Calling ATOT parents - need advice for potty training my son

[Sho'Nuff]

So this is probably the worst place to ask for kid advice, but here goes.

My son is 4 and a half. By the time he was three, he was effectively 100% potty trained during the day. Almost no accidents during the day, but every now and then he would have a bad spell.

Fast forward a year and half later, and he has seemingly reverted 100% backwards, at least with respect to number twos. He's a champ at peeing in the toilet, but unless I catch him mid squat he will simply poop himself whenever and wherever he happens to
be. Suffice it to say that it is REALLY annoying.

My wife and I have tried everything we can think of, with no luck. We've tried rewards, no rewards, oh'ing and ah'ing when he goes, talking with him when he has an accident, yelling at him when he has multiple accidents; taking rewards away when he has multiple accidents, not changing him for a while (letting him wallow in his own filth), making him spend up to half a day without pants/bottoms on, etc. In essence, both positive and negative reinforcement of varying degrees. Nothing seems to work. Today he had three poop accidents, with the last one being about 30 minutes after I sat down and patiently explained to him how important it was to keep dry and clean.

Any of you have this issue with one of your kids? If so, any recommendations?

 

[Slew Foot]

I offer my sympathy, My 4 year old can pee just fine but getting him to poo in the toilet freaks him out.

 

[Ketchup]

I have 3 kids - 11, 5, and 3. They are all different. The hardest was our oldest. He got all potty trained, and then one day, out of the blue, he started wetting the bed.

Anyway, my point is, it happens. Does he wear a pull up? Those things are handy, but they feel to much like a diaper to stop the kids from doing their business in it, IMO.

 

[Ketchup]

Also, if your son is somewhat "regular" you may have to start just putting him on the potty and making him stay there until something happens. If whatever you did worked the first time, there is nothing wrong with going down the same path again. The cool part about him being 4 is he'll probably figure it out pretty quick. Nobody wants to spent 30 minutes a day on the potty! That's like, forever!

 

[lxskllr]

Also, if your son is somewhat "regular" you may have to start just putting him on the potty and making him stay there until something happens.!

I like this idea, but don't have personal experience. My daughter started using the toilet by magic as near as I can tell :^D I suppose her mother, and sitters helped, but seriously, I spent a lot of time with her, and it seemed like one day she was just using the toilet. There was no transition that I can remember.

 

[BoomerD]

electricity...hook him up to a fence charger. Every time he pisses himself...

 

[Ketchup]

I like this idea, but don't have personal experience. My daughter started using the toilet by magic as near as I can tell :^D I suppose her mother, and sitters helped, but seriously, I spent a lot of time with her, and it seemed like one day she was just using the toilet. There was no transition that I can remember.

It's a girl thing. Mine also used "magic." The boys fought tooth and nail.

 

[Ketchup]

electricity...hook him up to a fence charger. Every time he pisses himself...

Where does he get those wonderful gifs?

Good stuff.

 

[nanette1985]

Special underwear helped with my boys. They didn't like to get Superman (or whatever) dirty.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Where does he get those wonderful gifs?

Good stuff.

That's a secret.

 

[Ketchup]

Seeing any improvements Sho'Nuff?

 

[Azraele]

Have you asked him why he does it? Perhaps an explanation would shed some light on the problem, For example, if something about the process frightens him, it could be addressed.

 

[Doppel]

Make him wear a diaper again, like a little baby does. If he balks tell him when he can poo in the toilet like a big boy he gets to stop keeping the diaper on.

I bet it's a common problem and google may have good advice, too.

 

[manimal]

I feel for you OP. I have three and half year old triplets and were going trough this right now. They all wear underwear in the day and for the most part they got it down. Now were dealing with accidents that happen at the worst possible times.... One of the girls accidentally did a #2 on the slide in the park because she was having too much fun to stop though I had asked her five minutes earlier if she wanted to go to the potty.....

Our son, we have two girls and a boy, still is beyond scared of pooping on the potty. He tenses up and gets very nervous. Boys have a harder time with poop.

 

[waggy]

shonuff" has anything happened in the house? say you moving, someoen going back to work? him starting school etc?

My daughter at 3 was potty trained. she was doing well. then we moved to the new house and she reverted back. The doctor said it was common.

we just kept on it and she started going again. What i think helped is we went to the store and got a kids toilet cover for her. We let her pick out wich one too! she was excited to use it.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Spray bottle of water. Squirt him whenever he goes potty in the wrong place.

 

[z1ggy]

Spray bottle of water. Squirt him whenever he goes potty in the wrong place.

Yes this, and add a bit of lemon and cayenne pepper juice in it, too. Make sure you get him in the face or it won't work.

 

[DownTheSky]

Take him to the doctor and make it look like not shitting in the toilet is some kind of disease. He's immune to it but his mommy might die if she catches it. He doesn't want his mommy die, doesn't he?

No... lol. Now for serious, find some other reason that is less damaging for the kid and doesn't include mommy but includes going to the doctor or somewhere he really doesn't like going to. Because to me looks like either he's doing it on purpose or I don't know.. he might really be sick.

Either way my 4yo self would prefer to be beaten up rather than left naked with my ass dirty for half a day. That's fucked up. 4yo are not really that retarded.

 

[kage69]

My eldest son was a champ, learned complete potty use in a few weeks, he's been self sufficient in this area since a little after turning 3. I turned it into a game where he won new shiny quarters for his piggy bank every time we had a successful bathroom break, not for peeing though that's too easy. After awhile he stopped caring about the quarters and just wanted to proudly inform me that he took care of everything all by himself. He never has accidents or wets his bed, so proud of the little guy!

His brother is 2 years behind him but I'm hoping for similar success. Will probably use a reward based system too, you should try it.

 

[Pacfanweb]

It's not that big a deal. My son was about that old before he finally was potty trained.

They learn at their own pace. He'll get it pretty soon.

 

[kage69]

Take him to the doctor and make it look like not shitting in the toilet is some kind of disease. He's immune to it but his mommy might die if she catches it. He doesn't want his mommy die, doesn't he?

lol dude


That gave me an immediate Deep Thoughts moment.

"If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

 

[DownTheSky]

My eldest son was a champ, learned complete potty use in a few weeks, he's been self sufficient in this area since a little after turning 3. I turned it into a game where he won new shiny quarters for his piggy bank every time we had a successful bathroom break, not for peeing though that's too easy. After awhile he stopped caring about the quarters and just wanted to proudly inform me that he took care of everything all by himself. He never has accidents or wets his bed, so proud of the little guy!

His brother is 2 years behind him but I'm hoping for similar success. Will probably use a reward based system too, you should try it.

Go with what this guy said. :thumbsup:

 

[Rakehellion]

Today he had three poop accidents

Three times in one day? This man is a god.

 

[Mixolydian]

It's not that big a deal.

I agree with this. Each kid is different. Some kids also use the potty as a power struggle - it's the one thing parents cannot control.

 

[Rakehellion]

Take him to the doctor and make it look like not shitting in the toilet is some kind of disease. He's immune to it but his mommy might die if she catches it. He doesn't want his mommy die, doesn't he?

Whoah. D:


But maybe the shitter is too tall for him. Do you have one of those mini shitter seats for toddlers?