Why is my 4 yr old pooing his pants?

[Lagoonablue]

Previously toilet trained. Now pooing his pants and wetting at night. Why? Am worried he starts school in Sept and they won't change his pants! Could he be anxious about this do you think, hence the regression?

my ds (also start school in sept) a few months ago starting weeing all the time and having loads of accidents, wetting the bed etc. We ended up taking him docs and he got checked for diabetes, urine infection etc but everything was clear. The doctor said it must to to do with nerves about starting school as they'd been talking about it at nursery, we didn't do anything specific he's alot better now although is still having the odd accident

To quote my dd 3.5 ' its annoying to have to go to the toilet'.

My take is not to fuss, to change and send off to play again. I don't think a little regression is too much to worry about unless it carries on for a long time, several months.

DS 2 had odd periods of regression but now at 8 is dry and its hard to remember when it was a given.

Could be constipation. When things get backed up there is often overflow soiling - softer poo leaking around the sides of the blockage. There is often urinary incontinence alongside. Get him to the GP who will feel his tummy for constipation and probably suggest movical (I think it's called in the UK) to clear the impaction and keep things regular until his bowl goes back to shape.

Bowel even!

Thanks. It isn't leakage. He deliberately goes somewhere quiet and poos! The weeing usually happens in the night.

So shall just ignore and reassure him about school then. He actually went behind the shed tonight and did it there!

Oh god, my 4 year old daughter is just the same. She will be fine for a few weeks then start again; lately it's been almost every day. It has got on the floor, she gets covered in it.

I'm really not in agreement about not making a big deal of it; I think they need to know that it's not acceptable (in cases where they just can't be bothered going). If I just keep quietly cleaning DD up and not making a fuss, how is she going to get the message that it's not an ok decision to make?

We're on another star chart but I've also made it clear on a few occasions that if she can't stop, then she won't be able to do X/Y/Z.

Glad it's not just my child!

My DS was exactly the same. I tried to intervene and ask if he needed the potty around pooing time but he still did it in his pants. When it got to the point of him asking me to leave the room so he could do it, I brought out a reward chart. Every poo in the potty earned a sticker, 25 stickers got him a toy train. He's been fine ever since.. can't help thinking he stitched me up [confu