Baby struggles to poop but not constipated
Dyschezia: Types, Causes & Treatment
Overview
What is dyschezia?
Dyschezia literally means difficulty pooping. Another name for dyschezia is disordered defecation. Healthcare providers use the term “dyschezia” differently when talking about infants or adults, which can be confusing.
- Dyschezia in adults is more of a description than a condition. It means that you can’t poop without having some type of difficulty, straining or pain. This could be for a lot of reasons. Constipation often relates to dyschezia in adults, either as the cause of your difficulties or as a side effect.
- Infant dyschezia is a specific condition. Another name for infant dyschezia is grunting baby syndrome. Infants with dyschezia appear to have difficulty pooping, but they have no signs of constipation. They might strain, grunt or cry for 10 to 30 minutes before they poop, but when the poop comes out, it's normal.
Infant dyschezia is a muscle coordination problem. It means that your baby is having trouble coordinating the different muscle groups necessary to poop. This is a learned reflex, and some babies struggle a bit more than others to learn it. They usually figure it out within a week or two.
It’s upsetting for parents to watch their babies struggle, but infants with dyschezia aren’t sick or suffering. Pediatricians believe these infants cry to produce the necessary abdominal pressure to poop, not because they’re in pain. No treatment is necessary or recommended.
Symptoms and Causes
What symptoms are associated with adult dyschezia?
Your healthcare provider might use the term “dyschezia” to describe your condition if you experience:
- Obstructed defecation.
- Straining to poop.
- Pain with pooping.
What symptoms are associated with infant dyschezia?
Infants with dyschezia may show symptoms such as:
- Struggling to poop for at least 10 minutes.
- Grunting, crying or screaming while they try to poop.
- Turning red in the face with effort.
- Squirming or kicking their feet.
- Not succeeding in pooping every time.
- Poop that looks “normal” — soft or pasty — when it comes out.
How can I tell if my baby has dyschezia vs. constipation?
Parents of babies with infant dyschezia often mistake it for constipation at first. They see their baby straining to poop, and they assume that’s because the poop is too hard to pass. This is, after all, usually the reason why adults strain to poop. Adults don’t remember that they once had to learn how to do it.
Straining to poop looks the same, whether they’re straining against hard poop or against their own muscles. But you can tell which kind of struggle it is from the poop that comes out. If the poop is hard or bloody, that’s a sign of constipation. If the poop looks normal, the poop itself isn’t the problem.
How can I tell if my baby has infant dyschezia vs. colic?
Colic is another condition that causes babies to cry inconsolably for no discernible reason.
Babies with colic often appear to be in gastrointestinal distress. They might arch their backs, clench their fists or pull their legs up to their tummies while crying, and sometimes they turn red in the face.
Parents and doctors alike once assumed digestive system issues such as gas, reflux, indigestion or difficulty pooping might relate to colic. But evidence of this is scarce, and parents have observed that colic episodes don’t necessarily correspond with feeding cycles.
Colic is still a mystery, but some now believe that it may be, like infant dyschezia, a developmental phase — one that you just have to wait out. This doesn’t stop either colic or infant dyschezia from causing parents a lot of distress. We want to know what’s going on and how to fix it.
In general, doctors diagnose colic when they can’t find any other explanation for your baby’s fussiness. Infant dyschezia is one possibility they might try to exclude first. If you notice that your baby is fussy before pooping in particular, and that it ends when they poop, they might have infant dyschezia.
What causes dyschezia in adults?
Several conditions can cause dyschezia in adults, including:
- Anismus: This condition can cause adults to struggle with their pooping muscles, similar to the way babies with infant dyschezia do. Another name for anismus is dyssynergic defecation.
- Endometriosis: People with endometriosis may have difficulty, pain or rectal bleeding during pooping if their endometriosis spreads to their lower bowel, near their rectum.
- Constipation: Hard, impacted poop can be difficult and painful to pass. Prolonged constipation can also damage the muscles and nerves that control pooping, causing further problems.
- Inflammatory bowel disease: Chronic conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can cause chronic inflammation and bleeding in your lower large bowel (your rectum and anus).
- Anorectal lesions: Temporary wounds or growths can cause pain or obstruction while pooping, including hemorrhoids, anal fissures, anal abscesses, colon polyps and tumors.
What causes infant dyschezia?
Infants and children are constantly developing, and they take their time with different skills. Pooping, believe it or not, is one of those skills. It takes a lot of coordination between the brain, nerves and different muscle groups to synchronize the act of pooping, especially without gravity on their side.
Normally, poop entering your rectum triggers your anus muscles to release and let it through. Since infants can’t sit up yet, the pressure in their rectum might be weaker, and it may take more abdominal pressure to push it through. They also have to figure out how to push and release at the same time.
Infants who are trying to push poop out against a clenched anus will struggle and possibly cry with frustration until they learn to relax it. Infants may also cry because they sense that crying helps them contract their abdominal muscles. It may be part of their process of figuring out how to push poop out.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is dyschezia diagnosed in adults?
