It Hurts When I Poop! a Story for Children Who Are Scared to Use the Potty

by Howard J. Bennett, M.S. Weber (Illustrator)

iParenting Media Award Winner

Helping children overcome their fear of pooping with colorful illustrations and a thoughtful story. 

Ryan is scared to use the potty. He is afraid to have a poop, because he's afraid it's going to hurt. He does NOT want to go. This story, along with Ryan's "poop program," will help young children gain the confidence they need to overcome this common problem and establish healthy habits. Includes a Note to Parents by the author.

From the Note to

The book includes a “poop program” that I use with children between the ages of 3 and 6. While the program is ostensibly for the main character, my hope is that your child will want to follow these steps as well. How you approach the program will vary somewhat depending on your child’s age. Most 3- to 4-year-olds do not need to do the program in a formal way. Instead, you can incorporate parts of the program into your daily routine—make the needed dietary changes, reward successful pooping with stickers, and consider reviewing how poops come out of the body. Most 5- to 6-year-olds are interested in doing the full program, though it is still important to be flexible. For example, if a 5-year-old does not want to do Potty Practice, I would adjust things accordingly.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Parenting, Education, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kathryn Hejnicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining AND informative! Would probably rate it 4.5 but am rounding up to 5 simply for the illustrations. Feeling inspired to go be the boss of my own body after reading this! Definitely would recommend to a friend

[Madysen Kumpula · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! What an incredible read! The one qualm I had was the sudden shift mid-book that left readers a little bit confused. The author definitely closed well and tied up loose ends. Super informative, compelling, and hard-hitting. To tackle such a brave topic with such poise was an incredible feat and for that I applaud them! If you’re ever needing a good toilet read, this one will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time! (Maybe not the edge of your toilet seat… be careful)

[Sara Planz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I really resonated with the main character, Ryan. We learned a lot today. I'd call this...a success!

[Beth Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book with good advice for children and parents of children who are having constipation (a word which, by the way, is never used in the book). I do not like the subtitle on the front of the book, however: it is NOT "a story for children who are scared to use the potty." It is for children who are afraid to poop, because it hurts.

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I need to have a shelf just for poop books!

I stumbled across this one while opening the mail at work. It's about a boy who doesn't like to poop because sometimes it hurts. Yikes!
He goes to the doctor, and she's very helpful, but tells the kid some weird-ass story about a coyote who doesn't clean his house or wash the dishes or take out the garbage. WTF? Why a coyote? I understand the metaphor here, but a coyote? Why not read the kid the story of Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out? A coyote? Really?

I thought this was a pretty good book, with really good advice (eat foods that make your poop soft), but because of the weirdness of the coyote story, I'm only giving it two stars.

[Clementine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is there probably a specific niche for a book like this? Yes. Is this the book to fill that need? I don't think so. It's way, way too long and includes a WEIRD analogy about an animal that likes to clean up trash? to explain how pooping works, and the focus on how much it hurts to poop is likely to scare away even the kids who don't currently have bowel issues.

Yikes.

[Haaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot tell you how many times I read this book. I work with a two year old full-time and potty time has been a nightmare. Recently her parents and myself discovered she was backed up because she was refusing to go and holding it in. It's incredible how common it is in little kids that have had really rough experiences going to the bathroom.
Reading this book during 'Potty Practice Time' (recommended in the book) really helped and now we're back on track after about a week of getting it right.

It sounds silly. It is a bit silly. You say Poop a whole lot. But everyone poops. And they need to know that.

Definitely helpful.

[Kay Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if this really counts as me reading it but I thought I would write and explain why I'm adding this. It had this read to me on a YouTube Episode of Good Mythical Morning and it is not that great of a story as an adult but listening to Rhett and Link read it and give commentary was hilarious. I would seriously check it out (link below) but ya since they read it and i don't expect to by this book myself and read it I'm counting it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwi...

[Ana G · Rating 3 out of 5]

My guess is this works better for older kids...4 and under might not be the target audience.

