Tips on how to help a toddler who’s afraid to poop

Heather • Maggie’s mom

I’m pretty sure this is a not uncommon problem. My daughter just turned 2 a couple months ago and is basically potty trained. BUT she is afraid to poop (actually her actual words are “I don’t like to poop.”) She still does poop in the potty most of the time, but it involves a lot of crying, protesting, several trips to the potty, and her holding it in. Which I’m sure makes the problem worse.