Have you ever looked in the toilet and thought, “how did such a large poop come out of such a small person?

If so, you are not alone!

XXL poops like this are actually a sign of constipation in children. Constipation is very, very common even if diet and exercise are relatively healthy.

Children’s bodies are growing, maturing, and changing rapidly. It can be difficult for the digestive system to keep up, especially when fruits and vegetables are “yucky” and taking time out of play to drink water or go to the bathroom is hard!

Most people think of constipation as infrequent or very hard poops… which it can be! But, not always!

XXL poops can be a sign that the rectum is too stretched out from a long time of holding too much poop.

The rectum is very near the end of the digestive tract, right before the anus (where poop comes out). Its job is to sense how much poop is inside of you and signal you when it’s time to poop. However, there are many valid reasons a young child might start to ignore or suppress the sensations from their rectum.

Some of these include:

They simply can’t feel it. The ability to feel your own body is called “interoception”. Interoception comes more naturally to some people than others and is especially difficult for children who are neurodivergent. They may need extra support to help develop body awareness and be more reliant on external cues from a parent, a potty watch, or regular routine to remember health toileting habits.
The rectum is too stretched. When children have been chronically constipated, then the walls of the rectum can get very stretched out. The rectum should be able to sense when it is full and when it is empty. When it is stretched, instead of being able to sense, it is simply always storing poop. It’s very hard to sense when you are full of poop if you are always full of poop! It just becomes normal. This child will likely need some support from their medical team to aggressively manage constipation so that the rectum can heal, shrink, and provide appropriate sensations again!
They can feel some sensation, but would rather do something else. It takes a lot of maturity to interrupt something you are doing that you really enjoy to go take care of your body! Consider this the next time you are scrolling Instagram or TikTok instead of going for a walk, doing that meditation practice you always talk about, or avoiding the gym equipment you bought yourself for your birthday. It’s a difficult thing for adults and it is even more so for children. Compassion and understanding along with education and routines can be very helpful here.
Pooping is painful. Pain is such an aversive experience that, if a child experiences one painful poop, then that can be enough to make them want to avoid pooping at all costs. They hold and hold and hold as long as possible. Teaching the child that pooping shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be painful is really important along with proper toileting mechanics.
They don’t feel safe pooping in other places. This can be a really tough one for adults too! Having a regular routine should minimize the need to poop in other places. But, everyone has to at some point! Reassurance that pooping is normal and reinforcing that it’s important to honor your body’s needs can be really helpful. If you are an adult who struggles with this and so does your child, then I would encourage you to try to lead by example! 🙂
And more! Every child is different and resistance to or difficulty pooping can have a lot of different causes. Having a conversation with your child centered around curiosity and toileting can give you a ton of insight into their specific barriers.

Clogging the toilet and XXL poops are a sign of constipation in children. A child can be pooping everyday and still be very constipated because their rectum is stretched out. A normally functioning rectum will progressively stretch out as it fills with poop. Once enough poop has accumulated, it will send your body a signal to poop. After pooping, the rectum should be empty. However, in constipated children who are still pooping daily the rectum never gets fully empty even right after a bowel movement. Retaining stool can cause all sorts of problems ranging from plumbing issues (clogging the toilet) to abdominal pain, stool smears, UTIs, bladder urgency, accidents, and bedwetting.

Constipation is generally very treatable with appropriate support, but it should not be ignored! We all feel better, behave better, and perform better when we poop daily. Your child deserves that too 🙂

If your child is struggling with constipation or toileting issues there is help! Have more questions or want to talk about individual needs? Schedule a 20 minute free consultation today!

Warmly,

Why does my child’s poop always clog the toilet?