This book was rec'd to us during exciting potty training times. Apparently when it works, it really works, but half a year in, it still hasn't quite clicked w/ my kid. And even I find the story-within-a-story framing a bit clunky and lengthy. Illustrations seem geared toward an older audience, as well.

Probably great for slightly older kiddos who can understand a bit more of their thinking when they refuse to use the potty -- for a stubborn toddler who's mostly made out of NO, it hasn't kept his attention.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand the need for a book like this for children but I feel it grew very tangential and didn’t quite solve the problem of kids being “scared” to go potty. There was a really peculiar analogy about a coyote with a dirty house?? No idea how that had anything to do with anything....
Good initial idea, but the follow through fell short

[Chris Bignell · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've read dozens of cooks about constipation w children. This book put the issues in good language that my daughter could understand and helped her over the psychological hurdle that she struggled with for years 1-4.

[Aiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as part of a giant pile of books from a yard sale and read out of curiosity. It was pretty good! It has info about what foods to eat and which to avoid, and info for parents about how to help their kid who's having trouble.

[Amer Arab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, this was so helpful. I wouldn't have been able to poop those hot peppers without it. Ah, such a relief

[Cindy Jobbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book for potty training problems for my grandsons

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good resource for kids who struggle to poop on potty due to pain from constipation or just fear. Pretty long for toddlers but good for preschoolers. Elliot requested this book a lot

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be boring, too long, and with depressing illustrations. Recommend other potty training books focusing on poop. It did have a lot of info.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler really enjoys this story and likes reading it while on the potty, although I don't think he still quite "gets" it.

[Miguel Abuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dinosaurs and poop

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I read this. I never thought I'd end up reading books about poop.

Once you get past that, though (if you can), it's really well done, and I'd recommend it very highly for young children who have bowel movement withholding issues.

It's about a little boy who doesn't poop when he needs to. His parents take him to the doctor, and she tells him a story to help him understand what's going on, then describes a new diet that will help his little problem.

My son loves this book, and it is actually helping with his problem as well as opening up discussion.

[Teddee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a more didactic book for kids. It's the story of a boy who goes to the doctor and the doctor teaches him about constipation and withholding. So this is a way of transmitting that content to your child.

Within that doctor visit is a story within a story. The doctor tells the story of Rick, who lets his house fill up with trash. When Rick finally cleans up his out and puts out the garbage, he feels better.

[Liesl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The word "poop" is used so many times throughout this book that after a while it lost all meaning to me! There is some good information here that will be useful while potty training my toddler; it is nice to be aware of more effective foods to feed him during this time. The analogous story of the coyote is a bit random and went over my son's head, but I do think he gained a better understanding of his inner workings. Yay, we both learned something!

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt juvenile when reading this because I laughed when the word 'poops' was used. The imaginative way to show how poop comes out also made me laugh. The story of the hoarding coyote was a good example. This is a useful book for kids (and adults) if you can get through it with a straight face. Call it a personal challenge.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm SURE this book has a place in the lives of kids and their parents. Do I think this need necessarily calls for a super long metaphor for the colon about a hoarding fox or something called Ryan's Poop Program? No. Also, the title might instill fear in children who have no problems with this area to begin with.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The analogy story the doctor tells little Ryan doesn't make much sense, but it's a cute book all the same with a nice list in the back of foods that make poop softer and foods that make poop harder. We read it to baby Tess, but of course it's geared for an older kid who is having troubles.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would feel a little weird giving 5 stars to a book with the word "poop" in the title even if I really liked it. My pediatrician recommended this for constipated kids. We'll see if it helps. :)

[Rashell · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story is a very detailed, so it was too much for my 3 year old nephew. It is probably better for the school age group.

[Sharper1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! This is HILARIOUS! It includes an allegory abt a coyote who doesn't clean his house. The Potty Plan and experiments therein are SPECTACULAR!!!

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one I recommend, it really helped my child learn that it's ok and in fact good to let go of his poops. This book and lots of fiber cured that problem really fast.