HEEEEEELPPP!!! Goung crazy!

[bmichaels]

I have a daughter, Dana, who will be 4 in July. She has been potty trained for pee for about a year but around that time had undiagnosed constipation. She was so constipated that it caused diarrhea, new stool t leaked around the blockage. All along we were treating her for diarrhea and after they tested her for allergies, Celiac disease and other things, they found through an X-ray that she was constipated. She has been to a GI about 6 months ago who has put her on a stool softener. She has been on Miralax (stool softener) for about 5 months now and has bowel movements about 4 times a day (varies between 2 and 5 times a day) and she FINALLY was doing well and doing it on the toilet. Then she got that stomach bug and regressed (this was especially hard since I thought that we were finally there!). She has been in panties for a long time and at school and dance will go on the toilet and then at home she poos in her panties and I have a big mess to clean up (about 4 times a day). I also have a 16 month old so at times it feels like all day long, I just change poo. I have tried everything, a chart, special treats, everything I can think of…….having her help clean up etc….nothing is working and I think that she may be doing it for attention or, control or, because it is just easier or maybe she is still trying to hold it which is how she got constipated in the first place……Any advice would be great…..I am going a little CRAZY!!! Help me please! I would love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience with their child!

[craftyashley]

I will be you in about 2 years. Any consolation? So sorry you're having such a hard time! I wish I had any sort of advice. Hang in there!

[bmichaels]

Thanks....I am just trying to hang in there!!!!

[cay8099]

Are her bowel movements regular; coming at the same time everyday? If they are you could try putting her on the potty at those times. At this age she may just be so into her play that she is not stopping to go potty. Ask her every hour if she needs to potty. Doing this will remind her to pay attention to her potty needs. Many kids this age forget about going potty until it is too late.

[bmichaels]

Thanks so much for the advice....I have tried that and usually she will not go on the potty and I usually can see from her body language that she has to poo and I say let's go on the potty, you have to poo and she says no and then she does it in her panty. I don't know if I should force it.

[darylw123@cox.net]

Hi there,
My first impression is you are distracted with the constant care of your younger child, and rightly so. However, you must put the younger child on a schedule if you haven't already. This will free up a portion of your time for your potty trainer.

I've raised seven children and am now raising two granddaughters whose Mommy just passed away. We just finished up potty training #1, and we are still potty training #2. I call it the three day potty training marathon. Buy a package of Hershey's kisses. Have your daughter only wear underwear and a shirt (to keep her warm. Socks are optional.) Plan to stay home for three days. Set the timer for every 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, you tell your daughter, "ït's time to poopoo on the potty!" Be excited. Your daughter sits on the potty and you sit with her. If she peepee's, she gets one chocolate, and if she poopoo's, she gets two chocolates. When she does either, or, you praise and get excited. There is NO criticism, and no negative consequences for misses. Be diligent, and the extra attention your daughter starts to receive will give her the extra love she is craving. Also, I used a potty chair, that toilet hole can seem huge to a little child. Best of success. Let me know if this works. Note: I potty trained my little two and half year old granddaughter just a few days after the funeral, and like I say, we are still working on #2. Personally, I think your daughter is pooping too much. Have you thought about cutting back on the dosage of the stool softener. I think a couple bowel movements a day is healthy, but not four. Adults have more bowel movements a day, because they eat more, but children don't eat that much. Cut back on all refined carbohydrates, you know, all the white foods. Breads, cereals, tortillas, chips, cookies, and any foods with 'high fructose corn syrup'. Add yogurt with real L. acidophilus cultures to keep the good bacteria in the intestinal tract.

[bmichaels]

Thanks so much for the advcie. I will try that. I am going for a second opinion from another GI for her. She does get M&Ms for poo poo on the toilet. She is not afraid since she pees on the toilet consistently. My daughter does not eat a lot of those kinds of foods, she eats lots of fruits, cereal, yogurt (never white bread) and most of her snacks are whole grain etc....so she does eat well. I always keep her in panties at home as well and never pull ups..........I do think that she has gotten so accustomed to going like that that she is resisting change.......we also do stickers on a chart.
Thanks for the advcie,.....I'll let you know how it goes!
I am sorry about your grandkids mom passing away that is aweful! You are great to raise two more.

[nowmomof-thr3]

hi i just joined the site if i were you i would not give her attention in that area. with my 1st daughter i had to make a big deal about the panties and how mommy and nana where them and that diapers are so nasty and that she is big girl now and i even had to do a potty dance when she went to the bathroom and she was to the point where she would go pee pee in the potty but would want a diaper the next min. and before i knew she would go poo in it. and one day i just got tried of wiping so much poo off her i just throw away all diapers and she had no choice but to use the potty and if is went all her self i would pop her cause she knew how to go pee, so that ment to knew how to poo and it was hard, cause she would cry cry for a diaper i just kept up with her having panties. you just have to be stronge with and only give her attention when she goes pee or poo in the potty do a dance and song when she does but go luck