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Potty issues

My son is almost 3. He goes pee in poty, on his own, no problem and was going poop too. He has stopped going poop and started going in his underwear. He trys to clean himself up so I know he finds it uncomfortable. He always asks if I am upset and/or tells me he loves me, then takes off running again. I also have an 8 month old and think the baby may be part of the reason he is doing this. I know he is going to have accidents, like when he is playing something and waits too long and thats fine. But this constant doing it in his pants when I know he knows how is frustrating. Once he was made at me for telling him no so he pooped on the floor. Any thoughts or advice??

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Answer #1

What wife and I did when the kids were younger was to reward them for going in the toilet until it was no longer an issue. Yes, it’s bribery. Yes, it works.

Child psychology at that age amounts mostly to very simplistic reward/punishment schemes. They simply don’t have the reasoning power for more than that.

Answer #2

My nephew used pooping in his pants as a weapon also, without any involvment of another sibling. It is normal. He is doing it to get a reaction out of you. My sister in law knows when he normally goes and makes him stay in the bathroom w/o underwear on until he goes. He is rewarded with one skittle when he poops in the potty. He started potty rebelling in February and is a pro pooper now! Check out the song “Poop In the Potty” by Over the Rhine… very fun.

Answer #3

He is a little jealous of the baby and trying to get your attention. Maybe you can spend more time with him. Maybe he wants to be a “baby” again so he can get your attention… I’d suggest not making a big deal of it and focussing a little more on what he’s up to.

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