Are you Afraid of the Potty?

Sean January 12, 2010 - 2 Comments
Potty Training

Afraid of the potty?

One situation that regularly occurs at some point in the potty training process is that a child will have no problems urinating, yet they will hedge when it comes to making a bowel movement.

Some children are afraid of the potty, and thus insist on a pull-up or just do it in a corner in their underwear and then want to be cleaned up after the business is done.

Children who are afraid of the potty or hesitant to have a bowel movement are perfectly normal. Believe me, you are far from alone.

To help your child learn to be less afraid of the potty, and their waste instead of letting it sit in a pull-up or underwear, please consider these suggestions:

1) If your child insists on using a pull-up or does it in the underwear, then empty the waste together to show him where it goes.

2) Remind your child that waste is yucky and dirty and have your child be a part of the cleaning up process. Tell them that there is never any reason to be afraid of the potty.

3) Look for signs that your child is going to have a bowel movement, facial expressions, or changes in posture. When you see them, have your child sit on the toilet. If he or she insists on keeping underwear on or a pull-up make sure the elimination process is still happening in the vicinity of the bathroom.

4) Read children’s literature on anything regarding toilet training to your child.

5) Maintain a patient and encouraging demeanor no matter what. Punishing or shaming a child can quickly turn the situation into a power struggle. If your child isn’t ready for this step do not give up. Empower your child to be a part of the process including cleaning up.

Don’t worry to much about children who are afraid of the potty or who have issues putting their poop in the toilet, as it is usually a short lived phase, although it may feel like an eternity because, let’s face it, cleaning up is never fun.

However, with perseverance and consistency the benefit of having an independent and responsible toilet trained child is liberating and worth every hard earned step.

Potty training is learned behavior and as parents we are the first teachers to model expectations, teach our children to take their steps and practice repeatedly until the desired outcome is achieved.

Don’t be afraid of the potty!