Almost 3yr old holding in poo - should I return to nappies?

[Kiwikiss1]

Hello,
My DS is 3 years old next month. This is my second attempt at potty training and it has been successful as far as wees go. For the last 3 weeks he has worn pants and wees in the potty. He has also pooed in the potty in the past.

The problem is, for the last three months or so, he has been holding poo. At first it was quite gradual, and I thought it might be just a stage (he would not poo for 4-5 days. I asked my CM to keep an eye on him and she confirmed he was not pooing in his nappy. Of course, when they finally came they were HUGE, and I think they hurt him. Anyway, the problem has become worse and worse, and now he is constantly 'leaking' poo because he is so backed up (and this is now even after he has actually done some poo, so he is obviously not cleaning himself out).

I am so stressed (but trying not to let him see). He has had Lactose, prunes, tummy-rubbing, you name it, I have tried. But none of it seems to be working. I am taking him to the doctor tomorrow - should I request a scan to see what is in there? Also, should I put him back in nappies until the problem resolves itself (which could take ages from what I have read)? I am using Dry Like Me pads at the moment to catch the poo, the potty training did not cause this issue, but it has got worse since we started. Should I go back? Help! xx

Holding in poo is a big deal and can cause significant issues. You getting stressed about it is not helping.

I am slightly confused about this issue you have. Is he holding in poo when in nappies as well as when not in nappies? (you said the CM confirmed he wasn't pooing in the nappy)

If he's leaking poo constantly, I would go back to nappies and chill out about it all.

My DD (now 11) used to like being able to put a nappy on in order to poo. She was toilet trained completely for wee and never had any accidents. She also know when she needed to poo and would come and discretely as me for a nappy so she could do a poo. She preferred being on all fours too poo and couldn't 'get' the toilet or potty for pooing because she couldn't get the hang of bearing down when sat up.

This went on for about a year after she was toilet trained. I made no deal about it at all. Just put her in a nappy when she needed a poo, let her go into a corner on all fours to do the poo and then take the nappy off a few minutes later and pants back on. She grew out of doing this naturally as she got older.

Thank you for your message FATEdestiny. This issue started when he was in nappies, but seems to have become worse since potty training, but my instinct tells me this would have happened even if I had not begun potty training. My elder DS used to only poo in a nappy, (despite being potty trained for wee). This is different, DS2 will not poo at all.

He needs a doctors referral then. I think you need medication otherwise his bowels will get more distended and the issue can only get worse.

Thanks FATEdestiny, I am calling the doctor first thing in the morning x.

Agree you need to get it sorted now. The GP may give him Movicol because if he's leaking poo, then his poos have become impacted and it will be almost impossible for him to shift it by himself, as well as being painful for him to do so.

Movicol will soften the poo over time so he can pass it painlessly. It's unfortunate that this is happening at the same time as potty training, but the GP should be able to give you more advice about that. Good luck.