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Potty training

Is your child ready for potty training at nursery? Here's the place for all your toilet training questions.

potty trained for months and now pooing his pants

9 replies

GoldenSnitch · 18/11/2009 16:09

DS is 2.7. I had intended potty training him over the summer but he was ready and getting increasingly upset about wet nappies earlier so we did it March/April time just after his 2nd birthday and he got it within a couple of weeks.

So he's now been dry and clean (bar the occasional leak when the potty was too far away or he was engrossed in something) for 7 months now. I've even put the potties away as he's so good at using the loo. He has a special seat and a stool for the toilet at home and a Potette for when we're out.

But for the past week, he's been pooing in his pants!! Not huge poos, but 3 or 4 (we're on 3 already today) little, stinky 'nuggets'.

He doesn't say a word so my first clue is the smell, then I take him to the loo, take off the dirty underwear and let him sit on the toilet while I fetch clean pants, he usually wees then I clean him, put the new underwear on and tell him that he must tell Mummy when he needs a poo and we carry on with whatever we were doing.

Although I must admit, I have told him it's naughty to poo in his pants today as I'm getting very fed up

He's not done it while we're out yet, only at home. He's done it during the week with only me at home and over the evenings/weekend when DH was here. His poo's aren't soft either so it's not a tummy bug.

I'm not sure what else to do about this. I certainly don't want him back in nappies as he's been out of them for so long. I have wondered if it's something to do with the baby I'm carrying which is due in 5 weeks but he seems excited by the prospect and I've worked really hard to make sure all changes have been done well in advance and are gradual so while Mummy is a bit stiff and sore and can't run around so much, not a lot else has changed for him. He was stroking and cuddling my friends 3 month old earlier and telling people about his baby sister!

Any suggestions on what to do would be very much appreciated...

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
GoldenSnitch · 18/11/2009 17:03

Bump

OP posts:
NellyTheElephant · 18/11/2009 18:10

Firstly, make sure he isn't constipated or something like that - ensure he has loads of fruit & veg.

It may well be something to do with the new baby. I remember when I was about 8 months pg with DD2, DD1 started to get v upset and unsure about everything. She was almost 2. She paid lip service to the fact that she was looking forward to the new baby and excited etc, but clearly she was deeply worried about it all, had no real understanding of what was coming and how it might effect her, and was very aware of and terrified by the impending change. She was so relieved and happy after DD2 actually arrived and she realised it wasn't a big deal (until a couple of months later when she realised that DD2 was staying for good and jealousy set in).

DD2 potty trained easily just before she was two. DS was born about 3 months later. When DS was about 2 months old DD2 had a total poo relapse. Like your DS she had been clean and dry for a long time (over 5 months). After a 10 days / 2 weeks I was at the end of my tether and did end up getting quite cross at times (which obviously you shouldn't). In the end I decided to put her back into nappies (pull ups as easier to keep using potty when she asked to) as it was all just too much. We had a calm talk about it. I told her that it was only for a short time until the poos started going in the loo again. I also put a chocolate bar on a high shelf above the loo and told her that once the poos started going in the loo again she could have it. After 2 days (during which we had a couple of poos in nappy but all wees still in loo), she had an absolute melt down about the nappies and said she didn't want them anymore and did a poo in the loo - cue chocolate. We never looked back. In fact she refused to wear a nappy ever again so we were suddenly out of night nappies too and she was fine with that, one or two wee accidents in bed in the first month and that was that.

If she hadn't had this reaction after the 2 days I think I would have kept her in nappies for a week, maybe 10 days to give myself a break, then attempted to get back on track again.

While the nappies are on, do your utmost not to comment about any poos in the nappy - that's hat its there for. He knows full well what he needs to be doing and so any pressure from you doesn't help. He really won't enjoy nappies and sitting poo all over again having been free of it for so long - i hate to say it, but I didn't hurry to change her pooey nappies... gave it 10 mins or so, possinby that was mean of me but well - it worked.

posieparker · 18/11/2009 18:12

I was going to say constipated.

DON'T go back to nappies.

GoldenSnitch · 18/11/2009 18:20

We've been in all afternoon so after the last set of dirty pants I left him bare from the waist down (we have the heating on and I kept checking he was warm enough) and when I last saw him looking uncomfortable, I whisked him upstairs and he did a poo on the loo!!

I made a big fuss and told him he was a clever boy and gave him a "special treat" - a couple of marshmallows as that was all I had in the house.

It feels good to have finally been able to praise him and he seemed chuffed to bits so hopefully that will help. We're in for most of tomorrow again I think so I will try it again.

I did wonder about constipation. He eats tonnes of fruit and veg normally but maybe hasn't had as much for the past few days. He did say his bottom hurt him earlier but I put that down to it being a bit sore where he'd had poo in his pants for a while that I hadn't noticed cause he was playing quietly on the floor while I tidied.

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posieparker · 18/11/2009 18:28

Brilliant GS!

GoldenSnitch · 18/11/2009 19:54

Thanks posie. Lets hope it works tomorrow too!

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GoldenSnitch · 19/11/2009 12:55

Today was going abysmally - had wet pants this morning when he took himself to the loo but only left enough time to get his trousers down (that made him really cry, he doesn't like being wet) then an hour or so ago, I smelt him and he'd done another small poo in his pants He'd not said anything or attempted to go to the loo.

I did the same as yesterday and left him naked from the waist down and he ran off a few moments ago and has done a proper poo in the toilet! Yay Found some left over halloween sweets so he now had a lolly as his "special treat".

It's great that I've been able to praise him again but I am getting a little worried as we're at Center Parcs Monday to Friday next week. I'm going to have to take every pair of pants he owns with us aren't I!?

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GoldenSnitch · 20/11/2009 21:08

We were out this morning at soft play and he was clean the whole time. Came home and he went to the loo and did a proper poo!

It was either constipation or an attention thing. Either way - fingers crossed, it's over. We have a weeks holiday away with DH and his Grandma and Uncle now so he'll definitely not be starved for attention (not that he was!) for the next 9 days - then only 3 weeks till baby once we get back.

Wish me luck!

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Letsdoit · 28/11/2009 19:11

So how did it go over the holiday, GS?

Same thing happening to us too...grr

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