Potty trained

[Jhondy]

Ik there are a lot of parents here and this is semi-cruise related so hope this post is okay. My 2 year old was completely potty trained for like 2 months, it was great. I switched out 4 night cruise to an 8 night cruise since she’d be able to go into kids club and enjoy the pools. Then all of a sudden she has decided she won’t poop on the potty. We don’t leave till end of October but it’s been several weeks and, no matter what I try, I can’t seem to get her back to pooping on the potty even though she knows how (cause she will sometimes still). I’ve tried candy reward, toy reward, talking to her about Disney boat and not being able to do things, I’ve asked her why she doesn’t want to poop on the potty but she’s 2 so she just says “cause”. Anyone have any tips for getting her to poop on the potty? She is so stubborn and smart that I’m trying to figure out how to make her want to do it!

Ik we will have fun on the cruise at the end of October even if she can’t do the pool or kids club on her own but I’d like to have the options for those things if she wants to do them…but, obviously, Ik the rules and we won’t be trying to sneak around them or anything. If she isn’t fully daytime potty trained, she won’t be doing the things she isn’t allowed to do.

 

[nancipants]

Ugh, I'm so sorry. We just potty trained our son last month. So far we have had no regressions (knock on wood). From what I've read, poop regressions/problems are normal. I bought a potty training course from Instagram and that's what we used. They have a module dedicated to poop issues, as well as a video related to regressions.

 

[DeeBee3]

I sympathize. My 4 YEAR OLD will pee but not poo in the potty. Major disaster. She goes to preschool and has no accidents, but at home it's all chaos. It's totally under her control. Not sure how to psychoanalyze that one!

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

If she’ll still be 2 at the time you cruise, she can’t go to the club - nursery only. Of course, you can take her to the club during open house hours, which you both may prefer. A young three in a club with kids up to 12 can be intimidating for the child and her parents .

 

[PollyannaMom]

It's been quite a while time since I've been there as a parent, but I worked in preschool for years as well.

First, October is a long time from now in "kid time" (3 months is a way bigger percentage of her life than it is of yours) and anything could change on it's own by then.

Second, these things are often (not always - still see a doc if your "mom senses" go off about a physical cause) about control. Many kids today have little control over their lives/schedules, and some will snatch so hard for anything they can control - which is often their bathroom habits. Try to provide her appropriate ways to be "in charge" when you can - games like Simon Says, follow-the-leader, etc.

 

[Jhondy]

If she’ll still be 2 at the time you cruise, she can’t go to the club - nursery only. Of course, you can take her to the club during open house hours, which you both may prefer. A young three in a club with kids up to 12 can be intimidating for the child and her parents .

She will be 3 by the time
We cruise. She is currently 2 weeks from her 3rd birthday

 

[Calantha]

Just a random collection of thoughts.

My then four-year-old wouldn’t stay in the kids club by himself (Despite several years of daycare and preschool), so I’m not sure if your three-year-old will like the sometimes hectic crowds of the club. Also they have to be potty independent, the cast members can’t help them in the bathroom.

When it came to potty training we were super flexible, like a little port-a-potty or a seat in the big potty or setting up a tarp (edited to add: with the port-a-potty - not on the tarp!) and letting him go to the bathroom in other places around the house as convenient. We were just trying to make using the potty as quick and seamless as possible, it was very helpful I think.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

Yeah my (newly) 4 year old wouldn't stay in the kids club by herself. It was dominated by 8-12 year olds and she felt entirely out of place. I will also note that on our first cruise with her even though she was potty trained she wet the bed almost every night. I don't know if it was the new location or what, but if I had had any indication that would happen we would've brought a bunch of night time pull ups. She'd been potty trained for at least a year at that point, so watch out for things like that in a 2 year old definitely!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

My kids didn't regress but 2 friends whose kids did ended up finding out they were severely constipated. Is she going regularly, even though it's in a diaper? It's it particularly firm?

Sorry, I know that's super TMI for a Disney message board, but making sure it's on your radar that it could be physical, not psychological.

 

[Jhondy]

Thanks everyone. I know it can change between now and then. It is just so frustrating cause idk how to help her.

My kids didn't regress but 2 friends whose kids did ended up finding out they were severely constipated. Is she going regularly, even though it's in a diaper? It's it particularly firm?

Sorry, I know that's super TMI for a Disney message board, but making sure it's on your radar that it could be physical, not psychological.

Not firm, more mushy than anything.


And I’m not expecting my 3 year old to stay in the club all day. I just want her to have the opportunity to go to certain activities if I think she will like them (like Pluto’s PJ party if they do that or when princesses visit). My kid does love playing with other kids (even if they are older) but she is also nervous in new situations especially without me. I will be taking her to the open house regardless and want to spend the majority of the cruise doing activities with her. I just like allowing her to have as many options and opportunities as possible so she can decide what she wants to do and not do.

 

[MomOTwins]

You child is JUST turning three years old, very few kids that age are fully potty independent, which is the requirement for the kids club ("potty independent" is not just "going" but also wiping, flushing, and washing after without assistance or prompting). For that reason, DCL allows 3 year olds to still use the nursery. I would just plan to have your child use the nursery for time you want to do a drop off, and let her check out the other kids club with you during open house. To be honest, the nursery is a much better environment for a new 3 year old--they get so much attention from the staff, no rough older kids running around, not as tablet/video game heavy.

