We've been working with Eliot on the potty training thing... he's doing really good, better than any of the other things we have tried this. He ran around without a diaper or big boy pants for a couple of days and had a couple of accidents but the last few days he has actually wore some big boy pants and hasn't had any pee-pee accidents.
Our problem is that he won't go #2 in the potty! He'll start trying when he's on the potty but then he stops and tell me that he's afraid the poppie (sorry :blush: ) will come out and that it smells icky. I have tried to get him to tell me why he thinks is scary but he will either say that he doesn't know or that it just too scary... I have sat there and try to explain that everybody does it and that we could spray some stuff in the bathroom to take care of the smell but he just won't go... no matter how much I try to sooth him or talk to him.
We do stickers for reward, we put them on a little piece of paper on the wall close to the toilet and every time he gets 5 he gets a special treat which it has worked like a charm and also he has been telling me when he needs to go to the bathroom and a couple of times he ran in there all by himself and pee-pee but even promising him extra stickers for going #2 hasn't worked.
He has been waiting until I put a pull up on him for nap & bedtime to go. I really don't mind it that much but what bothers me the most is that he seems to be holding it which it can't be good for him... can it?? BTW, he only had one poppie accident on his big boy pants and he thought it was so disgusting... he kept saying "eww, eww, eww" while I changed him.
Has anybody have to deal with this? What did you do?? Did your kid catch up to it later on?? Just wondering if there is something out there that I might need to try.
Sorry, this post is so long :blush:

Hi Mary.

The May 2004 issue of Parenting magazine has a short article about potty training and refusing to poop on the potty. It gives some hints - don't try to persuade him to do it, back off and let him wear diapers for a little while longer and then try again (he might forget what he's so scared of by then), put the diaper on so that he recognizes the urge and then take the diaper off and put him on the potty, don't say things like "yucky" or "dirty" or "stinky".

You've probably tried all of that but I wanted to let you know that the article is in there and that you're not the only person who's had this problem. I might still have the article at home if you want me to send it to you.

Brooke, thaks so much for pointing me in that direction :aok:
Would you believe that that issue of the Parenting magazine has been sitting on my coffee table for a few weeks and I hadn't been able to even skim thru it?? :lol: That would teach me to make time to read the magazines I subscribe to... especially since Parenting magazine is the ONLY magazine I have a subscribtion for :rolleyes:
Okay... saw the article and I'll be reading it (and the rest of the magazine) on our trip tomorrow... hopefully there will be something there that might help "loosen up" Eliot's way of thinking :crossfing