Teaching your child to poop in the toilet is one of the most challenging and frustrating experiences as a parent. Sometimes, if your child is resistant to pooping in the toilet, he is in what pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene calls the "D3 cycle" of discomfort, dread and delay. Your child experiences discomfort while pooping, comes to dread pooping into the toilet, and then delays pooping, which causes even more discomfort when it is time to poop again. The best way to break the D3 cycle is to take gradual steps instead of switching from diapers to the toilet in one event.
Step 1
Soften your child's stools by increasing her dietary fiber or using a fiber supplement recommended by her pediatrician. Increasing your child's fluid intake may also soften her stools. If hard stools are to blame for the "discomfort" associated with pooping in the toilet, this step may be sufficient to break the D3 cycle. According to Edward R. Christophersen, PhD of Baby Center, the amount of fiber children should have daily equals their age plus five. For example, a two-year-old should have seven grams of fiber each day. You should distribute the fiber in meals throughout the day.
Step 2
Encourage your child to poop anywhere in the bathroom while wearing his diaper. If he is resistant to pooping in the bathroom, find out why, and address the problem. He may be upset about having to stop playing or he may be afraid of something in the bathroom. If he has pooped in the bathroom for three or more days, he can move onto the next step.
Step 3
Have your child poop sitting down in the bathroom while still wearing his diaper. Start by allowing him to sit anywhere in the bathroom, including the floor or the toilet with the lid up or down. If he can poop while seated on the floor, after a few days, let him poop on the toilet with the lid down. After a few more days, let him poop on the toilet in his diaper with the lid up. He should be comfortable pooping while seated in his diaper for three or more days before moving onto the next step.
Step 4
Remove your child's diaper and have him poop in the toilet. If your child is apprehensive about this step, you may cut a hole in the bottom of his diaper and let him poop that way in the toilet for a few days. Increase the size of the hole as the days go by and as he indicates readiness to poop in the toilet without a diaper.
Things You'll Need
- High fiber food
- Fiber supplement
- Diapers
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