Potty Training

[DawnM]

HI: My 4 1/2 year old son has celiac disease. He refuses to have BM on toilet seat. We have tried everything from reading in very comfortable bathroom to getting lots of fiber into him and rewards for trying.

He taught himself to HOLD his BM until after dinner/bath. Then asks for a diaper to have BM in. I can usually tell by facial expression/body language when he is going to have BM, so when I see this I rush him to toilet, at that point, a small little "nugget" of BM comes out, and he seems to be able to STOP the rest.

I am afraid he will get constipated if this continues. Usually, I end up putting a diaper on him before we put him to bed, he then goes, then asks me to change him!

He really wants to go. He tries soooo hard. He sits on the toilet and "shakes all over" trying to get the "poop out" He jumps up and down on toilet then looks to see if anything is in the toilet, because he knows there will be reward.

If anyone can- Please help!!!!! Thank you/

[Guest Libbyk]

I don't know if you are using a little kid toilet or a regular one, but if it is a regular toilet, you might try giving him something (box, stool, upturned wastebasket) to put one or both feet on. I know it sounds weird, but it really helps me. (I have short legs too ) Worth a try...

Lib

[gf4life]

You might not like what I have to say, but I will say it anyhow...get rid of the diapers and DON'T give him one. I know it is hard because of the celiac disease and the bowel issues that come with it, but he is old enough and has to just figure it out. The doctor can help you with some medication or laxatives if he indeed does become so constipated that he needs some help to get it out. But you are not helping him by putting the diaper on him. If he does not get a diaper put on him, he will eventually go. And it will either be in the toilet or in his pants (which as a 4 1/2 year old he will not like that very much!) and if it ends up in his pants stay calm and clean it up. The event itself will usually be enough to stop him from doing that again.

Does he get enough fluids? If you already are pushing fiber, then you need to also push fluids to keep him from getting constipated.

God bless,

Mariann

[DawnM]

Thanks for both responses! Yes- I do put a stool in front of him for him to put his feet on .

Yesterday, I had the whole day free- so- NO diapers. Well- he pooped in his pants a total of 5 times!!!!. I gave him a pediasure in the morning. This apparently made his BM looser and he went 5 times which is not the norm.

I literally had to "cut" his underwear off him (as if he had a diaper on) and throw away the underwear (it was way to gross to wash).

Do you think I should just continue this? it is sooo frustrating (for me anyway). It does not seem to bother him. He has BM in his underwear- then- tells me he wants to sit on toilet!!!!. I tell him it is too late and explain (calmly) that he need to get to toilet faster. Big sigh..... What do you think?

Thank you.

[gf4life]

I'm sorry. For both of you. It must be extremely frustrating for both you and your son.

Have you discussed this with his doctor? And could he possibly have other food issues, like maybe dairy. If he reacted to the Pediasure with 5 loose BM's, then maybe he isn't tolerating dairy well. I know that I react to dairy with lots of gas, bloating and loose stool. It is very painful and my intestines feel very sore and tender for many days afterwards. I also get lots of cramps when I have to go to the bathroom, as well as an extremely urgent need to go. It might be that something similar is happening to him and he doesn't get enough warning to be able to make it to the bathroom.

[DawnM]

Hmm, I didn't think of that. Last night I held tight and for the first time did not place a diaper on him. He made me so proud. No accidents!!!

Today- He actually went on toilet by himself!!!. (I think) I was upstairs- he came running upstairs and told me. I went downstairs to look, however, he flushed the toilet. I think I believe him! He was so excited!. However, at approx 5:00 pm, he got extremely tired and told me he wanted to go to sleep. This is VERY ODD. He's asleep now. Keep your fingers crossed, and thank you for your input.

[gf4life]

Congratulations! No accidents is a great achievement. And if he was that excited about it, then he probably did go by himself today! YEAH! Keep up the good work you two and keep us posted.

God bless,

Mariann

[DawnM]

Bad news- He came down with the flu- I had to put diaper on him- he was vomiting and had terrible diarreah. He has fever of 102. Poor little guy.

However- I pan to continue with NO diapers once he is better. Thanks for your support. I'll keep you posted.

[gf4life]

So sorry to hear he has the flu. I hope he gets over it very quickly and life can get back to normal for you guys.

God bless,

Mariann

[Boojca]

Just so you know, it is TOTALLY normal for kids to be ok with peeing on the potty and to not want anything to do with pooping on the potty. In fact, I've heard of more kids having exactly this issue than not. So don't despair, you are not alone. And the very best news (??) is that this is not celiac disease related at all!!! Talk to your pediatrician, I am sure that he/she will have some great advice for you.

We start this next week, so I feel your pain!!

Bridget

[hapi2bgf]

My child decided t ohold all poopy. IT has been a nightmare. Talk to the doctor. Our Doctor prescribed a stool softener which my daugther could not stop from going poop. After changes in diet, medication, and just growing up, she is much better now. Now she demands that we come and see the poopy in the potty. Full circle! But the medication really helped.

[DawnM]

Thanks for your replies. I'll start with the NO DIAPER rule again on Monday. I need a fresh start. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[Connie R-E]

I had all kinds of trouble trying to get my son to poop in the potty!! He would only poop in a diaper, hold it for days, cry when it finally came out.... No amount of persuading would help. I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't/couldn't go. Stool softeners like Miralax helped a bunch, but the thing that helped the most was an allergy test!!

He is allergic to eggs, and when he eats them they stop him up so he can't go--whether he wants to or not.

I felt horrible!! Years of "bad pops" were caused by a food allergy!!

So, if your child has trouble going....consider an allergy test, please!!

I am also starting to see a connection between food allergies and urinary problems...

Connie

gluten-free since 1-'98

~starting to think that ALL problems are food related! LOL!