Is your child over 4 and still Soiling his Pants? He may have Encopresis!

The link below will take you to an excellent and important article as reviewed by Stephen Shaffer, MD on the this unusual condition, and how to treat it.

Encopresis (Soiling)

If you're the parent of a child who has bowel movements (BMs) in places other than the toilet, you know how frustrating it can be. Many parents assume that kids who soil their pants are simply misbehaving or that they're too lazy to use the bathroom when they have the urge to go. The truth is that many kids beyond the age of toilet teaching (generally older than 4 years) who frequently soil their underwear have a condition known as encopresis. They have a problem with their bowels that dulls the normal urge to go to the bathroom - and they can't control the accidents that typically follow. Although encopresis is estimated to affect 1% to 2% of children under the age of 10, problems with encopresis and constipation account for more than 25% of all visits to pediatric gastroenterologists (doctors who specialize in disorders of the stomach and intestines).

Soiling (Encopresis)

technorati tags:Encopresis, potty training, toilet training, poop

Dealing with Potty Training Regression Blues

You think your child is going fine, fully potty trained and then he regresses! Here is a great article from Vincent Iannelli on the subject, in relation to a child who regresses with #2, and how to deal with the issue.

Potty Training Regression
From Vincent Iannelli, M.D., Your Guide to Pediatrics. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Question of the Week
Q. My three-year-old son has been fully potty trained for almost a year now. He has been doing wonderfully until this past week. He keeps hiding and having BM's on the floor. In the last 7 days he has done it 8 times. I do not know what to do. He does not do it at school.

Potty Training Regression and Problems

technorati tags:Potty training regression, potty training, toilet training, regression, poo

What NOT to do when Potty Training?

There is a lot of advice out there on what you should be doing to potty train your child. Here is an article from babycenter on the counter perspective - techniques that don't work.

Toilet training: What doesn't work
Last updated: August 2006 By the BabyCenter editorial staff
• Starting too soon
• Starting at the wrong time
• Putting on the pressure
• Following your mother-in-law's timetable
• Punishing your child
• Related Links

Reviewed by Sarah Pearson, M.D., August 2006

To make toilet training as smooth a process as possible for you and your toddler, take a moment to learn about not only what works, but what doesn't:

Toilet training: What doesn't work

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, technique

When is my Child Ready for Potty Training?

I hear this question asked so often by parents! The following article by Gary Ezzo and Anne Marie Ezzo provides provides some useful indicators and points to consider on the subject.

Parenting with Gary & Anne Marie: Toddlers

Potty Training Readiness
Potty Training Readiness Daytime vs. nighttime bladder readiness
It would be great if a child turned 2 years old, and through a peculiarity of nature, trained herself. But that oddity is not found in the natural course of life, and potty training is not an exact science with specific biological indicators popping out as to signal readiness like a Thanksgiving Day turkey. The best estimates of readiness anyone can provide are general age ranges. Potty training readiness falls into a general 6/16 normative sequence. Sometime between 22 and 28 months (a 6-month period), most children achieve daytime bladder readiness. Sometime between 24 and 40 months (a 16-month period) most children reach nighttime bladder readiness.

Toddlers : Potty Training Readiness

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, readiness, age

Not Pooping on the Potty

While training your child to do wee wee on the potty may not pose such a problem, encouraging him / her to do poos may not be as easy. The following article describes such a situation, and how this should be dealt with.

Potty Training Problems - Not Pooping on the Potty
From Vincent Iannelli, M.D., Your Guide to Pediatrics. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Question of the Week
Q. My daughter is a little over 3 years old. She has no problems using the potty to urinate. When it comes to doing #2, she refuses to go to the potty. When it's time for her to go, she will ask for a pull-up and go to a corner. After she's done, she will tell me that she needs to be cleaned and will put on her underwear.

Potty Training Problems - Not Pooping on the Potty

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, pooping on the potty, pooping, number two, number 2

Tip for Wee Wee on the Potty

The following article by Valerie Garner provides a wonderfully simple and innovative solution to encourage your child to wee on the potty. See if it works for you!