Dyschezia in adults is a symptom, and your symptoms are what you say they are.
If you tell a healthcare provider that you have difficulty pooping, they’ll write it down and ask you more about it. It may relate to a condition you already know that you have, or it may lead you to discover an underlying condition.
How is infant dyschezia diagnosed?
Your pediatrician will ask you about your baby’s symptoms and what their poop is like. They may ask for a poop sample. They’ll also give your baby a basic physical exam. If their anatomy looks normal, their poop looks normal and their symptoms only involve the act of pooping, they’ll diagnose infant dyschezia.
Management and Treatment
How do you relieve dyschezia in adults?
Dyschezia in adults can mean different things, and it can have many different causes. Your healthcare provider will need to isolate the cause in order to recommend the right treatment. Possible treatments for pooping difficulties include medications, physical therapy, biofeedback and sometimes surgery.
How can I help my baby with dyschezia?
There’s no treatment for infant dyschezia, and pediatricians don’t advise interfering.
This is hard to hear for parents who want to relieve their babies’ struggles. It may be tempting to try to help by stimulating their rectum. But this delays their own learning process and may make them dependent on stimulation.
There’s some research to suggest that infant massage can help stimulate your baby’s nervous system and their physical development. While not a direct treatment for dyschezia, regular massage may improve the brain-body coordination they need to develop in order to learn how to poop.
Outlook / Prognosis
What is the outlook for adults with dyschezia?
Some pooping problems are relatively easy to treat, and others can be more elusive, especially when they involve your brain and nervous system. In these cases, healthcare providers often take a holistic approach that combines diet and lifestyle changes with various therapies. This approach takes time.
If you have a chronic disease or a physical lesion that causes pain and difficulty pooping, surgery might have a place in your treatment plan.
Surgery is usually the last resort for people with severe symptoms that don’t respond to other treatments or complementary medicine. But it’s often successful.
When do babies grow out of infant dyschezia?
The good news is that infant dyschezia is usually a brief problem, lasting a few days to weeks. Even this can feel like forever when you witness your baby’s daily struggles. But you can rest assured that they’ll overcome it. Most have outgrown dyschezia by the time they’re two to three months old.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Pooping difficulties will make you miserable, whether you’re an infant, child or adult. Fortunately, infant dyschezia is short-lived and resolves on its own. Adult dyschezia can be more complicated and can take longer to resolve. If you have dyschezia, don’t delay seeing a qualified healthcare provider about it.
Constipation
Is this your child's symptom?
- Can't pass a stool or pain when passing a stool
- Crying when passing a stool (bowel movement or BM) or
- Can't pass a stool after straining or pushing longer than 10 minutes or
- 3 or more days without passing a stool (Exception: Breastfed and over 1 month old)
- Caution: any belly pain from constipation comes and goes.
Most often, it is mild. Use the Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain) care guide if there is constant belly pain.
Causes of Constipation
- High Milk Diet. Milk and cheese are the only foods that in high amounts can cause constipation. It causes hard pale stools. This is why you want your child to eat a well-balanced diet.
- Low Fiber Diet. Fiber is found in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Fiber keeps stools soft, bulky and easy to pass. A low fiber diet causes hard, small stools.
- Low Fluid Intake. This can also cause stools to be dry and harder to pass. It's rarely the only cause of constipation.
- Lack of Exercise. Exercise also keeps the bowel from slowing down. Not a cause in children unless they are confined to bed.
- Holding Back Stools Because of Pain. If passing a stool causes pain, many children will hold back the next one. This can happen with a Strep infection around the anus.
It can also occur with a bad diaper rash or anal fissure (tear). - Holding Back Stools Because of Power Struggles. This is the most common cause of recurrent constipation in children. Most often it's a battle around toilet training. If they are already trained, it may begin with the start of school. Reason: some children refuse to use public toilets. Some children postpone stools because they are too busy to sit down.
- Slow passage of food through the intestines. Most often, this type runs in families. Called slow transit time.
Stools: How Often is Normal?
- Normal Range: 3 per day to 1 every 2 days. Once children are on normal table foods, their stool pattern is like adults.
- Kids who go every 4 or 5 days almost always have pain with passage. They also have a lot of straining.
- Kids who go every 3 days often drift into longer times. Then, they also develop symptoms.
- Passing a stool should be free of pain.
- Any child with pain during stool passage or lots of straining needs treatment. At the very least, the child should be treated with changes in diet.
Imitators of Constipation: Normal Patterns and Stools
- Breastfed and Over 1 Month Old. Stools every 4-7 days that are soft, large and pain-free can be normal. Caution: before 1 month old, not stooling enough can mean not getting enough breast milk.
- Straining in Babies. Grunting or straining while pushing out a stool is normal in young babies. They are learning to relax their anus after 9 months of keeping it closed. It's also hard to pass stool lying on their back with no help from gravity. Babies also become red in the face and draw up their legs during straining. This is normal. Key: they continue to pass normal size stools every day. Just not every time they have some straining.
