Sat 21 Nov 2009 | You are here: Home > Ask baby expert > Child development Qs > My toddler is scared to poo
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The material contained on these pages is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or advice and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you're worried, see your GP.
  • My toddler is scared to poo

  • Q My 23-month-old toddler daughter is frightened of pooing following an episode of constipation. When she did go it hurt her and since then she holds it in for as long as she can. What can I do?

GP Rob replies: Children make links between different experiences and it's common for one painful experience to trigger a fear that doing a poo will be painful again. In fact, not going invariably results in the next poo being painful so your daughter's belief is reinforced.
The key is softening the bowel motion so it slips out easily, then your daughter will relearn that it's not painful. Try adding extra fibre to her diet in the form of wholemeal bread and rice, water or diluted fruit juices, and puréed fruit and vegetables. You could also ask your doctor to recommend a suitable stool softener such as Lactulose, which you can try to get her to open her bowels and stop her from holding on. Although the initial
lowest dose can work, you may need to increase it, within the recommended amount, before success is achieved.


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