I've trained too early - what to do now?

[Nonie241419]

DD is 2yrs 5mths. She was showing great awareness of wees and poos so I decided to go for training. We started 2.5 weeks ago. She is doing brilliantly with wees. She goes long periods between wees, asks to use the toilet and has only had about 3 accidents. She's also had several dry night nappies in the last week.
Poos are a different matter. She is clearly not comfortable pooing in a potty or toilet. It doesn't matter if I catch her doing the 'poo dance', as soon as I put her on the toilet she doesn't perform. She doesn't like to sit for long, but even when I manage to distract her enough to keep her sitting, she can easily go 20-30 mins and still not produce anything. When she does go, she usually potters to the other end of whatever room we're in (very casually) and then comes back looking slightly sheepish with poo filled pants. She definitely knows she needs to poo, but it isn't translating to sitting to poo.
I feel like we're too far in to go back to nappies (are we??) but I desperately don't want her to be upset/anxious or feel bad about the poo thing. How can I help her? Should I offer her a nappy to poo in, even though she doesn't poo in her overnight nappy? Should I keep persevering? Something else?

[matwork]

Watching with interest. My dd is 2.6 and though we've. It get started with potty training she seems to get a bit embarrassed about poos, and this is putting me off potty training alongside the fact that dc2 is due in 4 weeks.

Good luck op!

[ClairesTravellingCircus]

Hi I'm in exactly the same position, dd3 is 2.4 and we've been pottytraining for just over two weeks.

Just like yours she's doing great with wees but poihs are a different story, I think it's a different awareness and it often takes a bit longer, yesterday she did pooh in the toilet for the first time, so I'm hopeful (but we had 3 accidents to day). At least she tells me once she's done!

I'm just going to persever, using nappies if we're going out, and just waiting for it to 'click'!

Good luck!

[ClairesTravellingCircus]

I don't think there is much we can do to help, they have to get there by themselves, putting her back in nappies wouldn't help her, unless she asks for them.

[WaffleWiffle]

My daughter was potty trained for wees long before she was for poos.

For at least a year she would ask for a pull up to be put on when she needed a poo. Would go to the corner of a room on all fours to poo.

I know a few this is the same for, so not that unusual. It doesn't mean that you need to abandon wearing big girl pants though. Just also keep some pull up nappies for when she needs a poo too. It won't take long until she is ready and brave enough to do a poo on the toilet, but for now why not just let her out a nappy on for a poo?

[Nonie241419]

Thanks for the replies. She is trying so hard. I will talk to her tomorrow about asking for a nappy when she needs a poo and see how it goes.

[NoBloodyMore]

We're just potty training DS, on day 3 and we've had 2 poo accidents so far and 2 poos on the toilet, the thing that's worked with him is waiting out of sight whilst he does it, he seems to get really aware and told us not to look so now I stand just outside the door & he shouts me when he's done, hoping it carries on working!

[girlywhirly]

You could try lining the potty with a nappy as a half way compromise. If she won't poo anywhere but in the nappy itself, I suggest you buy some cheap 'value' nappies just for this purpose to save money and keep the better absorbency nappies for nights.

[Needadvice5]

sounds completely normal! stick with it and don't tell her off for pooing in her pants.

Sounds like she's doing brilliantly, all 4 of mine were in pants at around 2 years and they all struggled to poo in the potty to begin with.

Don't go back now because it will confuse her, if needs be just get some cheap Primark pants that you can throw.

You're both doing well, please stick with it!

[Needadvice5]

I really wouldn't go back to nappies, not even when you're going out because it's too confusing!

[givemecaffeine21]

I second not going back to nappies. My DD also had issues with pooing. I started giving her apple juice / prune juice every morning with breakfast and then she'd go afterwards; the need to go was too great not to go I guess and she had also experienced a bit of constipation making for a couple of traumatic poos in the early stages. I also had a sticker chart and it was a sticker for a wee as she nailed those quickly, and a sticker AND two chocolate buttons / raisins for a poo.

I don't think if she's having poo issues it's down to starting too early as from what I've read (quite a lot as found potty training hard work!) a lot of kids when potty trained have poo issues no matter what age they're trained at.

I also give my children an organix fruit purée pot every day as a pudding after dinner and they both poo bang on target before 9am every day...it's a surprise when they don't!