Does anyone have any tips on getting a 3 year old to go p**p in the potty?

Question

She has the teetee part completely down. But no matter what I have tried......we can't get her to go poopoo in the potty. Any advice will help. Thanks so much!

Answer 1

I know exactly what you're going through. When my daughter was 3, she was fine with peeing in the pot, but she insisted on a diaper for pooping despite the fact that she was wearing panties during the day. I got lucky one day because not only did she have to pee, she also had to poo. She actually wanted to get off after peeing and put a diaper on so she could poo. While she was on the toilet peeing, I kept talking to her calmly and telling her how it was okay to poo in the toilet as well because that's where it belonged. I forget what I said, but I do know that I kept her on there long enough until she finally pooped in the toilet. And when she finally did the deed, I congratulated her and told her that she no longer needed diapers for pooping. Whatever fears she may have had about pooping in the toilet were finally put to rest that day.

You can try the same thing, putting her on the pot when she has to go and talking to her, but the main thing is to keep her calm. Otherwise she'll try to hold it in and become constipated.

Answer 2

Have you tried using stickers or candy?  Sounds gross but show her your p**p and let her flush it.  AND, when she poops in a diaper, dump it in the toilet and let her flush it.  

Answer 3

Show her what to do and if she does it even once..

reward her with an m&m =]

Thats how my sister learned :D

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Have LOTS of patience.  Children are used to the p**p being squished on their butt in their diaper rather than having it fall in the toilet, so using the toilet makes them feel as if they are losing a part of themselves.  My daughter went through this.  Let your daughter come in the bathroom with you when you are pooping, so she sees that it's okay.  Offer a special treat for her when she does go in the potty.  I promised my daughter we would buy her a balloon when she finally went in the potty.  It took another 3 weeks of trying to convince her to p**p in the potty, but she finally did.  And she was so proud of herself when she did it.  Even if she won't go in the potty just yet, have her take slow steps toward pooping in the potty.  If she still wants to p**p in the diaper, tell her she needs to at least go in the bathroom when she does.  Then have her sit on the potty while she goes in her diaper.  And eventually have her use the potty without the diaper  :)

Answer 5

two suggestions, have her go bottomless with just a long t-shirt while at home so that she doesn't go in her underwear.  If you use diapers or pull-ups, get rid of theml.  If she holds in p**p, have story time on the toilet each night.  Choose a long story and have her bear down when you turn the pages.  (I told my kids it was like trying to pass gas).  My son DID NOT want to actually p**p on the toilet, so we called it "practice".  The pushing would usually trigger a poo and once it started coming, he would do it on the toilet while I finished the story.  You could also have short "practices" of one or two minutes all throughout the day.  This way they don't hold it as long and the job of having a bowel movement is easier for them.  If your child is bottomless and won't go p**p once a day or at least every other day, I would consult a physician, that is a serioius problem.

Answer 6

I used a kind-of-reverse approach (sort of):

I let my toddlers "know" "we" had no real intention of changing the way we were doing things "although it might be fun to try going without a diaper just while we run to the store".  I would assure them that we would not be out for very long, and if they had to go I would get a diaper on them.  I'd also assure them that "we" could put the diaper back on when we got home.

We gradually increased the length of time we were out, and after a few outings in the beginning nobody would be in a hurry to get the diaper back on when we got home.  When we'd get home I'd wait a while and then say, "Hey - should we put the diaper on now?"  They would tell me "not yet".  Not having the diaper on, and having gone for a few hours without one, seemed to give them a little confidence; so they would often ask to use the potty.

In the evening I'd put the diaper back on.

My kids' big fear was not wanting to have an accident, and they kind of liked that sureness having a diaper on offered.  They wanted to get out of diapers but just were too "serious" about accidents.

I think the approach worked with them because it gave them the chance to gain confidence going out without the diaper, but knowing I "had no intention" of making them get rid of diapers all at once.

I kind of approached it this way, "Well, one of these days when you're bigger you'll have to be wearing Big Boy pants" (but I made those comments separate from any attempts to get them potty trained). That thought let them know that that's what bigger kids and adults do.  When I offered them the chance to "just try" going out I think they weren't threatened with feeling like it was a giant change in their lifestyle.  I was careful to let them know they could make the decisions, and I'd go without what they wanted.  I think it took away any power struggles, as well as any worries.