It Hurts When I Poop

 By Howard J. Bennett, M.D.
Illustrated by M.S. Weber

Yup.  We took out a potty book.  A very specific potty book about constipation.  This one is about a kid who purposely refuses to poop.  The difference between this kid and my kid is that this one is old enough to negotiate with his parents.

 The book is a story within a story.  Ryan goes to the doctor because he won't poop, and the doctor tells him a story about a coyote who won't clean his house.  And then explains that it's a metaphor.  That part went over my kid's head.

The actual good part is the one where they have diagrams and explain where poop comes from and where it goes.  It's very interesting for kids and might help you explain to them why it is SO important that they STOP HOLDING IT IN.

Reading this book wasn't a miracle cure, but I think it was good to help us talk about some of the problems we're having.  I think we just need to sneak prunes into the baby food and wait a few months before we have a serious chat about it again.