Warning: This post references poop. A lot. Skip it if you’re not into reading about that sort of thing…
Potty-training hasn’t gone well for us. Our Peruvian Nanny started training Nia when she turned 2 (about the time of this picture) and had good success with getting her to go pee on the potty. We had some regression (read: accidents) when we transitioned back to the States but got back on track by fall. The problem has always been that she insists on going #2 in a diaper.
Here’s how it plays out:
Us: “Nia do you have to go Poopy?”
Nia: “Yes, but only in my diaper.”
Us: “How about you try the toilet?
Nia: “Maybe later, after it snows (or some other absurd variation)”
Nia proceeds to hold her poop in (for up to as many as 5 days) rather than give us the gratification of letting us see her use the toilet. After 5 days I crack and worry too much about her digestion and put the diaper on her. She poops immediately and the cycle begins again.
We’ve consulted numerous times with my Mom, the child development expert, and none of her tried-and-true strategies have worked for us. We’ve tried prolonged periods of toilet sitting, incentives and trickery – all with no success.
The girl is smart, she knows she has the reigns here and she’s determined to hang on to them.
Not only am I out of ideas to try, but she’s started peeing in her pants again (3 accidents at school today and several over break). I can’t decide if she’s trying to send a message that she doesn’t like our crackdown on using the toilet for #2 or if she just isn’t paying attention to her body’s signals.
I knew I wouldn’t enjoy toilet training, but this has been even more frustrating than I imagined. At this rate, we’re barely going to get her toilet-trained by Kindergarten! Â Uggghhhh.
Has she said why she doesn’t want to poop in the toilet? I know some kids are scared of flushing “part of me” down the toilet. There’s always the book Everyone Poops! And lastly….there’s always bribery.