Seriously Need Potty Training Help Please! withholding

[indigo99]

DS is a quirky kid so we've waited until we felt he was absolutely ready to PT. We started on Sunday, and I feel like we're moving backward.

So we started with trainers, and the first two days he did pee in the potty a few times, but went pee and poop in his diaper as well.

On Tuesday, he amazingly went poop in the potty (which he and I were very proud of and he got a big prize) but mostly went pee in his underwear.

Wednesday he didn't pee in the potty at all although he will sit there for long periods of time. I caught him about to poop twice and moved him to the potty, but he wouldn't go. He held it in all day until he was even walking and sitting funny because he needed to go so badly. I couldn't put him to bed like that so we gave him some diaper time, and he went in the diaper within 5 minutes.

Thursday he didn't pee in the potty at all and didn't poop all day (no obvious signs of constipation although he normally goes daily).

Today he has already gone pee in his pants and won't go in the potty.

When he started preschool in the fall, he was pooping around 10am each day. After a couple of days at school, he started holding it until he got home (and then going within ten minutes of getting home), and I'm sure that's what he's doing now.

He gets an MnM for trying if he pulls his pants up/down and washes his hands. He gets two if he pees and five if he poops. He's been great about trying and sitting for long periods of time, but he just isn't going. How do I get him to just GO?!

eta: We kept him home from school this week to PT. I can't send him to school in underwear Tuesday when he won't go in the potty at all (not even with long practice sessions and I know he won't get that at school) so what do I do?

[123LuckyMom]

My ped put DS on Miralax (.5 capful) and mineral oil (1Tbsp. Mixed with OJ twice daily) so that he couldn't hold it. That was combined with sitting him on the potty every two hours no matter what. He's better now, and we've stopped the mineral oil and are weaning off Miralax slowly. Now he doesn't have any enforced potty times except right before bed. The ped did tell me that eliminating properly is more important than potty training and to give DS a diaper or pull-up to poop in if that was what he wanted. We didn't do that, and I'm glad, because we'd probably still be in diapers, and DS gets such a sense of accomplishment when he's worried about pooping and does it any way. He still asks for a gift after one of these episodes, though, which is the ped's fault, because he told me IN FRONT OF DS to give him gifts each time he poops! We did that for a week and phased it out. We have done a sparkly star sticker chart, though.

[nfowife]

Honestly? I'd probably go back to pull-ups and diapers and try again in another month or so. He doesn't sound quite ready yet. My boy took longer than my girl, and we didn't even get serious about it until he was 3.5. So unless he needs to be trained for school right now, I wouldn't push it. Sounds like you are the one being trained right now

[BabbyO]

I think I agree. This is how Stachio was when he first started going on the potty. We just let him go back to diapers/pull-up and encouraged him to go on the potty. He did great for a week or two...then just wasn't interested. Then one week he just decided he was done with diapers. He pretty much did it on his own. Peeing on the potty consistently with a few minor accidents. But he wouldn't ever poop on the potty (diapes/pull ups at night and that was when he'd poop). So then a friend told us about the Everybody Poops book. We read it a couple times and by the end of the week he was going poop on the potty, too.

I think I'd give it a bit more time. Stachio just PT'ed in the last couple months and our boys are nearly the same age (7/09). (I noticed our younger boys are the same age, too (9/11 - funny, I hadn't realized that before...or maybe I did and it is Monday so I forgot!)

[infocrazy]

Honestly? I'd probably go back to pull-ups and diapers and try again in another month or so. He doesn't sound quite ready yet. My boy took longer than my girl, and we didn't even get serious about it until he was 3.5. So unless he needs to be trained for school right now, I wouldn't push it. Sounds like you are the one being trained right now

Trust me. Don't push it. We are still dealing with DS2 holding periodically and he has been trained for over 2 YEARS. No accidents but I have to make sure he goes every day and check what it looks like to see if he is going enough etc... Sometimes he won't go for a couple days if I'm not keeping track. Fun. DD is even PT now and we still need to monitor DS2!

[indigo99]

By the end of our week of PTing, DS was completely backed up. We'd started prunes and pushing fluids the first day he didn't go. By Saturday, he was in severe pain and crying and sweating, walking on tiptoe and refusing to sit or be held. We finally did get him going again, and we're giving him daily miralax (thanks for the suggestion which our ped supported).

The pediatrician said to give him a few weeks to get back to normal and stop withholding before attempting to PT again. We have several potty/poop books (including Everybody Poops), and he was really proud of himself the day that he did go. I don't really understand the problem, but I've talked to his teachers about encouraging him to go at school and giving him plenty of fluids. I don't think they want to change his diapers there, but I told them what the nurse said about waiting to PT until he stops withholding. Hopefully they can help get him going at school.