Some things come easy for preschoolers. Some things do not. In the case of our three year old daughter, pooping fits in the latter category.
It’s not that she can’t poop. It’s just that she won’t. At least not where we would like her to start pooping.
It’s not that she’s afraid of the toilet. She takes care of her other business easily on it. She’s been doing that for a LONG time.
We’ve tried offering incentives (that’s parent-speak for bribing). We’ve tried not cleaning her pants for a while after she goes in them. We’ve tried leaving her walking around the house kind of like a hippy. We’ve tried to ask her if she’s afraid. We’ve tried begging. We’ve even come close to yelling at her.
All for naught.
She’s 38 months old. It’d be great if she took this next step any day now.
Maybe this experience just teaches me a new saying. “You can lead a toddler/preschooler to water, but you can’t make her poop.”
Anyone else feeling our pain?
