What hiding while pooping means for potty training

When toddlers start going off on their own or hiding when they need to poop, one of the big things it signals for eventual potty training is that they’re aware that they’re going to need to poop before they do it. That kind of bodily awareness is only one of the milestones toddlers need to meet before they’re ready to potty train, but it’s also an important one.

On the other hand, one 2003 study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that children who hide when they poop can take longer to learn to use the potty than children who don’t. In this way, hiding during pooping is associated with “holding it in” and refusal to poop.

One reason for this may be that some children who hide out to poop after they’ve started potty training are often children who are afraid of the potty, or who associate pain with pooping – that is, the reason they hide may be the same reason it can take longer to potty train, not that one causes the other. Another reason may be that a toddler has picked up on some of the “yucky” implications around poop, and is embarrassed.

Toddlers are perceptive, and embarrassment and shame around normal bodily functions like pooping can hurt the toilet training before it even starts by making it feel like a stressful thing. Books about bodies or potty training, and a calm, matter-of-fact attitude about bodily functions can do a lot to keep pooping from feeling like something a toddler feels like they needs to hide. As they gets more and more verbal, having a frank conversation about it can be helpful, too.

Hiding doesn’t have to be about shame, though – for many toddlers, the desire to find somewhere a little out of the way to poop can just be the desire for a little privacy. If you think that’s what might be going on, it could be a great time to introduce the bathroom as a private space for pooping – your toddler is probably a little young for potty training, but getting them used to pooping in the bathroom can be a great early step.

Signs of readiness for potty training

The sign of potty training readiness that hiding while pooping can show is a toddler’s bodily awareness – the fact that they knows that they is about to go before they does it is an important skill that they’ll need when it’s time to learn to potty train. It’s not the only skill they’ll need, though, and other signs include:

• Physical skills: Bodily awareness is one physical skill, but it’s not the only one Baby will need. They will also need to be walking reliably enough that they won’t have trouble getting to the bathroom when they needs to, and have the ability to sit down on a potty chair and then stand up again. Bladder control, including the ability to go up to two hours between wet diapers, is also important.
• Communication: Hiding instead of letting you know when they needs to poop could be a pitfall in the process of learning to use the potty. Toddlers who are ready for potty training also can understand and follow simple instructions, and can make themselves understood when letting parents or caregivers know when they need to go.
• Emotional readiness: One of the biggest factors in a toddler’s readiness for potty training is also the hardest to quantify – their emotional readiness. They might show this by being interested in how adult bathroom habits differ from their own, by being interested in wearing “big kid” underwear, or even by saying they is ready to try potty training. You can test this a little by reading books that introduce the idea, and talking to them about them. It’s also a good bet that they might not feel totally emotionally ready for the big change that is potty training if there are other big changes going on in their life, or if they is feeling unsettled or insecure.

Hiding out to go number 2 isn’t the only way a toddler can show you that they knows when they has the bodily awareness they’ll need for potty training, so if they hasn’t picked up this habit, it’s definitely nothing to worry about. This is just one of the many stepping stones your toddler might take as they makes their way towards toilet independence!

Sources

• “Psychological Readiness and Motor Skills Needed for Toilet Training.” Healthy Children. American Academy of Pediatrics, November 21 2015. Web.
• Edward R. Christopherson. “Toileting Problems in Children.” Pediatric Annals. 20(5): 240-244. Web. May 1 1991.
• Laura Markham. “3 year old Potty Training.” Aha! Parenting. Dr. Laura Markham. Web.
• A Schonwald, L. Sherritt, A. Stadtler, C. Frazer. “Factors Associated with Difficult Toilet Training.” Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 22(5). Web. October 2001.
• Bruce Taubman, Nathan J. Blum, Nicole Nemeth. “Children Who Hide While Defecating Before They Have Completed Toilet Training.” Archive of Adolescent and Pediatric Medicine. 157(12): 1190-1192. Web. December 2003.

