Fashion a fake dolly poo to encourage toddler's potty use

Simon's story is so, so...well, so PARENT HACKS, it makes me smile every time I read it.

My Father-in-Law (FIL) came up with a stonking [American translation: fantastic or brilliant. -- Ed.] solution to encourage use of the potty in my two year-old daughter.

He made fake poo by mixing a digestive biscuit with a little black tea, discreetly placed it & then sat her favourite dolly on the potty. After dinner, my daughter was then encouraged to find dolly & she was very excited to see that dolly was using the potty & started to praise her dolly as we praise her. That afternoon she started using the potty properly & has continued to do so ever since, with the odd accident.

We continue to make fake poo & place it with dolly on the potty & she continues to use the potty.

Stonking is right, Simon. I'm dying for a photo.

If anyone's wondering what a digestive biscuit is, it's a plain tea cookie. Popular brands include Marie and (if your store stocks British foods) McVitie's. I bet a soda cracker or a graham cracker would work just as well in this case.

Comments

[Jill in Atlanta]

oh. my.

[Parent Hacks Editor]

Jill: Uh huh!

[Heather]

I have to say I think this IS stonking (what an awesome word!)!!! My sweet two and a half year old enjoys going peepee on the potty but continues pooping in her panties. Baby Ariel will have a surprise waiting this afternoon when my daughter wakes up from her nap! ;0)

[Tiffany]

Wow! I was expecting read that they had used brown playdough or something. If only that would work for my puppy! :-)

[carmie]

I'm not desperate enough yet to make fake poop. Enough of the real stuff around here....

its very nice technique!thanks? i'l try to my twin 2 yr daughter...ooppss wish me luck! i hope it will work....

its very nice technique!thanks! i'l try to my twin 2 yr daughter...ooppss wish me luck! i hope it will work....

[Julie]

Recently at a friend's baby shower we played a (kind of nasty, yet stonking) game where we identified "poo" in each of a dozen different diapers (it was all different kinds of candy bars, each microwaved to gooey perfection). All that to say, I imagine a masticated tootsie roll or piece of chocolate would also do the trick (though who wants to chuck chocolate in the toilet?).

[Denise]

For those without the time to make a fake poo, try using a tootsie roll!

[Parent Hacks Editor]

Aw, c'mon, Denise. I think we ALL have time to make fake poo.

;-)

[El]

This hack *really* works! I made fake poo out of instant coffee, flour and crackers - the look on my toddler's face when dolly did a dump - was priceless! Since the dolly-poo show, son has been practicing pooing on grown-up potty and after a day, did it for real!

[ashlye]

What a great idea. Like other posts, my daughter WILL NOT do her #2 business on the potty. I've read many tips, but this is the best yet. She's napping now and I'm getting ready to cook up some poo. Hopefully this little trick will work like magic and we can FINALLY get rid of those pull-ups!!!

[Dawn Smith]

I am laughing so hard, I am crying here! Now THIS is a timely hack for us. My daughter won't do #2 in her potty seat. She'll watch the potty videos and promptly do it in her pullups, even with me and daddy asking her if she needs to go. She is all about teaching her dolly how to use the potty, so I think this will actually work! We'll try the chocolate and I'll get back to you all...