Stool Withholding Help

08/11/2025

I’m so grateful for this wonderful review of Body Science: The Toilet Time Experiments.

“Fantastic resource of activities, to help children desensitise around toileting issues. Such a great asset to my activity library working with children with toileting issues.”

This book has been designed specifically for school-aged children, filling a gap in toileting resources by helping them recognise and engage with their body’s toilet cues and urges in a fun, interactive way.

Your reviews make a huge difference—they help get these resources to the parents and educators who need them most. If you’ve used the book, please consider leaving a review! 💛

06/11/2025

Supporting a child through stool withholding can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to medications. Macrogols work by adding more water to the poo, making it softer and easier to pass. This process can take time and requires patience and gentle consistency.

Remember that overcoming stool withholding is a gradual journey. Celebrate small steps, create positive toilet routines, and keep communication supportive and calm. You’re helping your child learn to feel safe and confident with their body again, and that’s incredibly important.

31/10/2025

✨ Meet Squiggy the Poo ✨
A gentle, playful story to help children understand their body signals, reduce toilet anxiety and build confidence with pooing 💛💩

So many little ones experience stool withholding or feel worried about using the toilet. Squiggy the Poo supports them through storytelling, imagination and positive body awareness — helping poo time feel safe and normal.

📚 Where you can get it:
• Amazon
• ERIC Charity’s Online Store
• TG Jones
• Waterstones
• Available for Schools & Libraries via Peters Books

29/10/2025

27/10/2025

💩 Addressing the Psychological Side of Stool Withholding 💩

Here’s how to gently tackle the psychological side 👇

1️⃣ Normalise pooing — reduce anxiety by making poo talk and routines feel normal and fun. Read daily poo stories, take your child to the toilet when you go, and do weekly funny poo crafts to create positive associations.

2️⃣ Create a routine — regular toilet or potty sits build predictability and help your child feel in control.

3️⃣ Use social stories — tools like My Poo Social Story can support problem solving and help your child understand what’s happening in their body.

4️⃣ Teach them to poo again — when a child withholds, their body learns to hold on. Help them relearn how to release by practising gentle bum squeezes. This builds body awareness, confidence and control over bowel movements.

5️⃣ Make it fun — try glitter poos or rice paper characters as incentives to help your child focus on what happens after the poo rather than the act itself.

6️⃣ Reassure and validate — acknowledge that it feels hard (“I can see this is tricky for you, and that’s okay”). Validation builds trust, connection and confidence.

✨ Supporting your child through withholding starts with understanding, play and reassurance, not pressure. ✨

Comment “help” for a DM with links to My Poo Social Story by , and examples of princess and superhero rice paper characters.

’smestories

21/10/2025

💭 The psychological side of stool withholding 💭

When children withhold poo, it’s not usually because they’re being “stubborn”. It’s often rooted in fear, anxiety or uncertainty around toileting.

🧠 Many children begin withholding after a painful poo. The memory of that discomfort creates a strong association between pooing and pain, so they do everything they can to avoid it happening again. This fear response can become automatic over time.

😟 Some children develop anxiety or a lack of confidence around using the toilet or potty. They may be especially aware of the sensations in their tummy or bottom but don’t yet know how to interpret them, so they try to control or ignore them instead.

🚽 The transition to the potty or toilet can also feel overwhelming. A different position, a new environment, or even the sound of flushing can create sensory or emotional discomfort.

✨ Other psychological factors that can contribute include:
• Feeling a loss of control, especially during big life changes
• Wanting to hold on to familiarity, as nappies can feel safe
• Embarrassment or privacy worries, particularly for older children
• A natural avoidance response that becomes a learnt habit

💡 Understanding these psychological barriers is the first step in helping children feel safe and confident to poo again. Building trust, routine and reassurance, rather than pressure, helps their body and mind start working with them, not against them.

📘 Comment BOOK for my stool withholding practical guide, written specifically for parents to help identify the factors contributing to withholding and offering practical solutions to tackle them.

15/10/2025

Laxatives are important because they keep poo soft and prevent painful blockages. But withholding is a learned body response, not just a constipation problem, so medication alone isn’t enough to break the cycle.

1. The fear or uncertainty remains.
Even when poo is soft, a child may still expect it to hurt, feel unpleasant, or be something they don’t want to engage with. That sense of fear or uncertainty stays in their body long after the physical pain has gone.
2. The body learns to hold automatically.
Over time, the body tenses in response to poo urges. The pelvic floor and tummy muscles tighten on their own, without the child needing to think about it.
3. The toilet or potty can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable.
Children may associate the toilet or potty with anxiety, uncertainty, or a change in sensation compared to pooing in a nappy. This can make the transition feel daunting and lead to avoidance.
4. Normalising the experience helps retrain the body.
Keeping stools soft is important, but so is helping a child build positive associations with poo and the potty. Feeling safe, relaxed and supported during toilet time teaches the body that it’s okay to let go again.
Doing bum squeezes, which are gentle pelvic floor exercises, can also help retrain the body to start working with the natural urges to poo and produce a bowel movement.

11/10/2025

💩✨ Squiggy the Poo is receiving ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews from parents and professionals who’ve found it a helpful tool for children struggling with toileting.

This gentle, psychology-based story supports children who find pooing difficult or feel anxious about using the toilet. It helps them relax, recognise body signals, and build confidence through simple body awareness and pelvic floor techniques — making toilet time calmer and more positive.

📖 Available now on and websites, with , and available for schools and libraries to order through Books.

Helping children feel confident, calm, and proud on their toilet journey 💛