# Poo Goes Home to Pooland > Children's story app to help with encopresis and toileting anxiety. (iPhone/iPad app by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/poo-goes-home-to-pooland/id987924591 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust](https://appshunter.io/developer/580830703) - Category: Medical, Education - Price: Free - Rating: 3.00/5 from 48 App Store ratings · 63 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 23 MB - Released: 2015-05-06 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/poo-goes-home-to-pooland/id987924591/reviews.md ## What is Poo Goes Home to Pooland? Children who suffer encopresis often begin to feel that there is little more to them than the problem itself. In 'Poo Goes Home to Pooland', the problem is embodied in a troublesome character and placed externally to the child. This process aims to place some distance between the child and the blame shame of soiling. This helps to free them from their fears and may mobilise previously beleaguered resources within the child and their family.

'Externalising' stories have proved valuable in engaging children in behavioural treatment programmes wihtin a family therapy context. However, you may find them useful in combination with your chosen therapeutic style. 

The style and content of 'Poo Goes Home to Pooland; was designed to suit the cognitive development stage of children up to around seven years of age. Individually illustrations and accompanying text is intended to promote understanding of toileting matters and relieve anxiety. They cover topics such as sharing unhappy feeling and how to reorganise when you need to poo.

Talking about 'Pooland' might help you to engage in getting control over their poo. Dr Tamsin Black wrote and illustrated ‘Poo Goes Home to Pooland’ in her final year of Doctoral Training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Newcastle and on clinical placement (with John Sands, Consultant Clinical Psychologist) at the Linhope Unit, Ashington, part of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. She is now a mother of three and working as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in East London. ERIC the UK’s only childhood continence charity provides information, support and resources to improve the quality of life of children, young people and their families who suffer from the consequences of wetting and soiling difficulties. Please visit www.eric.org.uk This app was developed by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Systems Development Team ## Key features - Externalizes toileting problems - Reduces shame and fear - Promotes understanding of toileting - Relieves anxiety - Aids in behavioral treatment - Designed for young children ## Recent user reviews (10 of 63) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/poo-goes-home-to-pooland/id987924591/reviews.md ### 5/5 — So funny! *2024-07-26* This story is so funny and poo's voice is sooo funny😂 why does poo hide in his bum when i was baby siting little cute friends of mine we where doing silly stuff and i got this app and we laughed so hard😂😂😂😂 ### 1/5 — Too big for screen *2024-07-11* The pictures extend beyond the screen. Also tried using the log (pun intended?) and there was no way to hit enter after answering the simple math question. ### 1/5 — Unusable! *2023-08-16* Text doesn't even fit the screen! Using an iPhone 12 so shouldn't be a problem on my end. Needs major fixing. ### 1/5 — What *2023-07-26* This game is the worst and stupidest poo game I have ever seen in fact it’s so bad I want to let out the whole poo land onto that phone after witnessing this horrible crazy disgusting and weirdly inappropriate pictures please delete or I will do it for you now send this poo to the loo bc this game is nasty and deserves to go to poo land if I see this game one more time I will flush myself down the toilet even if I end up seeing poop land this is disgusting ### 1/5 — 0/10 GAME😡 *2023-07-10* WHEM MY 6 YEAR OLD SON READ THIS TOLIET HE POOPED ON HIS IPAD😡😡😡😡 ### 4/5 — Brilliant message *2023-04-11* I understand this story was created for children suffering from encopresis, however it was recommended by mums on Mumsnet as a tool in potty training. My little girl was struggling to poo on the potty and after watching this she was much happier talking about poo, and two days later she managed her very first poo on the potty! Really recommend this to others who might be struggling on their potty training journey. We downloaded it on the iPad as the app didn’t work properly on my phone as it was too small a screen. ### 1/5 — I THOUGHT THIS GAME WAS A MINI GAME OF FLUSHING A POO DOWN A TOILET *2023-03-18* I AM OUTRAGED😡😡😡😡 THAT THIS GAME HAS THE AUDACITY 😡😡TO MAKE ME THINK ITS A FUN LIL MINI GAME IT IS TERRIBLE😡 AND NOW EACH TIME I GO TO THE TOILET I THINK OF MY poo wanting to go back home😭😢🥺😢😢🥺😢😢🥺🥺😭😭🥺 ### 3/5 — Amazing tool - apple version needs updating *2023-03-11* The story is amazing and I’ve had brilliant results with my kids. However the apple version has always been somewhat glitchy, now it’s not really working well at all. ### 3/5 — Words are off screen and log doesn’t work *2023-02-21* As other reviews have stated, it’s a good story and is helping my son to understand a little more. The thing that lets the app down is that the words go off the screen each side and the log is not accessible as you enter the number answer to the sum but then there is no way to confirm or press enter. Hopefully this will get rectified with an update. ### 5/5 — Real help *2023-02-07, version 2.1.1* This was an amazing app that really helped us, it’s sad to see the number of poor scores because people don’t know how to work technology. Sound works perfectly on phone and app as long as you take it off mute mode 🙄🙄🙄 ## Frequently asked questions about Poo Goes Home to Pooland ### What is 'Poo Goes Home to Pooland' about? This app is a story designed to help children who struggle with encopresis. It externalizes the problem into a character, aiming to reduce the child's feelings of blame and shame. The app uses illustrations and text to help children understand toileting matters and manage anxiety. ### How does this app help children with encopresis? By embodying the problem in an external character, the app helps children create distance from their difficulties. This process aims to free them from fears and mobilize their internal resources, making behavioral treatment more accessible within a family therapy context. ### What age group is this app suitable for? The style and content of 'Poo Goes Home to Pooland' are specifically designed to suit the cognitive development stage of children up to around seven years of age. The illustrations and text are intended to promote understanding and relieve anxiety related to toileting. ### Is this app free to use? Yes, based on the provided information, this app is available for free. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, indicating it is offered as a free resource. ### Can this app be used with different therapeutic approaches? Yes, while 'externalizing' stories have proven valuable in family therapy, the app can be used in combination with your chosen therapeutic style. Talking about 'Pooland' can help engage children in gaining control over their toileting. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.1.1 — 2022-01-07 Improved accessibility ### 2.1.0 — 2021-07-06 Our app has been updated to include accessibility so more children are able to benefit. ### 2.0.0 — 2020-04-28 We have added diary functionality to allow parents to keep a record of a Child's toilet pattern. ### 1.2.1 — 2020-04-09 Bug fixes ### 1.2.0 — 2020-04-07 Updated for use on larger devices ## Apps similar to Poo Goes Home to Pooland | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Mindful IVF: Meditate & Relax](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindful-ivf-meditate-and-relax/id1140027389) | 4.4 (85) | Free | Medical | | [MommyMeds](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mommymeds/id669222544) | 4.8 (1,017) | Free | Medical | | [iUFlow- voiding bladder diary](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iuflow-voiding-bladder-diary/id935581221) | 4.7 (1,149) | Free | Medical | | [HANDi Paediatrics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handi-paediatrics/id969445171) | — | Free | Medical | | [InfantRisk HCP](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/infantrisk-hcp/id449136121) | 4.4 (93) | Free | Medical | | [Baby Milestones & Development](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baby-milestones-and-development/id1529426446) | 3.9 (81) | Free | Medical | ## More apps by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust - [Self Help for iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/self-help-for-ipad/id608951193) - [Self Help](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/self-help/id648874696) - [Mersey Care Self Help](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mersey-care-self-help/id979557439) - [MSP Self Help](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msp-self-help/id1461081921) - [MSP - Self Help](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msp-self-help/id1461097783) All apps by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust: https://appshunter.io/developer/580830703 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*