- Brief straining under 10 minutes can occur at times at any age.
- Large Stools. Size relates to the amount of food eaten. Large eaters have larger stools.
- Hard or Dry Stools. Also can be normal if passed easily without too much straining. Often, this relates to poor fiber intake. Some children even have small, dry rabbit-pellet-like stools.
When to Call for Constipation
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Stomach pain goes on more than 1 hour (includes crying) after using care advice
- Rectal pain goes on more than 1 hour (includes straining) after using care advice
- Vomits 2 or more times and stomach looks more swollen than normal
- Age less than 1 month old and breastfed
- Age less than 12 months with recent onset of weak suck or weak muscles
- Your child looks or acts very sick
- You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Age less than 2 months. Exception: normal straining and grunting.
- Bleeding from anus
- Needs to pass a stool but afraid to or refuses to let it out
- Child may be "blocked up"
- Suppository or enema was given but did not work
- You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Leaking stool
- Suppository or enema was needed to get the stool out
- Infrequent stools do not get better after changes to diet. Exception: normal if breastfed infant more than 1 month old and stools are not painful.
- Stool softeners are being used and have not been discussed with your doctor
- Toilet training is in progress
- Painful stools occur 3 or more times after changes to diet
- Constipation is a frequent problem
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Mild constipation
Seattle Children's Urgent Care Locations
If your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.
- Bellevue
- Everett
- Federal Way
- Seattle
Care Advice for Constipation
- What You Should Know about Constipation:
- Constipation is common in children.
- Most often, it's from a change in diet. It can also be caused by waiting too long to stool.
- Passing a stool should be pleasant and free of pain.
- Any child with pain during stool passage or lots of straining needs treatment. At the very least, they need changes in diet.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
- Normal Stools:
- Normal range: 3 per day to 1 every 2 days. Once children are on a regular diet, their stool pattern is like adults.
- Kids who go every 3 days often drift into longer times. Then symptoms start.
- Kids who go every 4 and 5 days almost always have pain with passage. They also have lots of straining.
- Diet for Infants Under 1 Year Old:
- Age over 1 month old only on breast milk or formula, add fruit juice.
- Amount. Give 1 ounce (30 mL) per month of age per day. Limit amount to 4 ounces (120 mL).
- Pear and apple juice are good choices. After 3 months, can use prune (plum) juice. Reason for fruit juice: approved for babies in treating a symptom.
- Age over 4 months old, also add baby foods with high fiber. Do this twice a day. Examples are peas, beans, apricots, prunes, peaches, pears, or plums.
- Age over 8 months old on finger foods, add cereals and small pieces of fresh fruit.
- Diet for Children Over 1 Year Old:
- Increase fruit juice (apple, pear, cherry, grape, prune). Note: citrus fruit juices are not helpful.
- Add fruits and vegetables high in fiber content. Examples are peas, beans, broccoli, bananas, apricots, peaches, pears, figs, prunes, or dates. Offer these foods 3 or more times per day.
- Increase whole grain foods. Examples are bran flakes or muffins, graham crackers, and oatmeal. Brown rice and whole wheat bread are also helpful. Popcorn can be used if over 4 years old.
- Limit milk products (milk, ice cream, cheese, yogurt) to 3 servings per day.
- Fluids. Give enough fluids to stay well-hydrated. Reason: keep the stool soft.
- Stop Toilet Training:
- Put your child back in diapers or pull-ups for a short time.
- Tell him that the poops won't hurt when they come out.
- Praise him for passing poops into a diaper.
- Holding back stools is harmful.
Use rewards to help your child give up this bad habit. - Avoid any pressure or punishment. Also, never force your child to sit on the potty against his will. Reason: it will cause a power struggle.
- Treats and hugs always work better.
- Encourage Sitting on the Toilet (if toilet trained):
- Set up a normal stool routine, if your child agrees to sitting.
- Have your child sit on the toilet for 5 minutes after meals.
- This is especially important after breakfast.
- If you see your child holding back a stool, also take to the toilet for a sit (if cooperates).
- During sits, stay with your child and be a coach. Just focus on helping the poop come out.
- Do not distract your child. Do not allow your child to play with video devices, games or books during sits.
- Once he passes a normal size stool, he doesn't need to sit anymore that day.
- Warm Water to Relax the Anus:
- Warmth helps many children relax the anus and release a stool.
- For straining too long, have your child sit in warm water.
- You can also put a warm wet cotton ball on the anus. Vibrate it side to side for about 10 seconds to help relax the anus.
- Warmth helps many children relax the anus and release a stool.
- Flexed Position to Help Stool Release for Babies:
- Help your baby by holding the knees against the chest. This is like squatting for your baby. This is the natural position for pushing out a stool. It's hard to have a stool lying down.
- Gently pump on the lower belly with your fingers. If no stool release in a few minutes, stop.
