On July 8th we started potty training Claire. She has been pretty good except for the pooping in the potty part. She is a total rockstar when it comes to going pee pee in the potty, pooping not so much. I don't know what it is, she just won't. Everyday since about July 15th she has pooped in her pants. What do I do?! AHHHH!!!! We talk about everyday, at least 3 times a day. It is just not getting to her. I am beyond frustrated and it is starting to show. Any suggestions?
Here is a recap (for me) of that first week of hell.
To start things off, I picked the worst week to start. Tim was gone on a campout for most of it, so I was alone (don't recommend that) I was 8 months pregnant and I had made the really hard and horrible decision to keep working after the baby was born. (That was the worst part, because not only was I crying out of frustration with pee all over the house, I was crying at the fact that I had to keep working.)
The first day she had 6 pee pee accidents, none on the couch thankfully, but everywhere else. Pillows, carpets, blankets, beds, you name it. Thankfully, she pooped in a pull-up during her nap. I did not want to clean up a poopy mess!
The second day she only had 4 accidents only because she sat on the toilet for most of the day watching movies and reading books.
Yes, she is eating dinner on the potty. Yes, I didn't really care that point. I just wanted her to go in the toilet!
She finally did, after much coaxing, and it was probably one of the best moments of my life. I started crying because I was so happy. We talked about the feeling she had right before she went and how she could recognize it again. I think that was key. She grasped onto that concept, which was quite a shock for me. After that discussion, when she would have to go potty she would tell me, "Mom, I have the feeling!" I was so proud of her!
We filled up a princess potty chart with stickers fairly quickly which meant she got a "Belle" dress that had been hanging up in the bathroom with jewelry and a crown. I hung it up on purpose to motivate her, and it worked pretty good.
Right now I have a "Sleeping Beauty" dress hung up in the same spot to motivate her to go poopy in the potty, but it doesn't seem to working. I told her if she goes poopy in the potty just once, she can have the "Sleeping Beauty" dress.
Nothing.
I then upped it with 2 more princess dresses, markers, a coloring book and her favorite treat Skittles.
Still no pooping in the potty.
Since gifts were not working, I started to take things away. This was probably not the best approach, but I was desperate. I got so frustrated one day (this is weeks after I started potty training) I grounded her from the TV (she LOVES pbskids) and her best friend Penny. Please don't think I am a bad mom... I even took away the one she loves the most in the world, milk. She didn't get any for 3 days.
Still didn't make a difference.
I then remembered what my cousin did for her daughter who wouldn't go poopy in the potty... she made her change her own diaper! I totally thought this would do it. The first time I told Claire she had to change her own messy pants, it was horrible! Claire did not like that at all. She cried and cried. Tim finally caved and helped her a little bit, but I was sure this would do the trick.
It didn't.
The second time was even worse. I told her again that she had to change her own pants and she just about died. She screamed for 30 minutes. I finally said I would hold her dress up, but she would have to do everything else. I thought this would be it. She would totally start pooping in the potty.
Nope.
It's day 36 and she is still pooping her pants. I still make her go and change it herself, I just hold her dress up. She doesn't have a problem with it now. She is a pro.
...Since I have been typing this post, she has pooped twice in her pull-up. Two pull-ups wasted in 10 minutes. Awesome. She is supposed to be taking a nap. Now she won't nap at all. Double awesome.
Well, guess it cuts this post short. Off to help change another poopy mess.
Here is a recap (for me) of that first week of hell.
To start things off, I picked the worst week to start. Tim was gone on a campout for most of it, so I was alone (don't recommend that) I was 8 months pregnant and I had made the really hard and horrible decision to keep working after the baby was born. (That was the worst part, because not only was I crying out of frustration with pee all over the house, I was crying at the fact that I had to keep working.)
The first day she had 6 pee pee accidents, none on the couch thankfully, but everywhere else. Pillows, carpets, blankets, beds, you name it. Thankfully, she pooped in a pull-up during her nap. I did not want to clean up a poopy mess!
The second day she only had 4 accidents only because she sat on the toilet for most of the day watching movies and reading books.
Yes, she is eating dinner on the potty. Yes, I didn't really care that point. I just wanted her to go in the toilet!
She finally did, after much coaxing, and it was probably one of the best moments of my life. I started crying because I was so happy. We talked about the feeling she had right before she went and how she could recognize it again. I think that was key. She grasped onto that concept, which was quite a shock for me. After that discussion, when she would have to go potty she would tell me, "Mom, I have the feeling!" I was so proud of her!
We filled up a princess potty chart with stickers fairly quickly which meant she got a "Belle" dress that had been hanging up in the bathroom with jewelry and a crown. I hung it up on purpose to motivate her, and it worked pretty good.
Right now I have a "Sleeping Beauty" dress hung up in the same spot to motivate her to go poopy in the potty, but it doesn't seem to working. I told her if she goes poopy in the potty just once, she can have the "Sleeping Beauty" dress.
Nothing.
I then upped it with 2 more princess dresses, markers, a coloring book and her favorite treat Skittles.
Still no pooping in the potty.
Since gifts were not working, I started to take things away. This was probably not the best approach, but I was desperate. I got so frustrated one day (this is weeks after I started potty training) I grounded her from the TV (she LOVES pbskids) and her best friend Penny. Please don't think I am a bad mom... I even took away the one she loves the most in the world, milk. She didn't get any for 3 days.
Still didn't make a difference.
I then remembered what my cousin did for her daughter who wouldn't go poopy in the potty... she made her change her own diaper! I totally thought this would do it. The first time I told Claire she had to change her own messy pants, it was horrible! Claire did not like that at all. She cried and cried. Tim finally caved and helped her a little bit, but I was sure this would do the trick.
It didn't.
The second time was even worse. I told her again that she had to change her own pants and she just about died. She screamed for 30 minutes. I finally said I would hold her dress up, but she would have to do everything else. I thought this would be it. She would totally start pooping in the potty.
Nope.
It's day 36 and she is still pooping her pants. I still make her go and change it herself, I just hold her dress up. She doesn't have a problem with it now. She is a pro.
...Since I have been typing this post, she has pooped twice in her pull-up. Two pull-ups wasted in 10 minutes. Awesome. She is supposed to be taking a nap. Now she won't nap at all. Double awesome.
Well, guess it cuts this post short. Off to help change another poopy mess.
Comments
What a well written post, though. Surely the best 'poop' writing I have read in a while.
I didn't mention the potty training, and I just kept changing the diapers happily.
In about a month she walked down the stairs and told me she was ready to do it on her own, and she has not had one accident since that day. She was three years, EIGHT MONTHS.
I know that many people will disagree with going back, but sometimes you just have to save your mind. If she's the kind that's stubborn, maybe what she's saying is, "I'll do this when I want to".
Good luck. It's a maddening part of motherhood, for sure.
Good freakin luck. My fingers are crossed for you.