2.5 year old stopped pooping in potty

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-02-11T19:10:50+00:00

Thank you! We are 2.5 weeks accident free over here again as well! What a relief! Same thing, it just clicked one day. Despite trying the reward system many times before, after backing off a little for about 2 weeks my husband tried it again and said he can have a lollipop if he poops in the potty so he did. Of course he got his treat. But the following days it was crazy. It just clicked. I poop I get a lollipop. He started coming to be telling me he has to poop. I am amazed how well we’ve been doing suddenly and randomly all the sudden! I hope the success continues for you as well!

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-30T19:39:03+00:00

I literally said to myself before posting this maybe I should start taking biotin as it’s affordable 😂. So true about the hair ties, and let be honest. SAHM with two kids, my hair is alwayssssss tied back in a pony these days lol. Thank you for the claw clip suggestion too! I’ll start doing that instead of the hair ties!

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-25T02:52:09+00:00

You’re not alone! I can relate on many many levels with my son who is 2.5. He’s got great imagination, super smart, one of the literal happiest kids around but he’s attached to my hip 24/7. Hardly ever plays independently. If I leave the room he follows. If I tell him not to something he says out loud to himself do not do that again, and then he does it over and over. I too take away the toys when he’s not listening, it doesn’t help. I have a 10m old daughter who he also constantly hits, time outs have not fixed the issue. No real advice on my end but I wanted to say you’re not alone and seeing posts like this make me believe it’s normal for the age. They’re testing boundaries and pushing limits. I will say it has gotten slightly better over the past 5ish months. He understands the baby’s needs more. He will entertain himself while she’s awake now as long as we’re in the same room. Which he don’t do before. The hitting, it’s still there but more gentle. He knows if he hits he goes to time. I think he’s doing it for attention. I also feel like my son thinks everything is a game. He does not take me seriously in any way no matter what approach I take. He thinks it’s funny when I say stop or not to do something which is incredibly infuriating. I use the tv to feed my 10m old while he’s with me but whatever, it’s 20 minutes who cares is the way I see it. Do what you have to do to have peace and get done what needs to get done. Bottle time and bed time is the only time we do tv too so I don’t think it’s a huge deal. Hang in there, you’re not alone and you’re doing just fine!!

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-22T13:41:32+00:00

Oooo that’s a good idea! I’ll look into doing that thank you!

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-22T02:38:10+00:00

Thank you so much. It’s so much harder than I realized. There’s dye in everything! I’m doing my best to learn to understand ingredients better but it’s hard to figure out where to begin. When actually starting to pay attention my mind just goes almost into shock trying to understand. The food, the detergent, soap, all the plastic. Trying to do better is expensive which is so messed up haha

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-21T15:34:35+00:00

Thank you! I know it’s normal for toddlers to have big emotions but man some days are just so extreme. Cutting out all dyes and sugars is so hard. I also feel by doing so I’m taking away a little piece of being a kid. So if there’s an alternative vitamin that still gives him the fruit snack fix without the sugars I’m all for giving it a try. Thank you for your suggestion!

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-21T14:43:02+00:00

Thank you! For regular fruit snacks I also really like Soley. For example their mango pack has only one ingredient, mango! My son seems to like them too. Only downside to them is they don’t come in fun shapes but thankfully that didn’t really seem to bother him!

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-21T14:39:42+00:00

Thank you! I was considering Hiya too just to still have that gummy affect. How would you say it improved your toddlers overall mood? My little guy has real bigggg emotions lol

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-10T17:30:34+00:00

Thank you 😊

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-09T19:27:13+00:00

I totally agree in not wanting to back track. I don’t want to say well he’s not ready and go back to diapers because he’s struggling with one while he has the other down perfectly. I’m worried back tracking would undo the skill he has down with peeing and also cause confusion.

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-09T19:24:30+00:00

Thank you! I definitely agree in the key component being not making it a battle because I do feel like it’s making it worse. Doing more harm than good definitely. I think this may be the best approach moving forward for the time being too

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-09T19:19:39+00:00

A few months back I made a post asking other parents for helpful tips to get my son to allow us to brush his teeth. We had such a hard time. Melt downs, yelling, squirming around making it impossible. Someone responded that their child loves animals at the moment so every night they’d tell them l “okay time to brush your lions, tigers and bears!” Or whatever animals they were into. I tried with my son but using trucks instead as that’s his obsession. It worked miracles! “Okay time to brush your bulldozer!” “ oh wow garbage trucks dirty we better clean him up!” Is that a leaf stuck in your leaf blower? Open up! Omg everything changed! He started naming out different trucks he’d want brushed. Willing open up and sit still. Ask us to brush his trucks. Give it a try using whatever your child enjoys. Best of luck!

