2 year old son using pool as his personal potty

[nicole12]

My 2 1/2 year old son everytime he goes in the pool has a bowel movement. Not sure if it's the swimming/water combo or what but it's really annoying and really gross. He isn't potty trained yet so he wears the swimming diapers but I question how good those diapers are in containig the grossness. My question: I've been running my chlorine between 15ppm-25ppm now for about 3 weeks because of his frequent BM's in the pool. Is that dangerous? My CYA is high around 100 so I should be running 8ppm-15ppm anyway. Since this keeps happening should I keep my chlorine at 15ppm and not 8ppm?

Or any other tips on keeping him from using the pool as his toilet. When he does this he's out of the pool for the rest of the day but I don't think he quite understands why he's in trouble. When he's in the pool, I keep asking him if he's gone and he says no. I can't tell when he does it and sure enough when I check him he's gone. It's annoying to me too to keep asking him every 2 minutes...do you need to go to the bathroom and of course he says "no".

[prh129]

Hi Nicole,

My inclination would be to raise the chlorine to shock level (25 ppm for your CYA of 100) whenever this happens and in general stay to the high side of your recommended FC range (which would be 15 ppm for your CYA of 100).

I have a 4-1/2 year old and although he doesn't poop in the pool (or he hasn't yet!) he will often get poop in his underwear because he doesn't get to the potty in time (often because he is too busy with whatever else he is doing) and like you, we ask if he has to go and he will say no but then three minutes later there he is in the bathroom with poop in the underwear again. The most effective treatment so far is we recently got a rewards chart (I think is was a Melissa & Doug magnetic board) and he could put a magnet up for every day he got to the bathroom in time. He did very well with this and after several successful days as a reward we took him to the Boston Children's Museum one Saturday on the train. Lately, we slacked off in specifying what the next reward would be and he seems to be sliding backward but it defintely gave him motivation to improve so I would say it's definitely worth trying. I don't know that there is one answer that works on every child so you might need to try different techniques to see what works best for your child. Good luck!

Peter

[bradjo]

......snip.... I don't think he quite understands why he's in trouble.

Hi Nicole;
I'd buy him a small inflatable pool of his own and pop him in there. Also you can pour warm water in the little inflatable so that the pool is warmer for him too. If he soils the small pool it's a simple matter of cleaning and disposal in a nicely contained area. Once he is doing well in that environment then I'd move him to family pool.

Anyway it's another option, hth,
Jo

[SoCalBoo]

Not a pool response, but a response from another parent.

I have twin daughters who will turn 3 in August. The were poop and pee trained at about 2 1/2, with the exception of nighttime.

But the pool is a whole 'nother variable. There is something about the pool that makes them go poop. It is even more pronounced if they come in the jacuzzi (i.e. the frequency happens more). I think it is the warm water.

Anyways, we make them sit on the potty before they go in the pool (and before we leave...they just love to go potty in the travel potty if they can!). They will almost always go pee. But if it is around the time they usually go poop (both girls have fairly regular schedules), we'll wait extra long, and usually have good success. Between that and stickers as rewards from not pooping in the pool, it has all seemed to pass.

They taught themselves how to pee over the drains in the deck. I guess better there than in the pool...

Also, the nylon reusable swim diapers, doubled up, are far more effective than the pull up ones, at least in my estimation. We found them online at some swim supply store, but I've seen them at kids stores around town as well.

What about putting a little potty on the side of the pool? Gradually move it back in the house if he starts using it?

[nicole12]

He will not pee in the pool. He loves to come out of the pool and pee like a "fire hose" as he puts it. That's what I don't get. He won't pee in the pool because I told him the water would turn green and the whole pool would come down and go out to trash. But poop is another story. He's very secretive about it. Thinks he's going to get in trouble when he goes. That's because if he doesn't have a pull-up on he'll go in his pants on the floor where ever. And I guess I do get a bit angry when that happens. And as far as his BM schedule, he doesn't have one at all. That is the big problem with potty training him. My daughter who is now 4 was trained fully at 2 years old.

It's just very discouraging. He loves to go swimming and it becomes so stressful for me. He seems like he understand and says "no mom i won't go in the pool" but next time he does. When he does come out and he hasn't he's all proud. I wonder in the pool if he can't tell if he going...I don't know. He's never once in life pooped in the tub why the pool?

I'm afraid for him because he is so irregular it's becoming a more of a habit. Pool=poop.

Sorry for getting so gross...I'm just really, really upset by this. I'm grossed out to go in my own pool.

[mom2PMPV]

I'm a newbie here, but a mom of 4 and a nurse.

I second the warm warm stimulating things, and at this point it might have become an asssociation, the other thought I had is, are you holding him and possibly compressing his tummy some?

the other thing is realistically you are at very little risk of catching a germ from him unless he has loose stools. most likely any bacteria in his gut are the same in your gut. I know it doesn't remove the yuck factor but there is little chance you health or his is at risk.


also Target carries the washable swim diapers for less than many online sites and they do fit more snuggly than the disposable.

[nicole12]

I will go to Target and pick up those swimming pants. Thanks. I do not hold him the pool, he has his arm floats and likes to swim like his sister.

I checked my numbers tonight and my FC is 17 and CC is 0 so I think I'm all set at this point as far as sanitation is concerned.