Why won’t my child
poop on the potty?

This is seriously my most frequently asked question:
“Why won’t my child poop on the potty or toilet?”
Miss Jen Specializes in Poop Retention and Bowel Withholding Behaviors

Potty Training is a Challenge When Your Child Refuses to Poop
The poo part of potty training is a life skill that usually takes longer for a child to master. There isn't just one potty training timeline that works for every toddler. What works well for one child can create resistance in another. That's why I work with the individual child, the family's unique circumstances.

Get Personalized Potty Training Help

Pooping in a seated position on a potty takes some getting used to!

(...aaaand lots of practice!)

Learning the poo part usually takes longer for toddlers to catch on and get comfortable with “releasing”.

Poo training is my number one most frequently scheduled consultation with my potty training clients & families. This is actually very common!!

I am here to help guide you through this challenging stage! Even just one small negative poo experience can cause serious setbacks and delays or even total potty training anxiety, resistance & regression.

Your little cutie is still learning and adjusting. The poo part might be a little intimidating, even scary.

As a professional potty training coach, I approach pee training and poo training as two separate milestones.

The poo part of potty training is a life skill that usually takes longer to master.

Perhaps your little cutie is showing withholding behaviors. 

This could be fear of release. A need for privacy. Or it could be a sensory issue or a control thing. Either way, bowel withholding over time (anal retention) can lead to bigger problems and medical issues.

You'll want to get to the bottom of these issues to determine whether it's:

- Biological or behavioral
- Physiological vs psychological
- Intentional or accidental

- Is it possibly some sort of attention-seeking behavior?

- Can your child not feel the urge to poop?

- Is your child simply ignoring their poop urges?

This is what I help families with who are struggling with your very same issue.

I'll be happy to help you come up with ways to make your little cutie feel unafraid of release. I have many different relaxing & releasing exercises along with several tried & true techniques and ideas that will help your child accomplish this.

I completely understand what you're going through. I see this all the time in sessions with my clients. I can help you navigate through this challenging stage. Read what other families are saying about Miss Jen

During your consultation call, I will share MANY of my pro tips that have worked for me over the years!

• Sometimes kiddos develop some sort of resistance or avoidance - even fears about pooping in the toilet for one reason or another.

• In my 39+ years of potty training experience, I have learned many different methods to overcome this and help encourage and motivate your child.

• Even just one small negative poo experience can cause serious setbacks and delays or even total potty training regression. Perhaps some scary association with pooping or maybe they had a painful poo? They don’t feel safe.

• For many kids, it’s a tricky transition from being in a standing or squat position to poop in a diaper their whole life - to now having to sit down on a potty to push it out while seated with their legs folded in front of them. It can feel unnatural and awkward. It can take some time to learn how to switch over to those different "pushing muscles" with their legs folded and their body bent in a sitting position.

• Sometimes it’s challenging for a toddler to be in a sitting position and "pushing it out" sitting up on the big adult-sized toilet, having to hold themselves upright while trying to balance with their short little toddler legs spread apart and hiney parts all stretched open. They might feel vulnerable and exposed.

• Many toddlers feel like they're losing a part of their body or something's "falling out" when they can see/feel their poo coming out.

• If you think about it: most babies have never seen their own poop. Especially not floating in toilet water in a big bowl abyss they’re sitting on

• Potty training is all very psychological. But it can be physiological too! Ever heard of paralyzed paralytic pooping muscles? Lazy bowel syndrome? We will explore the possibilities of poop paralysis, constipation and compacted colon, as well as the effects stuck poop can have on your child’s potty training.

• Some toddlers are shy, embarrassed or ashamed of their poo. Maybe they want privacy. There's often a negative association with the smell; maybe they feel dirty, stinky or messy. It's pretty common. These are the kiddos we need to be careful not to say things like “yuck, eww, dirty, gross, stinky, pee-yoo" - this shaming can create poop-related issues and bowel withholding / anal retention.

Its new. It feels strange to not have their diaper on as a safety net to catch the poo, it smells, it might even hurt sometimes.

Then there's
•constipation
•anal retention
•potty fears
•resistance
•pain avoidance
•negative association with the smell

Hang in there! I know I can offer some helpful advice for your childs Bowel Withholding & Poop Anxiety! I've been potty training toddlers for over 39 years - so as you can imagine, I’ve seen this so many times during my career. Let’s talk!

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