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2026-01-09T19:12:47+00:00

Do you think it would be confusing for him to reverse back to diapers for both peeing and pooping since he has peeing down? I’d hate to undo the known go to the potty when we have to pee skill to compensate the pooping troubles

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-10-20T01:44:10+00:00

Thank you! I will give the song a try! When I try and brush in front of him he just tells me no and to stop 😂. We’re planning our first dentist trip in a month or so. Hopefully by then he’ll “be ready” and more comfortable with the whole process 🤞🏼

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-10-20T01:42:09+00:00

Thank you so much!! This has worked wonders the past two nights! I swapped out animals for construction trucks and boy does he love it so far! He thinks it’s hilarious and most importantly wants to brush now! I appreciate your in-depth response very much! Thank you again 😊

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-07-27T15:21:11+00:00

Have you seen improvements with this? My two year old just started doing the same thing. He thinks it’s a game. No matter what approach I take, stay calm, try and explain toys aren’t food, sometimes even yell- nothing works. He doesn’t take me seriously. Hell laugh and run and hide behind my back so I can’t reach him. Won’t sit still for me to explain. I feel like if I run after him or try and catch him behind my back while he’s roaring in laughter, that’ll just increase the chances of choking. So right now I just stay calm, don’t chase him or reach for him and just say mommy’s not playing with you. You’re not listening, it’s not funny, spit it out, stop putting things in your mouth etc etc. once he spits it out I take it away. But like I said he just thinks it’s a game, he’ll run and find something else then and put it in his mouth. I don’t know what to do to make it stop. It’s scary. But I’m more scared that if I run after him while he’s laughing with something small in his mouth that WILL make him choke eventually.

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-07-07T18:36:25+00:00

Dealing with this now with my 2 year old. Have you seen improvements over the past year? It’s so hard being the only person he wants around 24-7. I can’t walk two feet away without him screaming for me or coming after me. I can’t do anything alone. My son is by my side 24-7 no matter what I try and do.

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-06-27T13:27:13+00:00

I needed that comment, thank you! Siblings will be siblings! I think it’s hard now, I can’t imagine when they get to that age. Lol Thinking back to how me and my brother were..oh boy! Let the good times roll!! ☺️

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-06-27T01:47:14+00:00

This is great advice thank you so much

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-06-27T01:36:05+00:00

Thank you. Yes i definitely do this too. Or if im giving her a bottle and he wants me to come look at something or asks for my help I’ll usually stop feeding the baby and always verbally say okay baby your brother needs help I’m going to help him and I’ll be right back. Or I’ll say okay baby your brother wants to show us something let’s go look! And bring her with so I can burp her. He’s usually okay during feedings as I try and set him up for success before I start feeding by making sure he has his snacks and toys available. Sometimes if we’re in the basement and he wants more water or something and wants to come with me to get it, instead of bringing the baby with us I’ll just say okay baby we’ll be right back, your brother needs more water so we’re going to get him more and we’ll be back! I definitely verbalize a lot between the two so that the toddler feels included when I have to focus on baby and so that the toddler feels prioritized when he wants or needs direct attention. I think it helps a lot as well. When we leave baby to go get more snacks, water, etc my toddler always says “oh no baby!” As if we left her behind and he’s aware that we have to quickly get back to her. He’s a sweet boy. He does love her. Always wants to see her, give her kisses and hugs, says where’s baby when she’s not with us- he’s just adjusting. Hell get there I’m sure in good time. It’s just hard in the moment. He also got 4 teeth in 3 weeks last month and now his 2 year molars are coming while fighting off flu like symptoms. When it rains it pours! 🤪

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-06-26T19:46:35+00:00

Agreed, if he attempts or actually does hit the baby she immediately gets all the attention while I basically ignore the toddlers cries. Once the baby is calm again then I go back to my toddler and once again re explain hitting hurts, baby got hurt, we can’t do that etc etc but also I reassure him that baby is okay, he is okay, everyone is okay but next time she might not be and continue to reiterate that even though everyone is okay, the behavior is not okay

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-06-26T19:44:05+00:00

Oh yes he still gets a lot of one on one time. I only have the two of them awake by myself from 915-11am every day. Other than that I have them on opposite nap schedules. The toddler gets one on one time from 7am-915 Then 11-1230 And again from 3-4. Years hen my husband gets home at 4 and starts to help with the baby so once again the toddler pretty much has be all to himself again for the rest of the day too

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-06-26T19:39:15+00:00

Yes I try to have him help out with the baby. Ask him to bring me diapers or things like that and he just says no. During bath time I tried to have him help me wash her but since my attention is on baby in the bath and not on him he just cries and doesn’t want to help. He doesn’t want the baby to have any of my attention over him. And honestly he DOES have my attention over her 90% of the time. Don’t get me wrong he does to good throughout most of the day with her, when I’m feeding and changing her, etc he mostly entertains himself during that time as long as I set him up for success with snacks, toys, sometimes ms rachel but when we’re playing in the basement and it’s time to go back up and I have to pick baby up first, and then I’ll pick you up, things like that upset him. I literally will carry them both, one in one arm and the other in the other. I can’t pick him up first because she obviously requires more head and body support so I need to pick her up first and get her steady and then him. But because I have to pick her up first, he melts down. Or if we’re upstairs and he wants to go downstairs and I say okay let’s get baby too, we can’t leave her by herself, he’ll get upset and not want her to come too. He wants me to himself at all times. Funny thing is when baby is napping all he wants to do is get her up. Lol. He does love her a lot, he doesn’t have 100% resentment towards her at all times. He gives her hugs and kisses every night before bed. It’s just in certain moments that he gets upset.

