Stool Withholding Help

Stool Withholding Help 🌟 Dr Kate McGarry 🧠 Developmental Psychologist 📖 Check out my book for support and guidance ⬇️

01/09/2026

🚨 Not every “poo dance” means a child is trying to poo! 🚨

When a child crosses their legs, stands stiffly, goes up on tiptoes, or hides in a corner, many parents assume they're trying to do a poo. 🤔

But often, they're actually doing the opposite... they're trying to hold it in. 🚫💩

⚠️ This is a classic sign of stool withholding and it's one of the most misunderstood behaviours in children.

💡 If we misread these signs, we can miss the real issue and delay the support they need.

❤️ Understanding what your child is communicating through their behaviour is the first step towards helping them feel more comfortable, confident, and pain-free.

✨ Follow me for more evidence-based support on children's bowel health, constipation, and toileting challenges.

🔗 Tap the link in my bio for more resources, guidance, and practical tips.

💩 Wondering what a successful disimpaction actually looks like?🎙️ In this ERIC Helpline Podcast, we talk parents through...
31/08/2026

💩 Wondering what a successful disimpaction actually looks like?

🎙️ In this ERIC Helpline Podcast, we talk parents through:

✅ What to aim for during disimpaction
✅ Helpful visual signs you're making progress
✅ How to tell when you're getting close to the end of the process
✅ Common questions and concerns along the way

💡 Sometimes knowing what to expect can make the journey feel much less overwhelming.

🔗 Tap the link in my bio to access this ERIC Helpline Podcast and listen now.

29/08/2026

💩 Is your child's pooing becoming a daily battle?

If you're dealing with:

🚩 Poo withholding
🚩 Only pooing in a nappy or pull-up
🚩 Anxiety around pooing
🚩 Regular soiling or skid marks
🚩 Constipation that just keeps coming back
🚩 Refusing to sit on the toilet
..you are not alone.

As a psychologist specialising in children's toileting difficulties, I help parents understand why these challenges are happening and, more importantly, what they can do to support their child.

💙 My approach combines practical strategies, psychological principles, and evidence-based support to help families move forward with confidence.

Whether your child is withholding poo, stuck in a cycle of constipation and soiling, or struggling to transition from nappy to toilet, there are often simple changes that can make a big difference.

You don't have to figure it all out on your own.

💬 Comment HELP and I'll send you information about my consultations and how I can support your family.





28/08/2026

💩🚩 Is your child impacted?

Many parents assume an impaction means a child isn't pooing at all.

But the reality is that children can be doing daily poos and still have a large amount of poo sitting in their bowel.

A faecal impaction happens when poo builds up in the bowel and becomes difficult to pass. Over time, the bowel stretches, signals become less effective, and a cycle of constipation and withholding can develop.

Some common signs your child may be impacted include:

✅ Poo withholding behaviours
✅ Skid marks or soiling in underwear
✅ Loose stools or "diarrhoea-like" accidents (overflow stool)
✅ Sandy or gritty bits in underwear or nappies (often old poo breaking away from an impaction)
✅ Wetting accidents or increased daytime/night-time wees
✅ Very large poos that block the toilet
✅ Tummy pain or bloating
✅ Reduced appetite
✅ Going several days without a poo
✅ Straining or discomfort when pooing
✅ A cycle of large poos followed by loose poos

One of the biggest surprises for parents is that an impacted bowel can put pressure on the bladder, leading to wetting accidents, urgency, or more frequent wees.

🚩 If an impaction isn't fully cleared, the bowel often can't return to normal function, making it harder for children to recognise and respond to their body's signals.

The good news? Once the bowel is properly cleared, many children can start rebuilding healthy bowel habits and regain confidence around toileting.

💬 Comment DISIMPACTION and I'll DM you my posts on disimpaction, including what to expect and what a successful clear-out should look like.





💩🚽 Struggling to get your child to poo in the toilet? Meet Squiggy—the friendly poo on a mission to help!Squiggy the Poo...
27/08/2026

💩🚽 Struggling to get your child to poo in the toilet? Meet Squiggy—the friendly poo on a mission to help!

