Few things are more frustrating for parents—and toddlers—than difficulty with potty training. That’s especially true for toileting regression (when your child suddenly rejects all your potty training routines). But rest assured, there are plenty of things you can try to keep your toddler from pooping their pants.
Read on to learn how scheduling potty time, resolving constipation, and healthy bowel habits can get your toddler potty trained.
How to Get Your Kid to Stop Pooping Their Pants
To find a solution, start thinking about why your toddler is pooping their pants. For example, passing stool can sometimes take time, and many toddlers simply lack patience, while others just may get busy playing and ignore the urge to go.
It is also common for toddlers to withhold pooping, which can lead to hard-to-pass stool, constipation, and other health conditions. Here are a few common potty training problems and solutions to consider.
Encourage your child to use the bathroom before leaving daycare
It’s common for a child to go without accidents all day at daycare but then poops in the car on the drive home. In this scenario try to encourage them to poop before leaving daycare.
After arriving and greeting your child, shuffle them off to the bathroom. Be prepared to allow them as much time as necessary and give them privacy if needed. If possible, use a different bathroom in a less busy part of the building.
You may also want to check with the daycare provider to ensure your child is comfortable using the toilet during the day. Some children have difficulty pooping in toilets away from home. If your child holds their poop all day, this may be the reason they’re having an accident in the car.
Schedule bathroom time
Toddlers can get so wrapped up in what they are doing that they forget to stop to poop. If your child realizes it is time to use the toilet midway through pooping their pants, you may want to try scheduling potty breaks.
The frequency of bowel movements varies among individuals. Some toddlers poop every day, some every other day, and some poop three times a day or more. However, most people are on their own regular schedule and poop at roughly the same times every day.
If your child is pooping their pants at about the same time each day, take them to the bathroom 15 to 30 minutes before an anticipated accident.
Make sure they aren’t constipated
If you are confident that your child is wiping correctly, but you are still seeing skid marks, it could be a common medical condition known as encopresis. With encopresis, the stool becomes hard and backs up, and the liquid stool travels around the blockage and leaks out.1 It occurs when a child is chronically constipated.
Parents often mistake these leaks for laziness or stubbornness, but encopresis requires medical attention. If your child is constipated and having accidents, talk to a health care provider. The first step is typically treating the child’s constipation with diet and medication.
How to Set Toddlers up for Success
Regardless of the cause of your child’s accidents, there are several things you can do to help them. Different tactics will work for di
Avoid getting angry
While it’s normal to feel frustrated that your child keeps having accidents, it’s important to keep your frustrations about these incidents in check so your child realizes accidents are just a part of life.
Expressing anger or negativity about it may cause your child to also react with negativity. One study found that children who had symptoms of incontinence were more likely to have been punished during toilet training.
If you do find yourself feeling angry or overwhelmed, take a few minutes to calm down. Deep breathing or counting to 10 can be helpful techniques. Don’t begin the clean-up until you are calm and can do so without expressing anger or shaming.
Use discipline
Try positive discipline techniques like a sticker chart or behavior chart to reward your child for pooping in the potty. You know what interests or excites your child, so choose something that will motivate them. Sometimes a high-five and praise from you is all they need.
You also should consistently communicate that pooping in the potty is a normal, big-kid activity. It may take some time, but eventually your child will decide that going in their pants is uncomfortable and bothersome.
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