One study of four hundred children, published in 2003, showed that the length of refusal (i.e., the number of months this goes on) decreased with a child-oriented intervention where, among other things, parents made a big deal about the child pooping in the diaper before potty training started.13 This means saying things like, “Wow! You pooped! That’s so great!” and so on. The kids in this treatment were no less likely to have the problem at all, but it lasted for less time.
