I'm Not Pooping! The potty book for kids with poop anxiety
"I’m Not Pooping” is shouted repeatedly by Kate – a spicy little girl who refuses to poop. Young readers will find Kate in very uncomfortable positions as she struggles to hold her poop in. Her mom and sister encourage her to listen to her body. But it’s not until they hear the poop shouting for help, that she listens.
Through delightful illustrations and reassuring rhymes, children learn the importance of listening to their bodies, and that they can overcome nervous feelings too. Kate faces her fear with a deep breath and realizes that pooping is a safe thing to do.
Filled with empathy, humor, and practical tips, I’m Not Pooping tells a relatable and entertaining story to help children poop anxiety. It provides parents and caregivers with a supportive tool to address a common poop-withholding issue with compassion and understanding.
Join Kate in celebration as she rescues the poop from her bum! And make potty training a little less intimidating and a little more fun.
DEDICATED TO PARENTS who have Googled "Why my child won't poop"
I wrote "I'm Not Pooping" to support your withholding journey. My fingers are crossed it will be shorter than ours was. Check out my FAQ to learn more.
REVIEWS
The reviews are in and they are glowing!
This may be the story they need
"For kids refusing to stop and take necessary [bathroom] breaks, this may be the story they need." — Kirkus Reviews
Infuse kids with confidence
"This story’s happy ending will infuse kids with confidence... This is an upbeat, supportive intervention for little ones who may be struggling with toilet training." — Book Life by Publishers Weekly
Funny, relatable and empowering
"I’m Not Pooping is a funny, relatable, and empowering tool for reminding readers to listen to their bodies." — The Children’s Book Review
FAQs of our withholding journey
We went through it all and didn't find much support on the way. So I wrote I'm Not Pooping and dedicated it to all the parents who are Googling "Child won't poop" in hopes that your journey is shorter than ours was.
Our child had a painful poop experience and decided she never wanted to poop again. No joke. She woke up one morning and announced that she wasn’t going to poop anymore. I scooped up her cereal bowl and said “Well you won’t need that then.” After some explanation, she came to understand that poop was unavoidable. But she wasn’t happy about it.
Our child could go 4-5 days without pooping. The first time this happened, we ran to the pharmacy to get a laxative and assumed the problem would work itself out. We quickly realized constipation was a symptom of a much bigger withholding issue when we witnessed a distressing scene. Our daughter screamed, “I’m pooping!” While clenching her bum cheeks together and shaking in pain and discomfort to keep the poop inside. What was she doing and why wasn’t she letting the poop out?! These questions rattled our brains as we searched for solutions to withholding – a term we had never heard of before.
The idea of a quick-fix laxative was over. Our journey to resolve the withholding issue had just begun. We supported her struggle with the usual fluids, fiber, and movement regime. Every poop was a win, and each time we thought that the challenge was over. But it wasn’t. It took much longer than we anticipated because she needed time to build trust in her own body. It took patience and reassurance from us for her to feel safe. She needed help to overcome her fear and create a new poop narrative in her mind. That’s why I wrote I’m Not Pooping – To help families overcome potty training issues faster than we did.
- We did the usual stuff: lots of liquids, movement, and fiber (prune pouches helped a lot).
- We read lots of books about poop but I didn’t like any of them, so I wrote: “I’m Not Pooping”.
- We talked about poop all the time. How our bodies were telling us it was time to let the poop out and how good it felt afterward.
- We sang the “Everybody poops” song on repeat!
- We also used affirmations like “It’s safe to poop” and “My body makes poop every day.”
- We even appreciated our poop! We talked about how our bodies take care of us by making poop. We stared into the toilet and said, “WOW look what your body made!”
- We offered a poop reward. (I know you shouldn’t use food as a reward but we were desperate.) When she pooped, I would shake the jar of Smarties (Canadian candy) and yell “Smartie party!” Everyone in the family cheered and we each had a few smarties to celebrate the victory. I hope you have a poop victory to celebrate soon! Good luck on your journey.