THE GREATEST POTTY TRAINING TIP IN THE WORLD!
Hello, welcome and thanks for dropping by, I hope this information helps you and your little ones as much as it did mine. I used this on both my boys when they were potty training aged and it worked perfectly, it was so easy. First, to make sure your child is ready for potty training, shows interest, wants "big kids pants" etc. Make this a game, make it fun and you will not run into stubborn opposition (after all it is the child's body). Go out and buy or find around the house items you don't normally let your child play with that could fit into this catagory, some kind of toys that can be used are water toys (3 or 4 things), could be little plastic pitchers,balls, whatever, but make them SPECIAL. The only real rule to this game is these special "potty" toys can only be played with while the child is sitting on the potty!!!!!

Best Potty Training tip in the World.

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, wee wee, wee, water, toys

Dr Phil Goes Potty

Here is a very brief but very pertinent article from Dr Phil's website (Dr Phil is a psychologist and regular speaker on the Oprah Winfrey TV show), with some excellent tips on getting your child potty trained in 'less than a day'. I thoroughly recommend his suggestions. Click on the link to go to his full article

Potty Train Your Child In Less Than a Day

What You Need

• A doll that wets
  
• A potty chair
  
• Big boy/girl underwear (instead of diapers)
  
• Lots of liquids for your child and the doll to drink

**Note that the following instructions using liquids also apply to potty training for bowel movements.

Consider Before You Begin

• Development: The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests waiting until 2 years of age to potty train.
  
• Modeling: You can demonstrate or have the doll demonstrate the process of "going potty."
  
• Motivation: Find out who your child's superhero is. The hero will provide the motivation in this process.

Dr. Phil.com - Advice - Potty Train Your Child In Less Than a Day

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, doll, Dr Phil, Oprah Winfrey, psychology

Not Every Parent Follows the Book?

Here is a story of a family that did not go exactly by the book, and still managed to potty train their daughter, on the road...

Not going by the book
Contributed by: Carla Shepherd
Is there really a kid out there that follows "the book?" You know, rolls over at 3 months, sits up at 6 months, crawls at 9 months, and walks at a year? No? Good, because my daughter doesn't do anything by the book. She didn't crawl until after she was one and didn't walk until a month before her second birthday, but she has been babbling since birth. It is a good thing most kids don't follow "the book" or I would think she was weirder than someone standing in a hailstorm covering their garden with cardboard. We spent this last week in the Midwest visiting family when she defied the laws of "the book" again. All the potty training books say not to potty train if you are moving, expecting another child, or planning a big trip.

Not going by the book > General Family & Friends > Stories > Columbine > YourHub.com

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, travel, not by the book

Ten Steps to Toilet Training

The following article by Lesia Oesterreich, extension family life specialist at Iowa State University, covers the required steps to toilet train your child. Some useful ideas are provided. The link at the bottom of this post is to an html version of the article (not easy to read). To get the pdf version, click on the title above.

Understanding Children: Toilet training

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, steps

Toilet Training Guide

The following link from the University of Missouri provides some guiding tips including determining readiness, toddler fears, bowel training and urination training, and toilet training for special needs children.

Toilet Training

Lynn Blinn Pike
Department of Human Development and Family Studies

Methods for toilet training vary. Parents may depend on their child care provider to guide the training process or read popular books for accomplishing the process in only one day. Whatever approach is used, the process should be approached with calmness and patience. Toilet training is a developmental milestone. It cannot be rushed. Adopting an attitude that "it will eventually happen" will ease parents' frustration and protect the child's sense of esteem.

GH6128 Toilet Training, MU Extension

technorati tags:toilet training, potty training, fear, readiness, bowel trainining, sexuality

Namby Pamby Potty Training Generation? Have we become too soft?

Families Today Reader says get tough with potty training - Houston Chronicle

Here is an interesting post from a reader who questions the softly approach for potty training a resisting 4 year old. A good response also, from Paediatrician Dr Terry Brazelton.

Families Today Reader says get tough with potty training Houston Chronicle, TX - 3 hours ago A 4-year-old who resists potty-training! Give me a break. Children need someone to set boundaries and say, "Get your butt in there and use the potty or you ...

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, 4 year old, four year old, discipline

Potty Training Ideas and Methods

The following article by Lisa Julian provides some useful ideas on assessing readiness, preparation and problems in potty training. There are also some useful links at the bottom of the page on bed wetting and regression ...

