so easy to deal with pooey pants when out & about! Any ideas?! I gather this is quite common, looking at the threads on here!

Hi Petite. Great news about your DD, I bet you're really pleased.

We're still in much the same boat poo-wise. In fact, she did it in her pants at the park when out with my parents earlier today ! It seems to happen about once a week, then the rest of the time she'll either ask for the potty or we'll get her to it in time. I'm finding it very frustrating, but I suppose it's maybe quite normal as she's till pretty young. Trying not to stress too much, but it's hard. I don't remember DD1 ever pooing in her pants so this is new to us!

As you say, there are plenty of threads on here about similar issues, so obviously not just our children!

Have you had any success since you posted?

Hello! Thanks for replying! No, no change since I posted, poo in pants every day! It's frustrating, as I sort of feel in limbo each day until 'the poo' has arrived! This morning she was wriggling around like she needed a wee, so I took her to the toilet twice, but nothing emerged, then shortly afterwards there was a small grunt & she did it in her pants. So I think perhaps I need to be more vigilant for the signs, then find a way of getting her to sit on the toilet long enough to do it. It's maddening though isn't it, you'd think the wee training was the hard part! We're expecting dc2 in 8 weeks, so really hoping she'll get it by then! If not, by September would be nice, as she's starting 2 mornings at nursery. They don't have to be potty training at all to go there, but I would feel bad for the staff having to deal with pooey pants! Dd was in cloth nappies, but I somehow hate dealing with pooey pants more than I ever did the nappies! Anyway, let me know if you have any break throughs, as your dd seems to be just ahead of mine! We visited dd's cousin today, who is 6 months older, & was fully pt at 2. With my sister's permission, she let dd watch her cousin do a poo on the loo, so I really hope this might help! (wishful thinking?!).

Anyway, good luck, & let's hope they get it soon!

What you said about waiting for the poo is so true! Such a relief when it's done. I think personally I find it most frustrating that she will do it on the potty or toilet but just not all of the time which makes me think maybe she just can't wait sometimes and hopefully that will improve as she gets older.

Sounds like you're doing as much as you can to support your dd so perhaps we just have to hope they'll come good in their own time.

Yes, let's hope so, it's easy to forget they are still very young, lots of children don't start pt until much older. I just get slightly scared when reading on here posts about dc continuing to poo in pants for years! I really hope this is the exception. If your dd is getting it some of the time, I'm sure it won't be long before the accidents stop. Dd did come up to me the other day & tell me 'poo' straight after she'd done it, which was a first, & I suppose that's how we started with wees, so hopefully we'll get there soon!