Bowel Movements ruining sleep, please advise!

[Lauraanne68]

My son is 22 months and used to sleep from 8pm-7am with a 2 hour nap from 1-3pm every day. For 6 days in a row now he has woken up at 6am with a bowel movement and won't go back to sleep. He has also been having them at nap times and so either hasn't been napping at all (!!!!!) or sleeping for about 15 minutes to start, then waking up and staying up after the B.M. He also goes once or twice in the mornings before his nap sometimes.

We do not feel he is ready to be potty trained since he can't get his clothes off, is not interested, and cannot tell us before he needs to go. We have a baby due in June and I don't want to start the process too soon with my toddler.

Please help! Has anyone else experienced his? Any suggestions?

Laura

[anna*]

There's not a whole lot you can do to shift the timing of BMs, but you could try moving things by giving laxative foods (ie prunes, apricots) at certain times and more non-laxative (ie the BRAT diet) at other times to hopefully shift it to a more convenient time.

[Lauraanne68]

Thank you for your comment! We have been attempting to give the fiber rich foods at breakfast and lunch, but so far he is still waking up early for the BMs. Guess we'll just have to deal with it!

[Mashi]

If it helps, I find that when we go through phases of this, it doesn't last TOOO long. But does come in phases - if DS is going to wake early because he has pooped, then he will do so every single day for about 2 weeks until it just passes.  We also get the poops that happen as he is on his way to bed (I'm convinced he squeezes them out on purpose to delay bedtime), and that will last for about 2 weeks, and right now we are getting  a nap-interrupting poop...he falls asleep, and wakes 10 minutes later with a poop, and I have to change him and put him back down. Does not matter if I wait 20 minutes for his nap, he holds the poop in until he's been asleep.

I have thought that it might be phases where he is a bit backed up and it is the relaxation of drifting to sleep that means he is relaxed enough to poop, but haven't figured out what the 6am one could be!