May I ask you why it is important for you to have him go to the potty? Is there an issue with the diaper?

I'm can't offer any advice since potty training is turning out to be a slowww process around here, but I can kinda relate...my ds pooped in the potty the very next day after we broke it out of the box(no joke), but it's been 4 months since then, and it just isn't happening anymore. The other day I had his diaper off with his potty not 5 feet from him, and he pooped on the floor. So I know it can be frustrating.....with the kind of start we had I fully expected to be out of diapers by now, but that's so not the case! Hang in there mama, hopefully it will pass soon.

We have been practicing Elimination Communication with our son since he was about 10-12 months old (he's now 19 months old) because he showed signs of interest and being ready. I read The Diaper Free Baby book, and that really helped too. I know your child is older than our son, but what helped us with the potty training was to let our son run around naked (if it becomes stressful to you, just try to limit the time to an hour here or there or limit the time to being on a tiled surface that is easier to clean up). We keep a Baby Bjorn potty nearby. I am thinking that one of those might be too small for your child, but if they know where the potty is, maybe your child will choose to go on their own terms. You can Google EC (Elimination Communication) for other helpful hints. We tried to start at a younger age to help avoid power struggles down the road. I pray that things get better/easier for you! Have you tried cloth diapers or cloth training pants? Your child may not like that wet feeling that is masked by disposable diapers. Or, maybe those training pants that have that cool sensation. Or even underwear. Hope things get better soon!

On a side note, our son will have accidents with his potty nearby too if I don't remember to point out to him that if he needs to potty/pee pee/ poo poo, etc. that it needs to go in there. I think they get so engaged in what they are doing/playing with that they just forget about where to go. I kind of makes me wish we didn't have any carpet at all! LOL! I try to tell him if he can't make it to the potty to at least be on the tile. I guess repeatedly saying it may help us out!

Well thankfully it was short lived, since I posted this thread he decided to use it again. I don't have an issue with him going in his diaper, its actually HIM that gets upset about that! And I knew I needed to help him get back on track because he's just miserable if he poops in his diaper. Oh well, one step forward two steps back I guess. But that's life with toddlers!

He actually started using the potty at 20 months and we sort of did an EC thing with him. He kept taking his diaper off, so we showed him how to use the potty. He was wearing underwear all day by 24 months except for naps and nighttime. We use cloth diapers too, and now with his little brother who is currently 20 months wanting to use the potty (and doing quite well I must say!) I really believe using cloth helps kids learn to use the potty sooner, or at least want to use it sooner!