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Poo Withholding

4 replies

Talulahbeige · 10/05/2018 17:06

So my 5yr old DD is currently on Movicol for poo withholding and were 2 weeks in.
The dr says she isn’t constipated. It’s more about not wanting to go to the toilet for various reasons. We’ve had it’s lonely, it’s boring on the toilet, there are spiders in the toilets, I’m too busy, I was playing outside.

She is still having accidents though usually at school, she doesn’t tell anyone and sits in it for hours, it’s only if someone smells it she changes her pants.
She has told me various reasons why she doesn’t go when she needs to and I’m not sure what to believe anymore. Her teacher spoke to her and she told her it was because she’s lonely in the toilet, so they put a class photo on the back of the door so she could see her friends. This has worked for a few days but today she had an accident again when she was in the playground.

my daughter is very stubborn, won’t talk abut it, hasn’t responded to rewards (which usually work really well with her), we’ve tried a toy she wants for clean pants over so many days. We’ve tried cake as a reward when she comes home with clean pants each day as she’s very cake motivated but that hasn’t worked.

Anyone thoughts or suggestions as both myself and OH are fearful it’s going to impact her socially soon.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
applespearsandraspberries · 10/05/2018 21:36

Why did the doctor give her movicol if he thinks shes not constipated?

Talulahbeige · 11/05/2018 06:33

It makes the poo so soft so that they can’t withold it

OP posts:
rainingcatsanddog · 11/05/2018 10:48

How clean are the school loos? My kids have lots of stories about this.

Does she do wees in the toilet ok? I'd be asking that she is taken to the loo at break and after lunch. I realise that teachers and ta's need breaks (and that lunchtime supervisors aren't one to one) but hopefully the loos are close to the classroom and she will go if she sits down and feels the urge.

My son went through a phase of this (only between school and Home in the afternoon) and sending him to the school loos at home time helped considerably.

Minxmumma · 17/05/2018 15:57

My son (now a strapping 16yo) went through a similar phase. He couldn't / wouldn't go for a poo in the school toilets or any away from home for some time. He gave us all similar reasons to your dd but it boiled down to lack of privacy at school.

It did eventually resolve, but took some time. The more I stressed the worse it made him. You'd never know now and long term it didn't affect him socially or hinder him. We did tweak his diet a bit which seemed to help - turns out he isn't great with gluten - not enough to class him as celiac but enough to cause digestive issues which were compounded by his dread of using the school toilets.

Do your schools have a continence nurse - most areas have one available to them. They are a great source of help as they have experience of school related issues as well.

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