Ideas and methods to potty training toddlers Potty Training...Is Your Child Ready?

Potty training Toddlers - Ideas and tips

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, regression, bed wetting

Toilet Paper Incentives

Have you ever had a toddler who would not stop taking toilet paper off the roller, until there was nothing left but a mound of paper on the floor? Frustrating! The following video shows how this can be stopped, using toilet paper with cute pictures, which may also serve to encourage the use of the toilet or potty.

By the way, if you didn't want to buy the toilet paper, another simple trick is to compress the toilet paper roll, so that it doesn't roll that easily on the toilet roll holder!

cbs11tv.com - Video Library

technorati tags:potty training, toilet paper, toilet roll, toilet training, incentive

What Does Potty Training have to do with Executive Salaries?

What potty training reveals about excessive executive salaries. - Slate

Interesting, tongue in cheek article on the relationship between potty training and an employee's salary. Click on the link to find out more...

What potty training reveals about excessive executive salaries. Slate - 14 hours ago By Tim Harford. This column deals graphically with two distasteful subjects: excessive executive pay, and poop. You have been warned. ...

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, reward, salary, executive

Age Kids are Potty Trained By / Potty Training Guidelines

The following link takes you to the keepkidshealthy.com website, which provides some great tips on potty training, including issues such as knowing when your child is ready, how to start potty training, potty training resistance and potty training problems.

Shown here also are the results of a most interesting poll survey carried out by keepkidshealthy.com, with feedback from over 8000 respondents, with the following question and results:

At What Age Did You Finish Potty Training Your Child?

• 2 years - 18%
• 2.5 years - 22%
• 3 years - 20%
• 3.5 years - 13.5%
• 4 years - 26%

... So don't be too concerned if others have their kids potty trained earlier than you have - the statistics indicate that many kids aren't potty trained until age 4! You have to wait for your child to be ready.

Potty Training for Children

Potty Training usually begins between the ages of 18 and 36 months. ... potty chair once your child has shown that he is ready to begin toilet training. ...

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, tips, guide, age

Infant Potty Training Video - CBS News

An oldie, but still very relevant - infant potty training (elimination communication) video thanks to CBS News in Denver. Provides very useful discussion on the merits and disadvantages of this strategy.

cbs4denver.com - Video Library

technorati tags:infant potty training, elimination communication, potty training, toilet training, video

Aquarium Toilet

New toilet is flush with fish - Scotsman

The toilet depicted in the linked article from Reuters is a combination aquarium and toilet! Perhaps a way to encourage your child to to go to the toilet? Also a novel conversational piece for your guests! Click on the link for more details...

New toilet is flush with fish Scotsman,?UK?- 24 minutes ago "Some people think we're nuts but other just love it and parents are using it to help their children with potty training. One thing you can guarantee is ...

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, fish toilet, aquarium

Factors Associated with Difficult Toilet Training

The pdf article in the above link, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, identifies that there are clear differences in toddlers in their capacity to be potty trained easily. See if your child exhibits the behavior and temperament traits identified!

ps. while the article is academic and rather dry, the summary up front gives an overview of their findings and conclusions, and the discussion further on provides the detail.

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, behavior, behaviour, temperament, pediatric, difficult

Tips for Potty Training

The following link contains tips on potty training, that are quite handy - they may strike a chord with issues you may be having!

After opening the link to the potty training tips website, select web pages of interest under 'Free Tips' on the menu bar at the left hand side of the screen.

technorati tags:potty training, toilet training, tips, potty training steps

Elimination Communication Success Story

LOOK, MOM! NO DIAPERS - New York Post

Another news post on potty training from infanthood in New York - is this turning into a growing trend, or is it just a fad? It certainly would save on the cost of diapers which is a great plus, but is the duration of the potty trainining exercise not more wearing on the parents then? The potty training exercise via elimination communication from the infant stage would extend into years instead of potty training the 18month to 36 month old toddler in days/weeks/months...Go to www.diaperfreebaby.org for more details

LOOK, MOM! NO DIAPERS New York Post, NY - 7 Jan 2007 "At first when I read about potty training from birth, I thought that only a first-time mother with too much time could do it," said Schwarz, 40, ...

technorati tags:diaper free, diaperfreebaby.org, potty training, toilet training, infant, pee, poo