- Squatting Position to Help Stool Release for Older Children:
- The squatting position gives faster stool release and less straining.
- Squatting means that the knees are above the hips.
- For most children who sit on the toilet, a foot stool is needed.
- It is an important part of treating constipation.
- Stool Softeners (Age Over 1 Year Old):
- If a change in diet doesn't help, you can add a stool softener.
Must be over 1 year of age. - Use a stool softener (such as Miralax). It is available without a prescription. Give 1-3 teaspoons (5-15 mL) powder each day with dinner. Mix the powder in 2 to 6 ounces (60-180 mL) of water.
- Fiber products (such as Benefiber) are also helpful. Give 1 teaspoon (5 mL) twice a day. Mix it in 2 ounces (60 mL) of water or fruit juice.
- Stool softeners and fiber should produce regular soft stools in 1 to 3 days.
- Discuss dosage and how long to use with your doctor.
- If a change in diet doesn't help, you can add a stool softener.
- What to Expect:
- Most often, changes in diet helps constipation.
- After your child is better, be sure to keep him on high fiber foods.
- Also, have your child sit on the toilet at the same time each day.
- These tips will help to prevent the symptoms from coming back.
- Call Your Doctor If:
- Constipation lasts more than 1 week after making changes to diet
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
And remember, contact your doctor if your child develops any of the 'Call Your Doctor' symptoms.
Disclaimer: this health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it.
Last Reviewed: 01/12/2023
Last Revised: 12/30/2022
Copyright 2000-2023. Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines LLC.
The child is afraid to poop | What to do if the child is afraid to poop
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Children05/01/2019
I even got the hang of walking with a candle in the anus.”
“Dasha walks mostly only in shorts. I think I've tried everything: explanations, games, books. It all started when she was 3 years old, and I began to catch her and put her on the potty. A cry rises, as if they are cutting her - they are killing her: “The pot is terrible!” After such attempts, the daughter does not poop for three days. I let go of the situation for a month, I try again and I understand that I will soon turn gray from her scream. Is there a way out of this impasse?” nine0004
There are many such situations.
Children who are constipated may develop a fear of defecation, further exacerbating the problem. In addition, the situation is often accompanied by increased anxiety. How to break this vicious circle? An analysis of the causes and working recommendations are further down the course.
. Someone refuses to defecate in the right place, because he is afraid of what happens to him and what can be seen later. It is in our nature to fear the incomprehensible, the new. And a child at 2 years old is just beginning to realize himself, to recognize his body along with its functions. nine0004
Some people are afraid of the toilet articles, they think that they are dangerous, how can you make friends with “those”?!
Some people are afraid of the process of defecation, often for physiological reasons: it hurts, it hurts, it presses... And when the baby still piles into his pants, then instead of a victorious “Hurrah! Everything worked out!” he receives a portion of adult discontent.
A lot of negative things happen with regular suppression of bowel movements:
-
thickening of the feces (megacolon), which will subsequently cause severe discomfort during the inevitable evacuation from the intestines
-
stretching of the walls of the rectum. It entails the absence of emptying signals. Treated surgically.
-
absorption of toxins from the rectum into the blood, which is essentially self-poisoning.
-
loss of bowel sensation, which over time can lead to incontinence.
With constipation that has become a habit, parents and doctors note a decrease in immunity (frequent SARS), nausea or vomiting, headaches, a rash in the buttocks or on the forehead and temples. For preschoolers - at 5 years old, at 6 years old - and even schoolchildren, this can lead to rapid fatigue, inattention, and learning problems.
nine0004
Many mothers notice that their son (daughter) perfectly uses toilet articles for their intended purpose at home, and is afraid to poop in kindergarten. Moreover, this fear can spread to all public places, at a party and at school. This is natural in an unusual environment and is due to the natural shyness of a small person. After all, it is not always and everywhere possible to retire, completely relax.
Quite often a child who is accustomed to the potty, having matured, cannot part with it because he is afraid to poop into the toilet. And he prefers to “disgrace himself” in his pants than to go to the persuasion of his parents and use the toilet. Adults do not understand that he is afraid to fail and be washed away by water. This is due precisely to the psychological fear of the toilet room, although perhaps he is simply not ready to grow up. nine0004
The most important thing is that a healthy child should have daily and normally formed stools (sausage).
All deviations from this rule on a regular basis are symptoms of problems in the gastrointestinal tract or in the psycho-emotional area. Unpleasant sensations that appear at least once during a bowel movement can pretty scare the baby and complicate the task of potty training for a long time. But worst of all are conflicts with adults on this basis.
Excessive attention of parents to the toilet topic can be harmful. Of course, mom wants to quickly survive the period of dirty panties. But in this case, neither haste nor aggression will lead to good. If the little one is strongly scolded for soiled panties or taught to go to the toilet “like everyone else” too persistently and aggressively, then this can become a real psychological problem that accompanies fear and protest. nine0004
For more information about the psychological causes of fears and rejections in this situation, see the article “Why a child is afraid of the pot.”
