Help with stool withholding

[pmcwilliams_28]

My 4.5 year old son is now a prolific stool holder. Currently going through disimpaction regime. I know that and the long term laxatives will help the constipation so i’m now looking at how to help him overcome the psychological reasons why he withholds stool. He told me the other night he doesn’t like to poop so that’s why he holds it in. Spoke to GP and they said we just need to make sure he has a positive experience in the toilet. I have an idea how to ensure we do that but hints and tips would be most welcome. For example, our talk now is around how his tummy feels better after a poo. He is encouraged to sit on the toilet to poo but not forced. He goes on his own to pee in any toilet and has done for quite some time. He will not poo on the toilet he just soils himself.

[Pasta18]

Hello! We are in the same situation with our 3.5 year old 😔 It is our third attempt at potty training and we have come so far with wees but she’s so scared to poop so we’re about to start disimpaction - which I’m not looking forward too!

There are lots of tips on the ERIC website on how to encourage your child to sit on the potty/toilet for longer periods. We’ve found this info useful and have started to incorporate some of it so it’s worth checking this out! I also stumbled across this profile on Instagram, Dr Kate is a stool withholding consultant and there are lots of great tips on here too! instagram.com/stoolwithhold...

I hope this helps! And best of luck, it’s so hard with you’re at the thick of it!

[pmcwilliams_28 in reply to Pasta18]

Thank you for your response. Disimpaction was not pleasant however it worked wonders for us. Took him 7 days, got up to 6 sachets and on day 7 he did all his bowel movements (tiny stool and then tea water) all in the toilet. Couldn’t believe it. His mindset around poo has completely shifted. We just need to keep the momentum up now so he remains positive about using the toilet. Thank you for sharing the resources, i’m familiar with the ERIC once’s but not the Dr Kate so will have a look there. Good luck!

[14crosstitch14]

Calming music/ book fidget toy something that'll occupie him may help. My girls had fidget toys just for the bathroom. Bubbles may help as he's useing his hands and music. Maybe an alexa outside the bathroom. Helped my sdaughter. Took years she's finally sorted. Chia seeds help along with prunes and a soft not noticing poo may help posititive experience.