Having a hard time with potty training my 5 year old!?

Question

My daughter is 5 and has had a constant battle with constipation. She holds it until it gets hard and then she poops. Stool softeners, laxatives, trips to her doc. have done nothing. I'm at my wits end. She refused to p**p or pee in the potty. We've had to give her enemas ever 3 days and its traumatic for both of us. She scared. I'm frusterated. Can anyone help? Please save the rude comments, I know she older than most and was a premie so she has some delays.

Answer 1

Even as a premmie, you should be talking to your pediatrician. The first thing that came to mind when you mentioned constipation was something that most parents don't realize, and that is that their children need to drink water. Not juice, not milk, not soda, but water. This will help loosen her stools. Also check with a nutritionist to develop a diet that is suitable. It is never too early to watch what you eat. Keep her away from greasy foods. Apples are great to help with constipation.

I hope this helps...

Answer 2

All children are different I have two children a eight year old daughter and a two year old son. My daughter was potty trained at a year and a half and my son turned two in april and he just doesnt get it yet...lol he finally told me he has to bo bo but AFTER he had already went. You have to make fun out of going to potty make her feel accomplished she will catch on.

Answer 3

I just potty trained my almost 3 year old son.  We went straight from diapers to underpants... BRAVE move, but we just stayed home and around a potty for 4 or 5 days!  After the 3rd day and a LOT of underwear, he finally got it!  Don't even bother with pull ups, I think they only confuse them in the training process... it's too much like a diaper!!!  

What worked for him was making a big deal out of the poops!  He would get a BIGGER sticker on his chart (make a sticker chart if you don't have one) and then he would get 4 M&M's for poopin'!  After 2 weeks he didn't even ask for them anymore...  He would get 2 for peeing and a smaller sticker for that!  We only put a diaper/pull up on him at bed time since he's still in his crib and can't get up in the night if he had to go...  He's getting a toddler bed next week so then I'll start the night time training!

SO...  Stickers and M&M's worked for me... As far as the constipation... you might want to try more fiber in her diet, dried apricots and prunes work well too, or Caro Syrup (I know I used that for my boys when they were infants and it worked great... I imagine it would work on an older child too!  GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 4

Constipation is soo tough.  My daughter doesn't get juices....she only drinks water and one glass of milk a day.  And she really doesn't know what she is missing since she has never been offered a juice, we get our fruits in the way of apples and prunes and oranges etc.  I do put molasses in her one glass of milk....my pedi recommended it.  And that really helped a lot.  Pediatrician had us start that at about a month old.  And you can tell if we didn't give her enough or we forgot one day.....major problems of constipation.

Hopefully getting the constipation cleared up will help with potty training.  My daughter is 2 1/2 and we started potty training about a year ago!!!  She only goes half the time....the half she is truely suprised......so I think it may be a lack of knowing the urge.

Answer 5

Talk to your pediatrician.  If they will not prescribe something get a second opinion.  My daughter had severe constipation from a very young age.  Our ped suggested juices and watching her diet.  Finally I could no longer watch her be in pain and I sought a second opinion.  The new doctor immediately put her on miralax and it was a miracle.  She was on miralax for nearly four years, it is safe and non-habit forming.  We just recently weaned her off of it    and she is doing wonderfully.  I only wish I hadn't waited so long to seek other help.  Please do not wait if your ped won't give you a prescription, get a second opinion.  I know first hand how difficult this is for both of you, good luck.

Answer 6

potty training is hard and all children do it at different ages.

my daughter was 1 and half she never wanted to wear a diaper so i bought her really cute panties.

she loved the princesses and fairys so she wanted to be like mommy

try giving her something that she really likes when she uses the potty always give praises, clapping hands always work, saying shes a big girl now. things like that.

also let her pick out a potty maybe something really cute that she likes

hope everything works out