Oh Crap! Potty Training

because it’s new. This dance and poop troubles never have anything
to do with “readiness.” Most often, the poop will come in due time,
and it will land in the potty or toilet.
What if the poop dance has gone on and on and on and, of course,
the minute you aren’t watching, it lands on the floor? This is okay for
the first one or two poops. Well, it’s not okay actually, but it’s not
going to derail the process. Just remind your child that it’s not okay
to poop on the floor and that poop goes in the potty. Validate the
feelings. “I know it feels very strange, and you must put your poop in
the potty.” If your child seems weirded out by the poop, you always
want to validate that feeling. You are never, ever going to convince
her that it doesn’t feel strange or at the very least, new.
If the poop comes the minute you turn your back—usually this
poop is also done in the corner—this is great news. This child simply
needs more privacy. As I’ve mentioned before, you can get him
situated on the potty and the “forget” something in the other room.
Nine times out of ten, the poop will come when you are out of the
room.
I’ll mention this again later on, but oftentimes when a kid is doing
an elaborate poop dance (walking around holding her butt, usually on
tippy toes, and it’s very clear they have to go), the best approach is
actually backing off. You can just throw out there, “I can tell you
have to poop. There’s your potty, or you can use the big toilet.” This
is a perfect time to be sure you are not overtalking. You need to give
her some room to make a good decision.
If you have done all of this and you are consistently getting poops
in the pants or the floor, it’s time to amp things up a bit. One thing
that can really help is actually having your child help you clean up.