I’m putting Xavier, age 3, down for nap yesterday afternoon. I wasn’t looking forward to his waking up with a Pull-Up full of solids.
Xavier is potty trained, he only pees at night or when he is in a deep sleep for nap. Pooping, however, is different. He knows to poop in the toilet and can do it, but he just doesn’t want to do it.
I picked him up from preschool, we had lunch, played, then it was time to get ready for nap. Storytime went well enough, and afterwards on the toilet I asked him to try pooping in the toilet. It is, however, one of his least favorite things to do. He resists doing it to the point of simply refusing to even try most of the time.
Originally the plan was for him to try and poop, we would put on his Pull-Up then one final story before going down for nap. As predicted, he refused to try.
It was then I decided to try something new.
After he refused to try pooping we put on his Pull-Up and instead of reading to him I put him straight down for nap. He protested. Loudly. There were tears.
The scenario was familiar to anybody who has dealt with this age group. The exchange of back and forth of “I want to read the story” and “let’s go try pooping” and “I don’t want to poop” then “fine, stay in bed” then “I want to poop” then “let’s go try” followed by “I don’t want to poop” countered with “fine, stay in bed” then “I want to read the story” on a repeat loop was too much. Eventually I had to leave.
He kept calling for me, and a minute later I went back into his room and he was ready to try sitting on the toilet and pooping. And he pooped. In the toilet.
We got his Pull-Up back on and went back into his room and read that last story before he went down for nap. He woke up from nap with his Pull-Up unsoiled.
Yes, I’ll be trying this tactic again.