Potty training - he's so distressed about poop

[SuzieB7]

Hi All,

We started potty training my son (2.5) yesterday and he's taken to it amazingly! Will come and tell us he needs a wee a few seconds before he needs to go. We are so proud of him. But poo seems to be terrifying for him! He'll show he needs to go but refuses to sit on the potty. Then runs around distressed, starts pooping and then says "my poo! My poo!" Runs towards the potty but ends up pooing on the floor. I'm not so worried about that but he's then absolutely distraught about it all. Hysterical crying and needing cuddles for a good half hour after. Any advice?! Thank you! X

My little boy was exactly the same! I just kept picking up the poop and putting it in the potty and say that’s where we poo and comfort him. I also found using his favourite toys (peppa pig) placing her on the potty with Nutella in as if she’d done a poo. This only lasted about a week and he soon came round to the idea of pooing on the potty x

@Clareylou16 thank you so much that's so reassuring! I will definitely try that Nutella tip tomorrow! X

My boy was the exact same. Lasted a few weeks, and loads of pants! I can't remember what got him going on the toilet eventually but he does now.
Any time I'd see him start going, even if it was too late, I'd grab him and run to the toilet/potty with loads and loads of praise, hi 5s etc. Then one day it clicked.
It is so hard so I feel your pain. Hopefully your little boy gets better.
I did have to go to.gp aswell to get a stool softener as he started holding it for days and it would be so painful to go

I think it’s really common, I did some research when we were potty training DD2 and in some cases it can take a bit longer to get the hang of. It’s when they start withholding when it can become an issue. We never made a big deal of it and she would usually do it once her nighttime nappy was on. Randomly one day she just went on the potty with no issues. So don’t panic he will grow out of it.

If you know he needs to go I would potentially get him sat on the toilet/potty and try to distract him, apparently blowing bubbles is quite good as it relaxes them. Alternatively if you do put a nappy on him start by getting him to go in the bathroom and then progress to sitting on the toilet and then start cutting holes or place the nappy in the toilet. A lot of the time it’s the splash or the noises that scares them.

If he is going on the toilet rather than the potty have you got a step or a toddler seat?

Thanks everyone for your responses, it's really reassuring to hear it does pass. I'll keep praising and soothing him and giving him lots of fibre to make sure he goes 😂. He's using just a potty at the moment but I have got a step and toddler seat ready for the toilet when we introduce that. It's just exhausting!!

@SuzieB7 Hey can I ask how this ended? How long did it take your LO to get it? Currently training my boy and he’s the same with pooing.

Aww I'm sorry to hear he's struggling with it @ToddlerMama89 . It didn't take too long at all. I can't remember exactly how long but maybe a couple of weeks or so? He's now 4.5 and absolutely fine about pooing, it really did just pass with time. Now he's fascinated to see it in the toilet 😂