I have a 3.5-year-old daughter, who has got peeing on the toilet down fine, but poos are another story. We've been on the change from nappies to undies for about 6-8 months.
She will simply poo in her undies, continuously (as in 5-6+ times a day). I'm getting over it, wife is getting over it, daycare is getting over it, grandparents are getting over it etc. etc. you get the picture.
Now, additional info - I suspect she may have Dyspraxia - as I have mild Dyspraxia and some of her mannerisms (arm flapping, clumsiness etc.) lead me to suspect this - however, I do not have any formal diagnosis (so take this with a grain of salt).
Things I've tried:
- Forcing her to wipe her own bum (based on a suggestion from here).
- Corruption and bribery (offering ice creams/donuts/cupcakes/other sweet treats if poos are succesfully done in the toilet) - this did result in one successful poo in the toilet - but subsequent attempts have failed.
- Changing from nappies to undies - just resulted in pooey undies
- Going commando - if there is nothing against the skin, then maybe she'll have to go to the toilet.
- Not making a big deal of it (Not to worry, try again later)
- Making a big deal of it (You're a big girl now, you should be pooing in the toilet like a big girl)
- Trying to explain to her (When we've got a funny tummy, sit on the toilet and try and push the poo out)
- Laxatives (prescribed by doctors)
- High fibre juices (kale, kiwifruit, carrot, orange etc. in a juice maker)
Some theories I have about this - her toilet training was going okay until one day she was running round in the garden, free as the day she was born, and then did a poo and freaked herself out when it went all down her legs (I suspect this to be the cause of some of the problems) - since then, poos have been a bit of an issue.
The multiple poos in the undies a day I've put down to the fact she knows she shouldn't poo in her undies, so when a bit does come out, instead of going to the toilet, relaxing and having a nice solid bowel movement, she tenses up, sucking it back up inside (as she knows she shouldn't poo in her undies) which results in the multiple small poos throughout the day, as opposed to 2-3 solid poos a day.
We've also got an appointment with a specialist to see if there is an underlying medical issue (My gut feel is that it's more mental than physical).
So, dear people of the Internet - any other suggestions?