WHAT TO DO IF THE CHILD IS AFRAID TO POOP
If a small person holds a stool, cries from the desire and inability to poop, or vigorously resists a painful bowel movement, consult a pediatrician, gastroenterologist, to rule out a medical cause.
After all, this happens with intestinal diseases, and with rickets, and with hypothyroidism. It is necessary to seek professional help, and not self-medicate. nine0004
The earlier constipation is diagnosed, the easier and more effective the treatment. Usually, a diet combined with laxatives perfectly eliminates the problem of bowel function. Keep in mind that the appearance of constipation is favored by a lack of foods with vegetable fiber in the diet. And an excess of animal proteins and fats in food exacerbates the situation, contributing to a greater hardening of feces.
So, the first step towards overcoming constipation, fear of emptying is to normalize nutrition:
-
diet by age
-
complete nutrition for proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals
-
compliance with the diet (at least 4-5 times a day at certain hours)
-
enough liquid (at least 2-3 glasses of clean water per day!)
For the prevention of constipation and the successful fight against them, you need fruits and vegetables in sufficient quantities, raw or boiled (baked).
Kiwi, apricots, oranges, plums, apples, beets and carrots, zucchini have proven themselves best. Whole-grain cereals (wheat, barley, buckwheat, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa) and wholemeal bread are useful. nine0004
Fresh one-day kefir (it would be nice to have your own production) or yogurt based on bacterial starter culture that improves intestinal microflora - this is what you need if there are no problems with milk digestion! Use vegetable oil, avoid giving your little one black tea, cocoa, jelly, rice and semolina, pasta, fast food and other unnecessary snacks.
Some more current physiology recommendations:
-
A good habit is to have a daily bowel movement in the morning. Adjust your chair naturally. With such a ritual, life is simplified and accustoming is accelerated. nine0004
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Massage of the abdomen (circular movements with a cam in a clockwise direction).
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Vacuum (tummy retraction on exhalation), performed strictly on an empty stomach.
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Enough physical activity. Squats, bends, abdominal exercises, belly dancing and more.
One of the most common mistakes parents make is to potty train their child too early. After all, only by 1.5 - 2 years he will be able to control the processes of his body. It is useless and dangerous to insist on one's own, to scold and get angry at the little one - it is so easy to harm his psyche. The usual childhood fear can develop into a problem of psychological constipation, which will have to be treated. nine0004
Pediatricians and psychologists believe that one should not focus on the toilet issue and make friends with a plastic friend. “You won’t be forced to be nice,” says folk wisdom. Everything we want to teach a kid should be presented in a playful way . We stock up on a good mood, calmly and cheerfully introduce our son (daughter) to the process of emptying through books, drawings, toys.
According to one mother, she and her husband came up with the idea to draw on the tummy of their son with a marker the image of the small and large intestines (as in an anatomy textbook). The little one liked it so much that he learned to poop where necessary almost immediately. True, dad and mom had to paint their tummies at the insistence of their son. Nevertheless, the goal was achieved with the least losses! nine0004
A good way to remove fear is to play a role-playing game with the child on the topic “bunny is afraid to poop”. This will allow him to scroll through - to experience the topic that excites him several times and learn the necessary information. After all, together you help the bunny overcome his fear, find a way out in a difficult situation, draw the right conclusions.
Learn to calmly respond to your child's unsuccessful attempts to urinate on the potty. Shouting, let alone shaming is unacceptable! The fact is that one fear may be joined by another - to upset parents or be punished.
Why do we need a double psychological problem?! nine0004
Don't panic if things go wrong with the toilet for a long time. The problem is quite common, but delicate. Provide your child with a comfortable atmosphere at home and in the kindergarten (school) as much as possible. Protect him from stress (screams, swearing, threats), from watching evil and terrible cartoons, films, programs - this is overworking.
Explain to the teacher, the nurse in the kindergarten, that it is impossible to draw attention to the “potted” topic, to criticize it too. If the little one is very shy, ask him to go to the toilet during social activities, walks or naps when no one will disturb. nine0108 And don't forget about the magical power of praise and encouragement! Children are so insecure and defenseless in the world that praising them is no less important than feeding, washing, dressing. This makes it easier to deal with any problem. I wish you success!
Potty training
When to start
The normal development of young children is largely determined by proper care for them.
The process of potty training is an important stage in the development and maturation of the child, as well as in the formation of his relationship with his parents. Many parents tend to become overly anxious when their child does not develop according to their expectations. nine0004
The methods of “early potty training” practiced until recently (during the first year of life) should be considered outdated and non-physiological, since their use does not take into account the degree of maturity of the muscles and nervous system of the child (in particular, the innervation of the bladder and intestines). As a result, learning becomes a long and unproductive process. In addition, when using them, children may experience negative reactions (since education is built on pressure from parents) and somato-neurological dysfunctions, which subsequently is fraught with problems such as constipation, urinary / fecal incontinence, numerous neurotic reactions (including logoneurosis, tics, etc.).