As for the pools, again I guess I would say look on the bright side--splash pad is arguably better for that age too, with so many older kids splashing around in the family pools. Plus, even potty trained littles sometimes have slip ups (something about the water just makes them want to go) and you don't want to be THAT family who causes the pool to get shut down.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can still have a great cruise without and I wouldn't stress about it--it'll happen when it happens, and there will be other opportunities in future years.

 

[AprilsZoo]

One thing you might want to do is schedule a visit with her pediatrician. Toddlers are prone to getting anal fissures, which are like little tears in the mucosa that are very painful the next time they strain to poop. This leads to regression in potty behavior, and worsening constipation, and more straining, and more pain… and the vicious cycle goes on & on. Many parents don’t even realize their child is constipated because softer stool will often pass around the harder stool. Eventually, though the hard mass moves down and the child remembers that straining hurts, so they don’t want to go, and you’re back to the vicious cycle.

The treatment involves stool softeners continued for several months or longer. Pediatricians are quite used to treating the condition, so it‘s worth consulting with them sooner than later, for the child’s sake… who wants a owie bum, after all.

 

[Jhondy]

Good news, she has started pooping on the potty again! It’s still only been almost a week but I think when I put her back in pull ups for a day or two it made her start going poop in the potty again. She wants to wear underwear so I think that might have been the motivation she needs. She was even sick yesterday and had no accidents! She is also good at stop activities to go potty. Yesterday she was trying a new dance class and having a lot of fun but stopped and told the teacher she had to go potty and left class to go.

Her daycare (and so do we) works with the kids to be independent when using the potty. She is not the best at wiping but she does it and she has no problem pulling down/up her pants and she already washes her hand independently. She yells at me if I even hand her the soap bottle cause she can do it by herself. And at home she runs to the bathroom herself (I realize at home and at someplace new is different). I’m just not worried about the independence part and we still have 3 months till we go.

And I don’t plan on using the kids club often at all. It’s just her and I going on the cruise and I will be lonely without her lol. But she loves playing with other kids and I know will love some of the activities so I’m excited it seems like she will have the option to go to kids club if she wants to (I will not force her to go or stay at all). And I’ll only send her if she meets the requirements of kids club completely and that I know she will be able to handle it all and be okay.

 

[nancipants]

Her daycare (and so do we) works with the kids to be independent when using the potty. She is not the best at wiping but she does it and she has no problem pulling down/up her pants and she already washes her hand independently.

My son is so funny, he can get his shorts off with no problem--but doesn't realize he can just push them down to his ankles and then pull them back up. He wants to kick them off entirely. So of course I then I have to put them back on for him because he doesn't know how to get his legs through yet. I figure eventually he'll figure it out.

 

[Haley R]

My son is so funny, he can get his shorts off with no problem--but doesn't realize he can just push them down to his ankles and then pull them back up. He wants to kick them off entirely. So of course I then I have to put them back on for him because he doesn't know how to get his legs through yet. I figure eventually he'll figure it out.

Mine does the same thing lol. He thinks the shorts and diaper both need to come off instead of just staying at his ankles

 

[Princesca]

No matter how well kids are potty trained, it's possible for them to regress in new environments. My niece was solidly potty trained at 3, when we took her, and got spooked by a rest stop automatic flushing toilet, and basically spent the entire trip in pull-ups. Just another element of adventure for parenting a toddler!

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

You actually just reminded me how my youngest, who basically potty trained herself at age 2 with ZERO ACCIDENTS EVER came home every day for the first week of kindergarten at age 5 having had to change her clothes because she'd just pee herself.

Turned out the bathrooms had very loud auto flushing toilets which she was terrified to use so she'd...just pee her pants. Thankfully I was like what is going on?? And she flat out told me, so then we worked with the teachers to get that solved (post it notes over the sensor so it couldn't surprise her!)

 

[nancipants]

No matter how well kids are potty trained, it's possible for them to regress in new environments. My niece was solidly potty trained at 3, when we took her, and got spooked by a rest stop automatic flushing toilet, and basically spent the entire trip in pull-ups. Just another element of adventure for parenting a toddler!

Oof. We've been to Disney twice since potty training (locals) and he isn't a fan of the loud toilets but will still go...and then insist on pressing the button to flush the toilet so it makes the loud noise. LOL.

 

[Jhondy]

Toddlers/kids are so funny.

My kid isn’t afraid of auto flushes but she loves going potty in new places. When she came to work with me one day, I couldn’t get her to leave the bathroom until she went and sat on every potty in the bathroom. At daycare she loves to go potty in the bathroom connected to the outside so she will ask to go like every 5 minutes. The daycare teachers asked how we ever get anything done with how often she wants to go potty

 

[Sarah Fallon]

No matter how well kids are potty trained, it's possible for them to regress in new environments. My niece was solidly potty trained at 3, when we took her, and got spooked by a rest stop automatic flushing toilet, and basically spent the entire trip in pull-ups. Just another element of adventure for parenting a toddler!

Did you send her to kids club in pull-ups just in case? Or was she not allowed back?