you, they work wonders. I’ve had lots of kids drink the Magic Poop
Juice down and declare within minutes that they have to poop.
What’s important to remember is that they’re dealing with a made-up
fear turned into a real one, so any way you can dispel the fear is good.
Your Child Is Really Trying to Make It to the Potty But Is
One Second and a Half a Loaf Too Late
This kid is awesome and we have to give him props for trying. He just
needs to recognize the feeling a little sooner. You can help him by
showing him—drum roll, please—The Really Gross and Really
Effective Play-Doh Poop Trick:
I swear to God, one of the biggest problems with kids and those
first few poops on the potty is they can’t see what’s going on. The
feeling hits and a chasm is opening, and it freaks them the heck out.
Here’s a little trick that I find helps kids visually connect the
feeling with what’s happening. When they have this visual it clicks:
“Ooooh . . . so when this happens, I need to get to the potty.” This is
great for kids who seem to be doing their best to get to the potty but
are not quite making it. You can also use it for the kid who dances
around for ten hours, hops on and off the potty, and still seems
weirded out by pooping.
Get yourself some Play-Doh. Bonus points if you use brown. Make
a fist. The spot where your thumb curls around your index finger is a
reasonable facsimile of the anus. Tada! Now your visual is ready. Put
the brown Play-Doh in your fist and squeeze some out. Yep. Totally
gross. Kids love it. Explain to them, “When your poop is here (tucked