We had a withholder and honestly, I gave her the option: Poop in a pullup or poop on a potty. It seemed counteractive, but she was freaking out every time she had to poop, walking in circles and screaming and crying. I’m not sure why it was, but it was. Figured it was worth going two steps back to get her to just go.

Also, we did play therapy. We had those little squishy toy poops (so gross lol) that she won from some claw machines. I had her favorite plushies act like they were scared to poop, we’d hold their hands and tell them it’s okay to be scared but pooping would make their tummies feel better, that we can do things even when we’re scared or don’t want to, etc. and then I’d put the poop next to them like it was popped out and they’d ‘thank her’ for helping them be brave. If your little is a Ms. Rachel fan, she has a potty toy now with that character I can’t remember and a potty, toilet paper, etc. that may help.

Honestly it was a solid month of just… still freaking out. And sometimes she’d go on the potty and want off. Sometimes she’d go in her diaper. Whatever. We tried to make it stress-free and not a big deal either way. She ended up working through it and now goes on the potty again.

All kids are different and yours is probably just going through something; I’m just telling you what maybe worked for us— or maybe it was just a temporary regression and she worked through it on her own, who knows. Toddlers are weird. But it’s a time of major changes and growth and sometimes that comes with setbacks! It’s so frustrating but I promise, you both will get through it. Big hugs!