My 26 month old has started waiting until the end of her bedtime routine to tell me she has to poop. She has done this for the past 5 nights now. She seems to have figured out that it is the only excuse that I will let her out of her room for. The thing is, every time, she actually has pooped. I am beginning to suspect that she is holding it until after bedtime as way of stalling going to bed.
Tonight after the 2nd trip to her potty, she sat on the toilet for 20m and there simply was nothing left to poop, she then threw one of the biggest tantrums I've ever seen when we took her from the potty and tried to put her back in bed.
I don't know what to do - does anyone else have experience with this type of behavior?
Do I just let her poop in her diaper tomorrow so she learns she can't manipulate us like this? I feel bad doing that, but we've tried talking to her and that hadn't helped at all.
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Yup, and as much as I hate giving in we always take her when she tells us she needs to poop. The novelty does wear off.
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@regberadaisy: How long has it been going on for you? Was it an every night thing that then became occasional?
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This happened to us too with our son! It was totally exhausting.
After a while, we put a small potty in the bedroom... so that it wasn't an excuse to leave the bedroom. That seemed to help!
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This happened a few times with my LO in the summer....
we sat in the bathroom with her for 30+ minutes but we made her go to bed after that.
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Mine! It's been going on for quite awhile here...maybe two months? If she doesn't go after awhile on the potty before bed we put her to bed and say she can try again in a bit. Usually she will cry then play until we come back and take her. Sometimes she goes to sleep and wakes up an hour later to go. Other times she doesn't have to go and just falls asleep. All this to say that we take her when she says because she generally will go. Good luck!
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My son doesn't do this for bedtime but he does for naptime. He's only 16 months and still in diapers and he will play around in his crib and poop every single day for about 30 minutes into his nap. He will then cry out for me and I'll head in and change his diaper while he gives me an impish grin. It definitely seems like it's a stall tactic.
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Oh yes! My 26 month old isn't potty trained but he will definitely wait until 10-15 minutes after I've tucked him in to poop and then will start crying. Sometimes while we are going through our bedtime routine he will say "poop!" I'm sure because he knows that's the only way he will be able to get out of bed at that point.
It's frustrating and I have no idea when or if it will stop but just know you're not alone!
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@Chastenet: for us the constant was for about a week or two and now it's occasional. What helped at that time was taking her potty before we go into her room for story time. That way if she pulled that I knew, most likely she did not have to go. DD doesn't sit on the toilet forever though. So if I plop her in and nothing happens in a minute or so I know she doesn't have to go. Every time she tells me she has to go potty and I know know she's stalling, I tell her if we go and you don't have to go potty then you are going right to bed and mommy is leaving. So when she lies I take her back and I leave even if she cries.
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@mrbee: The potty in the bedroom is a good idea, thanks! I'll try that tonight and see if it's a bit less enticing to wait now that she doesn't get to leave her room.
we sat in the bathroom with her for 30+ minutes but we made her go to bed after that.
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