The Kid Who Only Stands To Poop

Sometimes you have this kid. The kid who stands to poop. She’s never squatted while in a diaper, at least to your knowledge.  Sometimes I get a client whose child doesn’t even poop in their sleep or supine position. It’s all standing poop for this child.

Not to worry…this child will absolutely begin sitting to poop in short order. The tough part of the process for this child is the transition from standing to sitting to poop.

You should never force or try to convince this child to sit (ever, really). It’s not her MO and it hasn’t been forever, so it’s best to just lay it on the line and have a few creative days.

I’m a huge proponent of always telling our children what’s going on. You aren’t going to sneak the following tricks, you aren’t going to try to bamboozle your child into sitting to poop.

Keeping things casual, light, and fun, you can let your child know you both face a dilemma. You don’t have to use these exact words but something like, “Well, now. We have a bit of silly problem. You have always pooped while standing up. And now you are definitely going to have to sit to drop that poop in the potty. Let’s see what we can do about that.”

Depending on your child’s verbal skills, they may be able to actually help problem solve. For some of the kids I’ve worked with, JUST SAYING THAT OUT LOUD HAS RESOLVED THE ISSUE IMMEDIATELY. I’ve had kids say…like all the grown up are stupid…”Mooom! I could just sit down to poop!” (like they came up with the best solution in the world). Don’t ever underestimate the easy fix. Too many parents try to fake their children out, anticipating a bigger problem than it already is and kids can’t totally smell when you are faking them out.

Here’s a few tricks for the first few days. Again, these are usually short lived as they aren’t very comfortable and the child makes peace with just sitting.

You can have your child straddle the potty chair. While doing so, you can take the removable pot out and bring it closer to their bum to actually catch the poop. Yes, it’s not pretty but it’s a good transition trick.

You can try a foot stool or Squatty Potty in front of the big toilet with an insert.  Anything that brings your child’s knees close to their chest. This is important! This makes for MUCH EASIER evacuation. So even if they’ve never done this, it will help the poop flow much faster. It also can be a great distraction so the child almost forgets this isn’t her usual pooping position.

If you’re feeling really brave, you can also have your child squat on the actual toilet seat. This also provides the proper squatting for effective evacuation in addition to be a big distraction. Obviously, this is the strangest of all the options and people think it’s weird. Your child might think so also which can work for or against you. Don’t be tied to it but if it seems like a viable option, go for it.

Most parents do the potty chair straddle and catch those first few poops in the removable cup. That seems to be the most popular option in the families I’ve worked with.

After a few poops most kids figure out that it’s really just easier to sit.

I’ve been saying this in my Youtube videos: these posts are meant to help the average child with average bumps in the road. If you are experiencing severe drama while potty training, please consult with one of our Certified Experts.  They are here to help and it’s better to seek help sooner rather than later…especially with pooping issues.