*This post is all about poop. Just wanted to warn you before you read it!
We are having an issue with Thing1. He is pooping in his underpants. We took him to the doctor about a month ago to rule out anything medical. The doctor said that medically he is fine and that this is a behavioral issue. The doctor had asked if there had been any changes in the house. At the time of the appointment, The Mr. was on a business trip and had been on one the week before as well. Of course, Thing 2 is pretty new to our house as well. The doctor believed that either one of these things, or both, could be the reason for Thing 1's behavior.
I had told the doctor about the token economy that we are using with Thing 1. He suggested we utilize the token economy to encourage clean, dry underpants. So, we have been doing that. We started out by giving him one token if at the end of the day he had clean underpants and one token each morning that he wakes up dry. Later we had to incorporate taking a token away if he poops in his pants during the day as he continued to poop in his underpants.
We know this is a behavior issue. He can and has used the potty successfully to poop. When we ask him where he should poop he will say "in the potty." He has also told us when he needs to poop, allowing us ample time to get him to the bathroom before anything happens in his underpants.
Thursday he went through 2 pairs of underpants as he pooped in 1 pair at daycare and 1 pair at home. We had to talk about where he is supposed to poop and took 2 tokens away. Yesterday morning on the way to daycare, we talked about the appropriate place to poop. When I arrived at daycare that afternoon Thing 1 greeted me and then told me he pooped in his underpants. The teacher said he didn't poop in his underpants all day. I checked and he had indeed pooped in his pants - and it was fresh. I asked him if he pooped as soon as I got there and he said yes. He had waited to poop in his underpants until I arrived. I took him to the bathroom to help him clean up and put on a clean pair of underwear. We talked about why he pooped in his pants to which I received the typical "I don't know" response.
I don't know what to do to make this behavior go away. Incorporating the token economy isn't working. There isn't a medical concern. He knows how to successfully use the potty to poop. We have tried sitting him on the potty until he poops after he has pooped in his underpants (as he doesn't finish pooping in his pants, only enough to dirty his pants). Has anyone else had this issue? Any suggestions? I am just tired of changing poopy underpants and I am at a loss for what else to do to decrease this behavior. Any ideas would be highly appreciated.
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4 comments:
Is there something that he really likes that can be taken away if he does this? If rewards aren't working, may be doing the other way would work? I have no good ideas. Taryn had been going in the potty, so we bought underwear and now she won't go in the potty.
Tough - although to make you feel better, my son eats his own poop and when I asked the pediatrician he said some kids just do that (yack!)
Not that this helps with the potty training but poop issues are tricky!
I feel your pain. Maybe offer to buy him a pony if he poops in the potty? 'Cause sometimes I feel like I'd be willing to do that. Hang in there. You're not alone. And eventually he will get it. He will.
I don't know what to tell you. Our good friend had the same issue with her son. He would ask for a pull up to poop in every night. Finally he was around our boys enough to see it was the way it needed to be (in the potty that is). No reward system worked for him either.
Good Luck!
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