Squiggy the Poo: On a Mission is a fun, empowering story created by Developmental Psychologist Dr. Kate McGarry to help children overcome poo worries, toilet refusal, and withholding.

Through playful relaxation techniques, encouragement, and an exciting mission with Squiggy, children learn to feel calm, confident, and in control when it’s time to poo in the toilet. 🌟

Perfect for children who:

✅ Refuse to poo in the toilet
✅ Hold in their poo during toilet training
✅ Feel anxious about moving from nappies to the toilet
✅ Need a gentle, evidence-based approach

Because every child deserves to feel confident, capable, and proud of their potty-training journey. 💜

👇 COMMENT "MISSION" below and I'll send you the link!

26/08/2026

Constipation and stool withholding are not the same thing — but the relationship between the two can be VERY messy. No pun intended! 😂💩

Constipation is about what’s happening physically — poo can become hard, large, painful or difficult to pass.

Withholding is behavioural. It’s when a child actively holds their poo in, and there can be lots of reasons for this: fear of pain, anxiety, previous painful experiences, not wanting to stop playing, toilet worries… the list goes on.

But here’s where it gets complicated 👇

A child can become constipated and then learn to withhold because they’ve experienced a painful poo.

Or a child can start withholding for behavioural reasons, which then causes constipation because the poo is sitting in the bowel for longer.

So constipation can cause withholding, and withholding can cause constipation — and sometimes they’re happening at the same time.

That’s why simply saying “they’re constipated” doesn’t always explain what’s really going on.

When a child is withholding, we need to think about the physical problem AND the behaviour. Treating the constipation is important, but understanding and addressing the withholding behaviour is often just as important. ❤️

Follow me for practical, evidence-based advice on stool withholding, constipation and all things poo — without the judgement, confusion or “just tell them to go!” advice. 💩😂

If you’re navigating withholding with your child, you’re in the right place. ❤️

25/08/2026

🚩 One of the biggest mistakes I see is assuming a child is improving just because they're pooing occasionally.

💩 Yes, they're going...

🧠 But are they still withholding?

When a child continues to hold on, the bowel can remain under strain and symptoms may keep returning, even when it looks like things are getting better.

⚠️ This is why focusing only on constipation can miss a huge part of the picture.
💡 Understanding stool withholding is often the key to helping children make lasting progress, not just short-term improvements.

✅ The sooner withholding is recognised, the sooner families can start moving forward with confidence.

👇 Comment GUIDE and I'll DM you my practical guide for parents.

✨💩📖 One of the most innovative toileting ideas I've been sent by a parent recently is using AI to create a personalised ...
24/08/2026

✨💩📖 One of the most innovative toileting ideas I've been sent by a parent recently is using AI to create a personalised social story about poo withholding.

Imagine a story where:

✅ Your child is the main character
✅ Their poo withholding behaviours are included in a gentle, child-friendly way
✅ They learn what their body needs to do
✅ They discover practical solutions they can try

The magic of personalised social stories is that children can see themselves in the situation. Instead of hearing advice from an adult, they're watching a character just like them work through the problem and find a solution.

This can help children:

💙 Better understand their body's signals
💙 Feel less worried about doing a poo
💙 Develop problem-solving skills
💙 Build confidence around toileting
💙 Learn positive strategies for overcoming withholding

A huge thank you to the wonderful parent who shared this idea with me. It's such a creative way to combine technology with evidence-based support for toileting challenges.

💬 Comment "STORY" and I'll DM you the prompt you can copy and paste into ChatGPT, Copilot, or your favourite AI tool to create a personalised poo withholding social story for your child.





23/08/2026

That moment when you’re trying to work out how to measure that 0.5ml of water… 🧮😂

But honestly, don’t stress about getting that 0.5ml perfectly!

When mixing Movicol/macrogol, the important thing is that you don’t use less water than recommended. Adding a little extra water is absolutely fine — you don’t need to measure it down to the last 0.5ml!

So if your measurements aren’t perfectly precise, don’t panic. More water is fine; less than the recommended amount isn’t. 💩❤️

Save this for the next time you’re doing GCSE maths with a Movicol sachet 😂

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