What to do about my 4 yr old daughter going #1 and #2 outside?

United States
July 21, 2010 12:41pm CST
Ok. So a few days ago my 8 yr old daughter tells me my 4 yr old daughter is going #1 in the trashcan in their bedroom. Then I get informed she is going #2 in a box in my storage room in the basement. To top it off, just a few minutes ago, she was going #2 outside!!! I have taken the tv away from her, made her sit in time out for 30 min, now what? Got any ideas?
3 responses
• United States
21 Jul 10
All children are different so the tactic that works for one child won't necessarily work for another. I know there is a lot of controversy about rewards but I firmly believe in a reward system. Offer her a special reward such as a trip to get ice cream or something like that if she goes to the bathroom every time for a certain period of time. Like I said rewards won't work for all children but I have seen it work more times than not. Just make sure to reward her with something she wouldn't normally get. Good Luck!
@dawnald (85130)
• Shingle Springs, California
21 Jul 10
You could try having her clean it up. Not angrily, in a very matter of fact way, "your mess, you clean it". that might stop it...
@Lunar01 (151)
• United States
21 Jul 10
If it was my dad, he would whoop my butt just for doing that, not sitting in time out. Then again, it's a different generation. You can tell her that the whole family will ignore her if she does it again. It works effectively if she does it one day just to find out that her whole family does not even acknowledge her existence anymore. This method is a little harsh and I don't know if you are able to carry it out when she starts to act up to get people's attention.