.), and upon reaching a certain age - enuresis, overactive bladder and persistent encopresis. Forced potty training at any age can be stressful for both the child and the parent. The described stress becomes even more pronounced if the child is not able to understand or interpret the command received. Attempts to impose on a child such methods based on adult dominance inevitably lead to a delay in the learning process and low efficiency. nine0004
The described methods of early potty training are reflex, that is, based on the development of a conditioned reflex, and not a conscious skill. In the process of training, parents determine the signals and "body language" of the child before urination or defecation, similar to how pets are toilet trained. Such techniques are not based on real learning, but on the development of a reflex, and therefore are ineffective. The success of the process depends on whether the adult can recognize the need or desire of the child to go to the toilet (there are no basic elements of learning, and the process is not associative).
The "skill" acquired by the child is of a non-permanent nature and can be lost in any stressful situation (for example, illness or moving from an apartment, a quarrel between parents) or other adverse circumstances. Therefore, attempts to force a child to potty train before he reaches physical readiness and / or increased intensity of training in no way accelerate or bring the desired result closer. Successful potty training is the development of a cognitive (conscious) skill or ability that should be centered around the child; it should be positive and entertaining. It is important to remember that an acquired reflex is easily lost if it is not a learned pattern of behavior. nine0004
To make the process of potty training quick and easy, parents should be informed about the “child-centered” method.
The "child-centered" or physiological method of toilet training is a method that takes into account the degree of maturity of the central nervous system. It is the central nervous system that provides innervation to the muscles, organs of the genitourinary system and the gastrointestinal tract of children.
This approach helps parents to understand the child correctly and direct the process of potty training in accordance with the level of development of the child. According to this method, the child becomes the main figure, his self-confidence and self-esteem increase. Training, according to this technique, is designed not only to develop a reflex in a child, but to accelerate the assimilation of relevant information or skills, in the case of potty training, the child's acquaintance with his own body. The physiological model takes into account three main components of child development: physiological maturity (strengthening the muscles of the sphincter of the bladder and intestines, the necessary development of the central nervous system), psychological and emotional readiness (understanding and desire to follow instructions). nine0108 According to the literature, a healthy child reaches the required physiological maturity at an average age of 18 to 24 months (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2003).
Up
How a baby's body works
When potty training a child, you should know that the success of training depends entirely on how ready his body is for it. It has been proven that the child's body is ready for potty training on average no earlier than 18 months. A child can consciously go to the toilet only when he develops a connection between the nervous system and muscles. This connection is finally formed around the age of 18 months and consists of numerous neural structures that connect the spinal cord with the bladder and intestines. When the bladder or intestines are full, a signal is transmitted along the nerves to the spinal cord, from there to the brain, and the baby understands that he wants to pee or poop. Only then can the child consciously sit on the potty and do their thing. Knowing this, one can come to very significant conclusions, which, however, are quite obvious. The sooner you start the process of potty training, the more effort it will require from you.
Potty training is more successful, painless and easier, the higher the level of physiological development of the child. And if you start training when the child's body is fully prepared for it, you and your child will succeed much faster and easier. nine0004
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Early successes
True, many patient and active parents manage to achieve excellent results already in the first year of life. Quite often, proud statements are made that a child at 10, 9, 8, even at 7 months old, pees on the “pee-pee” command, and poops only after “ah”. And there is absolutely nothing surprising in this. It is not difficult to achieve the appearance of a conditioned reflex by repeated beeping and aakan, only this reflex is not quite what we need. Why? Yes, because this is the connection between the process of emptying the bladder and the sound "wee-wee." And if this sound is pronounced often and for a long time, and if anyway you are not left alone until you pee, then this connection will be established sooner or later.
But the chain should be different: not “wee-wee” - filling the bladder - urination, but filling the bladder - a pot - urination. That is, the physiological process (filling the bubble), and not the sound stimulus (“pee-pee”), should become the motive for the potty. nine0004
| Potty training around 18 months of age | Potty training at an earlier age |
| Child consciously controls all processes | Process based entirely on reflexes |
| Acquired skills are not lost | With any changes in a child's life, he quickly forgets everything he has learned |
| Teaching is faster and easier | Teaching is longer and harder for the child |
| The child enjoys his successes and the process itself | Frequent misses, more stress for the child |
Payback for early success comes in the second year of life.
A supposedly capable and developed child, who has been sitting on the potty since the age of 9 months, suddenly, for some “incomprehensible” reasons, stops doing this, and actively fights for his freedom with anxious relatives. And the considerations are very understandable - the time is coming for the formation of that very normal, natural control over secretions, which we have already talked about. The bladder is empty, and they are here climbing with their "wee-wee" ... No matter how "amazing success" you have achieved, but before the child is ready for potty training (and this is approximately 18 months), these successes will be temporary, and misses are frequent. And this must be treated very philosophically. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that you will be able to introduce your child to such an interesting thing as a potty. But this acquaintance, at least from the point of view of medical science, will be superficial, and the skills developed are not stable. nine0004
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How to know if a child is ready
In order for the process to go as smoothly as possible, you should know some signs that indicate the mental and physiological readiness of the child's body to learn toilet science.
