I wanted to share some information on our potty training experience, that was a huge struggle for months.  I know that not everyone has a smooth and easy experience, and there are lots of blogs out there on how to do it in one day!  Well, guess what that did not come close to working for us.   We did everything out there we could think of, charts, prizes, pretty panties, a cute potty chair.  It was a battle I would not wish on anyone.  The number one reason I believe this was hard for her, she was always constipated.  We started giving her Miralax as a suggestion from several friends and co-workers.   I wanted to go over our biggest struggle, and how we have fixed it.

1.  Having smears (small amounts of poop) in her panties, several times a day.  When this started, we assumed she was holding her poop in.  Afraid to poop due to constipation and the pain it would cause her.  These smears resulted in diaper rashes, bad ones, even though she was wearing panties.  This battle lead us to Miralax.
2. She did a little better with the Miralax but continued to have occasional smears.  She also had pee accidents quite often.  We were doing the whole potty chart with stickers, and when she completed a sheet she could get a prize from her “treasure box”.  This worked for the most part, and I think it would work for most children, but we were battling constipation and the fear of moving her bowels.  Eventually, she got a severe diaper rash, so we made an appointment with the doctor.
3. The doctor confirmed she was constipated and prescribed a very strong cream for her.  She also suggested we give her an adult dose of Miralax every morning.
4. We soon had her butt cleared up, and she started pooping regularly with the adult dosage of Miralax.  We did not have a rash after that.  She may have a smear here and there, but nothing compared to what she did before.  I was not a fan of giving her Miralax, but if we missed one day, she would not poop.  He doctor has assured us that it is safe (despite random scary articles posted on the internet). I feed her a balanced diet, but I feel nothing short of feeding her fiber only would fix her issues.
5. She is four years old now, and she still has the occasional accident, we currently see a pediatric GI doctor for her constipation issues.  There has been a lot of struggles, but things seem to be getting better.  If your child is struggling with potty training, contact your pediatrician.  They may have the answers!

Did you struggle with potty training?  What suggestions might you have for other parents to get through this?  I know we had a lot of patience and lost it many times along the way.