Toddler pees on potty but refuses to poop—rewards aren’t working

Bamfjeeps

Potty training—she pees fine, no problem. I just can’t get her to poop on the potty, like, at all! Any tips or tricks, folks? The reward system isn’t working—tried treats, toys, stickers. WTF am I doing wrong?

ChillySwoliosis

I realized my son was just the same, so I set up a sticker chart for us. When the chart finally filled up, I let him choose a $50 toy, and that honestly seemed to work for him.

VelcroViking

Patience was the only thing that worked with mine, but now he goes poop on the potty and wipes all by himself! I don’t know if your situation would allow it, but letting them run around diaper‑free definitely helped he actually started pooping in the yard before we got him to sit on the toilet! Probably not the right approach for everyone, but it worked for us.

McpKeltek

Try with blowing bubbles. Blowing relaxes the muscles.

BunqJamsCo0k3r

I just let my kids run around without underwear for a weekend, and I felt my life come to a halt. It was as if my whole world narrowed to staying at home and focusing on potty training. In the end, they learned.

DarkPhoenixRise

I only realized it when I discovered there was a summer camp she was longing to attend… Yet she couldn’t wear diapers there. In less than a week she stopped needing a diaper.

Nexixiom

Just let her do it in her own time no rush. It’s easy to get frustrated with kids over this kind of thing, but that’ll just make it harder for her. One day she’ll proudly tell you she’s done it.

FrozenGator

I know you said the reward system isn’t working, but we used a sticker chart. When she completed a row, she earned a prize. We showed her toys to motivate her and told her she could get one by filling the chart.

truecreamtechie

I’m dealing with the same issue I'm going to have her wear underwear all the time, be ready for a few accidents, and keep encouraging her with rewards for using the potty.

StarlightSips

It seems you’re not doing anything wrong, so there’s no need to blame yourself. Some people view potty training as more like patience training, since it may just require staying cool and calm. Perhaps you shouldn’t quit, but also try not to pressure her. You might let her see how you handle it (in a non‑gross way), and she may eventually catch on.

Silverbolt90

Note: Your son was potty trained for peeing for almost a year and a half before he would poop on the potty. He is 6 and has been fine since right before preschool. Remember: Sometimes they just want to do it in their own time.

StellarWhimsy

We set a timer every 45‑60 minutes for poop or pee and let our son watch a video on his iPad while he’s seated!

luciferfox

We used a book called “oh crap “. Check it out.

Zeropine

We’ve got a little watch for her that buzzes every half‑hour, just to give her a gentle reminder. My daughter’s favorite candy is something we only hand out in small amounts, which ends up pushing her to work a little harder for it so far, it’s been working for us! And instead of regular diapers, we’ve switched to those padded underwear. She really doesn’t like having an accident, so that helps, too.

Zingpocket

Don’t go pointing fingers at yourself or your kid just take a breath and give that ball a tiny nudge, inch by inch.

MidnightRiffer92

Focus on timing of the poop and try to spend extra time going around then

SparkzByte

Our pediatrician gently suggested Miralax for my son, hoping that if it was painful for him to go, it wouldn’t lessen the pain.

NexiaCoreX

I feel this, my daughter will take her diaper off and shit in the backyard 🤷🏻😂

WildcardLegend95

When we were potty training, I could feel her fear of the little potty we had for her. I tried to ease it by letting her decorate it with stickers, hoping the colors would make it less intimidating. The first time she needed to go “poo poo,” I sat with her, breathed with her nose in, mouth out and asked her to squeeze my hand when she pushed. Just being there felt like the most important thing, and it really helped.

We also tried the three‑day method. On day one I let her be completely naked, no diapers, so she could feel the urine on her leg when an accident happened. If she made the connection to the potty that day, day two we added underwear under pants and took short outings, like a walk around the block. I made her try the potty before we left and again when we came back. Every accident meant starting over, but by the third day she seemed to get it.

For bedtime we used pull‑ups, but I never called them diapers or pull‑ups I called them her “night‑time” underwear. She kept them o only until we knew she could hold her bladder through the night. I made her try the potty before bed and again when she woke up. There were a few accidents, but she’s been solid ever since.

MetallicMuttMaster

Our son was the opposite. So we just set a 40‑minute timer. When it’s potty‑break time, we hit reset. It’s a bit of a hassle, but my son can go a long stretch without messing himself.