When my son, Max, was nearing his fifth birthday, he had mastered peeing in the potty without any issues, even during the night. However, the poop situation was an entirely different story. He adamantly refused to do it on the potty. Instead, he preferred to go in a pull-up, specifically in a cozy spot behind the couch. Whenever he felt the urge, he would announce it, and I had to retrieve a pull-up for him—otherwise, he simply wouldn’t go.
I tried everything I could think of. I removed all pull-ups, which resulted in severe constipation. I offered rewards and incentives, explored every potty training book in the library, and even upped his intake of fruits and veggies, along with gentle laxatives. We discussed anatomy, stress, and the importance of “letting it go.” During a visit to the pediatrician, she shared an animated story about a magical place where all the happy little poop particles go, but Max merely rolled his eyes at her.
In a moment of desperation, I spent hours online searching for solutions. I stumbled upon a rather unconventional plan on a parenting forum that suggested a gradual approach to transitioning from diapers to the potty, even involving cutting a hole in the pull-up. It sounded wild, but I decided to give it a shot. To my surprise, Max was on board with the idea and wanted to illustrate each step.
Together, we created a detailed roadmap that outlined how he would move from pooping in a pull-up behind the couch to using the potty like a big kid. And guess what? It actually worked! Within a matter of weeks, Max was completely out of diapers. It was one of the most incredible moments of my life—potty training can be a real challenge!
Although I likely tossed our homemade “poop plan book” years ago, a friend recently reached out for advice about her own four-year-old’s potty training struggles. I shared the steps with her, stressing that she could adapt them to fit her situation, but the core idea was to take the transition slowly and let her child have a say in the process. To my delight, it worked for her son too! She encouraged me to share this method more widely, so here I am.
The 5-Step Plan to Transition from Diapers to the Potty:
- Allow your child to use their preferred pull-up or diaper, but place the potty in the same room to encourage them to poop next to it.
- Have your child sit on the potty while still wearing their diaper or pull-up. This does not have to happen during the actual pooping—just at some point during the process.
- Encourage your child to let the poop out while seated on the potty, still in their diaper or pull-up.
- Cut a hole in the pull-up or diaper and have them wear it while using the potty.
- Finally, have them try pooping on the potty without any diaper. Hooray!
This approach is intentionally gradual. Each child will progress at their own speed, so it’s essential to help them feel secure and comfortable throughout each stage. Keep in mind that transitioning to sitting down for pooping can take some time to adjust to physically. For us, we also included small rewards—Max even got to pick a toy after completing each step, culminating in a big surprise at the end.
The key is to empower your child, allowing them to feel in control of the process. After all, the reluctance to poop can often be about exerting control. When they reach the finish line, they will feel a tremendous sense of pride. Just as it’s common for some kids to take longer to potty train, they genuinely want to move past diapers—almost as much as parents do.
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Summary:
The article outlines a 5-step plan to help children transition from using diapers to the potty for pooping. The method takes a gradual approach, allowing children to feel empowered and in control of the process. It emphasizes the importance of patience and adapting the plan to fit each child’s unique needs.
Keyphrase: Potty training
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