diapers, pullups or panties????

[omegsmom]

Okay, so my daughter finally daytime potty trained about a month ago... She has only had one or 2 pee accidents in that time, but this week started pooping in her panties again... basically, I think she gets constipated and then can't feel the little bit of poop coming out (there's a name for it and I plan to discuss it with her dr. soon)... I'm hoping to get her cleared out this week with extra fiber... but, my question is this:
we leave for Disney on Saturday... I WAS planning to just bring panties for her for daytime and diapers for night... now I'm not so sure... I don't want to backtrack on her potty training, but don't want to clean poopy panties in the park bathrooms either! I'm so torn... So, what do you suggest? Have her keep wearing the panties and hope we don't have to leave a long line to go to the bathroom or clean up poop or just put her in diapers or pull ups during the day too just to be on the safe side and retrain her if necessary when we return? If we opt for the diapers/pull ups, we would still encourage her to use the toilet every couple of hours...

Thanks for any advice!!! She just turned 4 and I'm soooo tired of diapers, but the constipation issue in the past, I think, delayed her...

 

[mjkacmom]

I'd bring underwear, and be prepared to just toss soiled ones. If it took this long, I wouldn't risk pullups. Many kids who are scared to poop in the potty will develop the condition you are talking about, which is why it is recommended that if a child asks for a pullup to poop in, let them (until they get over the fear).

 

[bas71873]

My DD was a late potty trainer too. I frankely think she was just too busy to bother taking a break to go potty. Her peditrician told me it would eventually click and she was right. But, I digress. Sorry.

If it were me, I would put your little DD in pull ups for the trip if you think she will have an accident. There is WAY too much distraction at WDW and I would be afraid she would get lost in it all and forgot and have an accident. Plus, I would be stressed about it the whole time and having to clean up pee and/or poo is not my idea of a vacation. It's a tough call though, because it's going to be hot, pull ups are heavier than panties, so a toughie. Maybe take some pull ups and panties and see how she does on day 1 and adjust from there!

Good luck!

 

[Gamester]

At that age what we did when we were away from home for a long time is:

wear underwear because you don't want to backtrack in the training by sending her a wrong message.

wear pullups OVER the underwear as insurance.

 

[djp0630]

Wow, that's a tough one. I'd bring all three. I'd put her in underwear the first day and if it goes badly, then you have backup with the pullups. I wouldn't want to back-track, but you don't want to be having terrible accidents the whole trip. I would definitely try underwear first.

Sorry to hear she has constipation issues. DS1 (not potty-trained) has issues and is now on Miralax to help with it. He holds it and then gets constipated, etc, maybe your Dr. will suggest Miralax or something like that to help with the constipation.

 

[disykat]

We had this same problem with my oldest many years ago. At the time I remember agonizing over it and trying to keep him in underwear at all costs on a vacation. In hind sight, I'd say let her wear the pull ups.

Talk to her about the pull ups being for "just in case" while you are on vacation. Tell her Tinkerbell has a surprise for her each night (a little trinket you buy ahead) if she poops ihn the potty at WDW and keeps her pull up clean. Do what you need to do to keep your vacation EASY!

 

[Lily & Giny's Mom]

Are you thinking of encopresis? Regardless, I think it is supposed to be a vacation for the parents as well as children . You could suffer through the panties and she may regress, but maybe not-if she gets the whole potty thing she may not. I would err on the side of caution and try to enjoy myself. If she has just begun potty training it may be alot of pressure. I wish you luck

 

[MarriedToAPrince]

Since she has just begun and still having issues pooping on the potty I would have her wear Pull-Ups. I have found Huggies Pull-Ups to be thinner and lighter then Pampers Easy Ups.

I agree that you want vacation to be vacation and not worry and she will be so distracted there. I would continue to encourage her to use the potty but with Pull-Ups at least you have that back up and you won't be cleaning her outfit and stroller or your lap in case she has an accident.

 

[mjkacmom]

Since she has just begun and still having issues pooping on the potty I would have her wear Pull-Ups. I have found Huggies Pull-Ups to be thinner and lighter then Pampers Easy Ups.

I agree that you want vacation to be vacation and not worry and she will be so distracted there. I would continue to encourage her to use the potty but with Pull-Ups at least you have that back up and you won't be cleaning her outfit and stroller or your lap in case she has an accident.

Reading the OP, it seems like she's been training a long time, since she's 4, and has been trained now for a whole month. I like the pullups over underwear idea a PP mentioned, because then, at least, the clothing would be spared.

 

[hippiemama76]

I would continue using the panties, and just give potty opportunities as frequently as possible. I would probably encourage her to sit on the toilet once an hour or so, just to see if anything happens.

DD1 had a similar problem around 18 months. It turns out she didn't like pooping in her diaper because it was gross, so she would hold it and hold it until she had constipation issues and voiding issues. Her pediatrician said that a traumatic experience (like pushing out hard, painful poop) could effect a child for 6 months or more. We gave her supplements to encourage softer bowels for several months - probably until she was 2, and also put her on the potty every hour. She only went once a day, so I could be a little less vigilant after that first one came out.

Good luck!

 

[poohfriend77]

I'd probably stick with panties, too. I like the idea of a surprise from Tink on the days she does well. Maybe Tink could send leave her a note now, encouraging her to do her best until the trip.

I'll also suggest bringing post-it notes to cover the sensors on the auto-flush toilets. If she's come this far, you'd hate to set her back because she gets scared by those crazy toilets!

 

[Mrs D]

I vote for pullups. I would also bring ziplock bags (can be cheap dollar store brand) so you can keep everything contained and reduce smell in waste containers.
Here's my thinking; if she's pooping in panties at home with all the distractions at WDW in addition to needing to wait (while in line for rides and at the bathroom) she would be set up for failure. That's not productive. I'd tell her we're still going to go to the bathroom and do our best to stay dry and clean (and I would make sure we took regular stops like every hour) but she can wear a pull up while on vacation just in case.

There have been other threads about throwing away underwear and leaving a smell and mess behind. I suppose you could do the ziplock trick for underwear too...

After 2 years of being stressed over potty training my DS my take is that she won't regress too much. They know vacation life and regular life are different. I would hate for you to have to battle this while trying to have fun on vacation. You never know...she may surprise you!