Such signs include:
- establishment of a more or less stable defecation pattern
- keeps diapers dry for more than 2 hours
- knowledge of body parts and names of garments
- knowledge or understanding of the words "pee" and "poop"
- demonstration of negative emotions from being in soiled diapers
- desire to dress and undress independently
- desire to imitate adults
- interest in the toilet room and the processes taking place there
And, finally, the most reliable sign: the ability to communicate the word “I want” to parents in any way — with words, facial expressions, gestures. And not because it will be easier for mom and she will have time to put the child on the pot - this indicates that the baby has learned to communicate! nine0004
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10 Rules for Successful Potty Training
Is your baby about 18 months old? Did you notice any of the above signs of readiness in his behavior? So, you can start mastering a new complex science.
Let's get started.
1. In addition to the readiness of the child, there must also be the readiness of adults. Obviously, at the stage of transition from a diaper to a potty, the time spent on direct communication with the baby increases markedly. It is impossible to develop toilet skills only on Sundays or only on those days when an official visit from the grandmother is expected. nine0004
2. A child, like any adult, is prone to mood swings. Early toilet training is best done when all family members are healthy and cheerful.
3. Buy a comfortable and ... warm pot - a cold seat can ruin your relationship with the potty for a long time. The seat should repeat the anatomical curves, it is desirable to have a comfortable back (such pots are called physiological). First of all, wash the pot and put it in the room with the crumbs so that it becomes a familiar item for him. nine0004
4. Getting to know the potty. We offer it to the child when the probability of a "process" is maximum - after sleep, after eating, when he
shows by his behavior that it is time for him.
5. In case of success - very, very praise. In case of failure, we do our best not to be upset, and if we are upset, we do not show grief.
6. We fix attention not only on the potty itself, but also on the actions immediately preceding communication with the potty and parting with it: how to get the potty, how to open it, how to take off the panties, how to put on the panties, how and where to pour the contents from the pot how to wash the pot, how to close the pot and put it back in its place. The implementation of all of the above easily turns into an interesting game. It is wonderful if, after each successful action, parents do not skimp on praise - the whole process in this case is accompanied by positive emotions, and this is perhaps the main thing at the transitional stage. nine0004
7. Gradually we organize meetings with the potty not only when it is time for the child, but when the daily routine requires it. For example, without fail we sit down before going to bed, before a walk.
8. You shouldn't part with diapers completely and irrevocably. They are quite useful for traveling in transport, at night, for a walk in the cool season, at first and during daytime sleep. But every time when we woke up dry and quickly sat down on the potty, we pay attention to what good fellows we are, and in confirmation of this obvious fact, we demonstrate a dry diaper. nine0004
9. It is important that the pot is not perceived as a toy, but as an object of a very specific purpose. And in this regard, you should not encourage just playing with the potty. “This is a chair. They sit on it" - and, by analogy, - "This is a pot, they pee and poop on it."
10. It doesn't matter: a potty or a toilet (assuming a special child seat). Here's how you feel more comfortable. Considering that, especially at first, the process can be delayed, the potty is more convenient, since it is more pleasant to communicate in a room than in a cramped toilet space. Combining a potty with a toilet is a perfectly acceptable option, especially for boys.
A special stool in the toilet, and peeing from it is just a pleasure and a conscious introduction to the world of adults. And if dad finds time to show how it's done...
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“Baby refuses potty. How to be?
“We are already one year old. Our Anyuta can sit on the potty for a very long time, play, look at books, but she does not do what is necessary. How can we be? Maria
Don't worry about it. Your daughter is still too young to be potty trained. It is possible to start accustoming a child only when his body is physiologically ready for this - that is, approximately at the age of 18 months. Only by this age does his nervous system form and he begins to realize that he wants to go to the toilet. And now, when your daughter is 1 year old and she is starting to walk, it is very important to help her develop balance and strengthen her back muscles - exercises on a gymnastic ball would be very suitable for this (swaying a baby lying down).
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back or belly on a ball) or stepping over obstacles (over toys on the floor).
“We started potty training our baby about 3 weeks ago, he seemed to understand everything right away and did everything right, and then he began to refuse, and now he doesn’t even want to come close to him. We are 1.5 years old. Irina
This often happens, and there is nothing to worry about. Try to remember, after which the child began to refuse the potty. Maybe something scared him, or the pot was cold. Pay attention to the situation in the family, think about what has changed in the life of the baby and is he experiencing stress? And if you understand the reason, try to eliminate it. Never force him to sit on the potty. It is best to suspend the learning process for a few weeks and surround the child with attention and affection. Usually, after such a respite, children are ready to reacquaint themselves with the potty. nine0004
“Our Katyusha, at 1 year and 7 months old, does not use the potty.
