He is two and somewhere along the line potty training has taken a rather smelly wrong turn, he is still terrified of the toilet and potty but has learned to remove his diaper and poop and then HIDE THE POOP! Drawers, baskets of dirty clothes, couch cusions, toy piles, you name it. And he takes off and puts on his diaper so much it is hard to tell until you smell it.
I don’t even want to go in the back bedroom anymore due to some we just can’t find.
If you notice a guy who smells slighty of poo, remember there is a simple explanation!
There is a potty training two year old in my husband’s family, and like all other two year olds I’ve encountered, she’s kind of a madman. Opening drawers, doors, and boxes. Climbing. Shreiking. Running in no discernible direction at top speed. Throwing things. Tearing, breaking, and creating havoc pretty much every waking moment. No way she’d be unsupervised long enough to clean out a diaper and hide the evidence unseen. How is your toddler surviving that much time alone? I’m quite sure our niece would do some serious harm if left alone in another room for any length of time. Can you keep yours in the same room with an adult for everyone’s safety and sanity? Can’t play hide n seek if she/he is in the same room with you.
Hell he has done it with both his parents in the room, the smell is all that gives it away we just thought he was playing with his toys on the ground.
He dashes in and out of all our rooms(no doors except for exterior) if he is gone for more than thirty seconds it raises the alarm. He is routinely mistaken for a four year so we are past the time gates or dividers work.
I’ve just finished toilet training my first, and have little real wisdom to share other than perhaps you could consider using cloth nappies with snaps? Bit of an investment, but my 2 year old couldn’t take them off herself. Of course downside is that can slow down proactive toileting (we moved to reusable pull ups for that) but I’d much prefer that to ninja poo.
Maybe it is too early to potty train him? Boys are a bit later then girls anyway. If he is so terrified of poop, maybe you need to take down the pressure.
We waited a bit longer, untill our son was three, and then the whole process was quite natural, fast and easy.
While I can’t say hiding the poop is normal for a two year old, being naked sure is. You might try and just letting him run naked.
Neither of my two girls liked pooping in the toilet. They both refused until they were 3-4. When they had to go I would just give them a pull up to go in and be done with it. You could try just letting him go pee and not worry about pooping on the potty just yet.
I do remember once one of my daughters was about 2.5, standing up just coloring. She was naked as usual for her and she just crapped on the floor. She turned and looked at the poop wondering what it was I suppose and then went back to coloring. It was funny as hell to see, not clean up, but still funny as hell. Sorry you’re going through this but one day it’ll be damn funny, unless you find a petrified turd in 10 years or so.
If he’s hiding his poos, it’s time. Once or twice around his waist, ought to do it. I’ve seen parents use it quite successfully, with diaper removers, give it a try.
Oh, and take him to the store and buy him a new potty, one he likes and picks himself.
You poor thing, poop bombs all over the house. Worse, he’s touching it, then touching every other thing in the house, yikes!
This might get a bit tedious, but you could have him wear one piece outfits or pajamas 24/7 and put the zipper or whatever in the back rather than the front. Then he won’t be able to undress himself to get to the diaper. Just chop off any feet on the jammies, because obviously they won’t work backwards.
But seriously, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my mother and all of you wonderful parents on the Dope for having the courage to raise children. I think you’re all saints. Especially when I see threads like this.
In my early child development classes, we learned that toddlers who go through “Terrible Twos” are frustrated with communication. They haven’t developed enough speech to communicate their needs. They do understand many more words than they can speak.
The suggestion to have him pick out a new potty is great, but waiting a few months to a year, when he has better communication skills might work better.
As far as keeping his diaper on now, I think the cloth diaper idea is great. If he can’t get it off and he isn’t pressured to perform, he’ll, eventually, come to you to clean him. He’s already knows that poo doesn’t belong in the diaper. It just may take more time for him to give it up.
He has an attachment to whatever comes out of his body. He’s at a stage in development where he understands that the poo comes out of him.
He hides the poo, not because he’s afraid of the potty, but because the poo is his and he doesn’t want the potty, you or anyone or anything else to take it away from him.