Learn how to analyze your newborn’s bowel movements

There is a lot of variation in what’s normal for newborns and their pooping habits.

Now that Baby is a few days old, they should have finished passing most of the meconium that coated their intestines during pregnancy and will have moved on to a fairly liquid, yellowy-brown mixture. Although most babies poop many times per day, it can help to know some minimum amounts to track. This depends somewhat on how Baby is being fed, so let’s start there.

What kind of newborn stool is normal if I’m breastfeeding?

If you’re breastfeeding, Baby’s pooping schedule needs to meet some minimum targets in the early days and weeks. If your breastfed baby is pooping less than twice a day after days four to five of their life, it’s a good idea to let your pediatric provider know. This might mean they aren’t getting enough milk. After 4-6 weeks of age, breastfed babies might start to poop less often and settle into a new normal because the protein concentrations in breast milk start to change.

The texture of Baby’s stool will probably be fairly loose and soft, with a curdled quality from the milk solids. It will range from yellowish to greenish in color. Many people describe a mustard-like color and consistency!

What kind of newborn stool is normal if I’m feeding Baby formula?

Newborns who are formula-fed from the start, as well as those who are combining formula and breast milk, will have slightly different stool textures. This means that their regular stool may be thicker or pastier in texture, more yellow-to-brown in color, and stronger smelling. Formula-fed newborns often poop less often than breastfed ones, so as long as Baby is developing well and gaining weight along their curve, you’ll find a wide variety of normal daily poop totals.

What to look out for

Some variation in Baby’s poop is normal, and most color changes (from yellow to green to brown) just have to do with how much time it takes them to digest a meal. Some changes in color and texture could mean trouble, though, so it’s important to know what these are.

If you notice that Baby’s stool is coming out red, black, gray or white, you should definitely call the doctor. White or gray poop could be a sign of an infection or a liver problem, while red or black could signal bleeding along the digestive tract.

And as far as constipation goes, texture is an important indicator. Poop that is hard or pellet-like (either small and dry or large and hard) is probably a sign of constipation. You may also see your baby straining, crying or having rectal bleeding along with this shape and size of stool. If you notice something like this in the newborn period, it’s important to check in with their pediatric provider right away.

On the other hand, watery or runnier-than-normal poop, especially in large amounts or frequently, could be diarrhea. Newborns with diarrhea can become dehydrated quickly, so be sure to check in with Baby’s pediatric provider if you notice this pattern. 

A look into the future

Baby’s poop, just like the rest of their body, is going to keep changing, and the next big shift will happen when they start eating solid food. Breastfed babies’ poop might grow more firm when they start solids, while formula-fed babies’ poop might become looser, but there’s no one standard way that their dirty diapers will change once they reach this point.

Sources

• Denise Bastien. “Importance of Newborn Stool Count.” Leaven. 33(6): 123-6. Web. December 1997-January 1998.
• Jay L. Hoecker. “I’m breastfeeding my newborn and her bowel movements are yellow and mushy. Is this normal for baby poop?” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, February 19, 2015. Web.

Primary colors

Whether you’re an adult or an 8-month-old baby, certain foods can alter the color of your poop. Don’t be surprised if giving Baby a lunch of strained peas and a dinner with pureed carrots produces green and orange stools respectively.

Extra aroma

Solid foods contain a wider range of nutrients and enzymes than breast milk. And because Baby is still learning how to properly chew and digest these foods, eating them on a regular basis can produce gas and smelly stools. This should pass with time.

Accelerated evacuation

We all need some fiber in our diets to keep our bowels moving, but Baby’s first encounter with fiber-rich foods like beans and broccoli puree might lead to some speedier-than-normal outputs. As Baby keeps growing, their body will learn how to fully digest fiber. However, if Baby passes diarrhea after a feeding a few times, especially if they develops rashes, or has bloody stools, you may want to re-examine their last few meals to identify possible food allergies. If you suspect Baby might have a food allergy, it’s important to check in with your healthcare provider, especially in the case of bloody stool.