But she is very interested in everything that happens in the bathroom. When one of us goes there, every time she tries to break in and see what we are doing there. Is this normal? Daria
Don't worry! This is absolutely normal, moreover, this interest of your daughter indicates her readiness for potty training. If she is now ignoring the learning process, take a close look at my rules for successful potty training and make sure
You are doing everything right. And if a mistake was made somewhere and the pot now causes negative emotions in the child, stop and start learning again. Take advantage of her curiosity about adult behavior. It is known that kids are very fond of imitating adults. Buy your daughter a baby toilet seat and show her how to use the toilet. After that, most likely she herself will want to act like an adult and do the same.
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6 most common misconceptions
1. “It seems to me that the sooner I start teaching the baby to use the potty, the sooner he will learn to do it.
Is it so?"
You, like all parents, want only the best for your child and try to develop all his abilities as early as possible. But in such a matter as potty training, you should not rush. The earlier you start, the longer and more difficult this process will be for the child. After all, he will be able to control his bladder and intestines only when his body is sufficiently developed - an average of 18 months. And if you start learning at the right age, then the child will learn much faster and easier and will be able to be proud of his achievement. And you will be proud of it! nine0004
2. “Is it true that if a baby wears disposable diapers all the time in which he does not feel that he is wet, then it is more difficult to teach him to use the potty?”
No matter what diapers your baby wears, or if he wears them at all, he will learn to use the potty when his body is ready. In support of this, there are the results of studies that compared the behavior of two groups of children - in the first group, babies wore traditional gauze diapers from birth, and in the second - disposable diapers.
In both groups, the age at which the babies stopped completely needing diapers was exactly the same - an average of 27 months (E. Takanashi, 1988, Japan). Therefore, it is safe to say that the use of disposable dry surface diapers does not affect the ability of babies to learn to use the potty and the age when they can do it.
3. "I'm afraid to put diapers on my 3-month-old son, because I heard that they can lead to infertility due to the greenhouse effect"
First, the reproductive system in boys begins to develop only at the age of 7-9 years. At the age of 7, spermatozoa precursor cells appear, and the spermatozoa themselves can be detected not earlier than at 10 years old, but as a rule, much later. From this it is clear that diapers cannot affect the quality of sperm in any way - boys at this age do not have it in principle. There are also a number of studies that confirm that disposable diapers do not create a greenhouse effect - the temperature under the diaper is practically the same as the skin temperature in ordinary diapers, and the humidity level under the diaper is much lower than when using diapers.
Therefore, to sum up: disposable diapers and boys are compatible. nine0004
4. “My daughter is 1 year old. I know it’s too early to potty train her, but I’m very worried that we won’t have time to learn before kindergarten.”
No matter what age you start potty training your child, there is no guarantee that she will learn to do it before kindergarten. After all, all children are potty trained at about the same time. Therefore, if you start teaching at an early age, this will not help speed up the process, but on the contrary, the training will be delayed - the child will not understand what they want from him, she will be upset because of this, and you too. And if you start when the child's body is ready for this, then you and your baby will achieve success much faster and easier, and the child will already understand that this is his achievement and will be proud of it. nine0004
5. “Many of my friends in the yard say that their babies go to the potty at the age of 9, 8, and even at 6 months.
My daughter is 1 year old, I tried to teach her, but nothing comes of it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Why can't my child learn as quickly as other children?
Tatyana, I understand that you, like all other parents, compare your child with other people's children and try to prove that yours is no worse. I want to reassure you - at such an early age, children are simply physically unable to consciously go to the potty. Their nervous system is not yet sufficiently developed to give signals about a full bladder or intestines. Until the age of 1.5, they go to the toilet without realizing it or noticing it. And you can not influence it in any way and accelerate the development of the child. nine0004
Your girlfriends most likely keep silent about the fact that their babies sit on the potty and listen to endless “pee-pee” and “ah-ah” for 30-40 minutes, and by this time the child’s even an empty bladder is filled, and they pissing in a pot. And this leads to the development of a conditioned reflex to the mother's requests to pee or poop.
But in the second year of life, this reflex suddenly disappears for the parents. And only then the child begins to consciously learn to go to the potty.
So remember, everything, especially potty stuff, has its time. nine0004
6. “My mother thinks that using diapers is better for our baby's health than diapers. Is it true?"
Such prejudices of the older generation towards diapers are due to the fact that earlier these hygiene products were simply not available. And today, grandmothers, who are often suspicious of everything new, find it difficult to appreciate the merits of diapers. Although, if we compare diapers with diapers, then the advantages of the first are obvious - the wet surface of the diapers causes irritation and skin diseases, and in cold weather, the duration of the baby's walks in diapers is significantly reduced. The Union of Pediatricians of Russia conducted clinical studies, and the results showed that the moisture content of the baby's skin in diapers is much lower than in diapers.