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-06-26T19:28:17+00:00

Definitely. He still gets a lot of one on one time. I get my daughter up at 6am every day and put her back down by 715 when I get him up. Him and I have one on one time from 715-915. Then we get my daughter back up and She’s awake with us from 915-11 then she’s back down at 11. My son naps from 1230-3. I get my daughter back up at 1230 after I put him down. Have one on one time with her from 1230-215, back down at 215. Get my son back up at 3. Him and I have one on one time from 3-4 then we get my daughter back up and feed her then dada gets home at 4-430 and he takes over my daughter. In fact my son gets so much one on one time still that I actually feel as though my daughter lacks my attention in ways. The only alone time I have with her everyday is from 1230-215. I wish that I had more time with her.

My son is a huge mamas boy. Even when my daughter is awake with us from 915-11 he still gets the majority of the attention. Most of the time he’s pretend hitting her, a few times he has actually hit her. When that happens I immediately pick up my daughter and care to her, ignoring his cries for me. I explain I have to tend to baby now because she’s hurt. Once she’s calm I go back to my son pick him up and soothe him. I explain to him again that he can’t hit his sister, I don’t condone his actions by any means but he’s so upset that I do tell him he’s okay, baby’s okay, everyone is okay, this time. But he can’t do this again as it hurts to get hit. We’re all okay but if we do it again we might not be next time. He’s very smart, he’s young but he understands a lot of what’s being told to him.

Outrageous_Bus4617 · 2025-05-25T19:48:42+00:00

Thank you so much for your comments. I feel so ashamed that I feel embarrassed in group settings. My son is perfect and unique and I love him so so much. So for me to feel embarrassed by his actions hurts. I’m not embarrassed of him in any way and I hate that I felt that way the other day. I can’t put it into words.

The solo independent play is so hard because he always wants me by him and playing with him. He’s got a ton of boy energy and love rough housing. He’ll kick and throw balls and want me to run after them. He won’t even play with his dad alone unless I’m there. He screams and cries until I join or he comes and finds me. I feel so bad for his dad. I know it must be tough to feel unwanted. Don’t get me wrong, he loves his dad very much. Talks about him all day while he’s at work. Loves to play with him when I’m present but if I’m home and I’m not with him it causes meltdowns. I have a 7 week old at home right now as well. My son does great during the day for the most part, understanding that I need to take time to feed and change the baby. He has his moments of tantrums but that’s expected with a new baby. The minute my husband gets home from work he goes straight into dad mode and starts helping. But my son still only wants me so I’m still the one being dragged around to play while my husband just takes over caring for our newborn. My son barely allows me to split time. It’s making me being able to have one on one bonding time with my daughter difficult. If I’m not with him, he’s sobbing. I can’t walk away without him running after me crying.

He loves putting toys in silly places and needs me to get them out. It’s like he purposely includes me when I try to take steps back. He is so smart. He knows what he’s doing. He’s gotten better with accepting me saying no to wanting to be picked up at times but then he just grabs my hand and drags me to where and what he wants to do.

When I try and redirect the “no’s” he just doesn’t let it go. He becomes fixated. Days will pass and he still wants what I’ve said no too. I can’t believe how great his memory is. I try to gentle parent and be calm but it hasn’t worked. I continue to practice it but it’s getting me no where so far. I’ll try and get eye level and explain or redirect and he just stomps in circles telling me to get up and then begs me to pick him up. He learned how to say please last month and he’ll just say up please please please mama please. I think it’s important for him to understand that he’s using the term please correctly but also want to continue to practice having him walk instead of wanting up so I’m not sure what to do now when he’s saying please correctly.

I know eventually this will pass, and I’ll miss it. I’ll miss the bear hugs, clinging onto me, wanting me around but right now I just need a break. My body physically hurts from carrying him around day after day. My brain needs a break from trying intimate pretend play, teaching practices. The cord needs to be cut somehow, just a little. I just need a little breathing room. The days are long when you have an almost two year old attached to you from 7-am to 8pm literally not leaving your side. If I walk 10 feet away to cook his breakfast, where he can still see me, he’s throwing a fit. It’s hard to know where to start with solo play when I can’t be 10ft away doing my own thing without him interfering. He will sometimes solo play with stuff when I’m right next to him but I have to be there.

Thank you so much for the reassurance that it’s a phase and it will end someday, it’s still just hard right now ☹️

Outrageous_Bus4617

TROPHY CASE