I'm in serious need of help..
My 3yr old daughter is a poo smearer.. no matter what I do to make her stop she keeps doing it.
Last time she lost her toy ponies for a week and we went months without and issue! I stupidly thought yay that faze is over but in the last two weeks I've found myself scrubbing her room (that she shares with her brother and he helps smear it with her but doesn't initiate it himself he only joins in when she does it. Gross I know!) several times. I'm so over cleaning up poo! Today I put her favourite dolly in the bin (bin was empty and I later took it out and hid it in the cupboard) but I'm just at a loss what to do! I have even told her it's gross and can make her sick that it should stay in her nappy or go in the toilet (toilet training) but she seems to think it's all just one big game!
Have any of you have a poo smearer? What did you do to stop them from doing it and PLEASE what are some things to use besides air freshener to get the residual smell out of the air?
Poop help please!
Poop help please!
Posted in:
Behaviour
4 Replies
From my experience, punishing doesn't work, but supervising does. I just had to watch my son like a hawk! That meant he was not allowed in his bedroom to play, and had to play in eye sight. If he showed any signs of needing to poop, he was sent to the toilet (no exceptions), because he was in eye sight, if he did poop I could clean him up before he got a chance to smeer. It meant if I had to come outside, he came too, if I went to the bathroom, he came too. It turned out it was a lot less work than cleaning up the shit! Over time he forgot about the smeering and really got the hang of using the toilet.
It's also a really good time to see a peadiatrician, fecal steering is associated with a large number of disorders. Best to get them ruled in or out now. Girls present very differently to boys in a number of disorders so often get missed.
If you can't supervise I know some people who have bought all in one swim suits with long arms and legs and they make the child wear the, backwards so they can't get there hands to the poop. But you need to make sure she is changed as soon as she poops.
Hey thank you for the suggestions
She only does it when she is down for a nap (she still needs a small day nap) I have a baby monitor camera in the room and watch that while they are in there and straight on it when I see her start but I sometimes get distracted with the two older ones. She doesn't do it outside of the bedroom at all it's only when she is about to go to sleep or just woken up.
Definitely put her in a onesie that does up at the back. It wil buy you some time those days where your others distract you!
Best advice! Yay someone commenting who actually has real life experience ?????