7 YO still has accidents. HELPP!

[babymum90]

Hi mums

Just wondering if anybody has any experience with a 7 year old who still has poo accidents? He will hold it in and then has small accidents a number of times throughout the day until he can’t hold it any more and then will actually go to the toilet.
I’ve tried sticker charts, rewards, incentives etc but nothing is working long term.
He says he is embarrassed about going (most of his accidents seem to happen during school time, with the occasional one at home). I think it is a mixture of laziness, not wanting to stop what he is doing and anxiety/embarrassment about going.
Can anybody offer any suggestions please?

Hi mums

Just wondering if anybody has any experience with a 7 year old who still has poo accidents? He will hold it in and then has small accidents a number of times throughout the day until he can’t hold it any more and then will actually go to the toilet.
I’ve tried sticker charts, rewards, incentives etc but nothing is working long term.
He says he is embarrassed about going (most of his accidents seem to happen during school time, with the occasional one at home). I think it is a mixture of laziness, not wanting to stop what he is doing and anxiety/embarrassment about going.
Can anybody offer any suggestions please?

Hi op, have you been to the GP? It could be due to constipation. If you google Steve Hodges pediatrician, he talks a lot about exactly this. Hope it gets sorted soon x

I'd take him to the GP as well. There could be a lot of reasons why he's doing this and being lazy is probably not one of them. Poor chap, he must be so embarrassed.

Hi guys. I don't think it's constipation as when I bribe him with something (a new toy) he will go to the toilet he just says he's embarrassed. I've spoken to the school nurse who says this is more common than I think. Just wondered if anyone else had experienced this and how they overcome it

No experience sorry but it genuinely doesn't sound like laziness. Most children will pop before or after school and not have accidents at this age.

I'd try to persuade him to have a poo each morning before school, feed him some high water foods this week as well as plenty of fruit and veg and if that hasn't improved things after a week then call the GP

He is on a high fiber diet already as advised by the school nurse. If I tell him he can buy a toy he will go to the toilet. He says he would rather pop himself than go to the toilet because he's embarrassed to pop around people and says that's why he is pooing himself

He says he would rather pop himself than go to the toilet because he's embarrassed to pop around people and says that's why he is pooing himself.

I still don't think it's laziness. Most 7 yo would understand that pooing at home, in private, is less embarrassing than pooing their pants at school.

Whatever the reason is that he's doing it, I think he needs the support and help from his GP.

Don't think I need to looks like dr bunnyruddington has already diagnosed him 🙄

Is there a disabled toilet at school that he could use if he feels embarrassed? My son is also 7 and still having toilet accidents. His cousin who has a lot of bowel problems uses the disabled loo to give her privacy.

Thank you! I will talk to his teachers and try this technique

Sorry you are going through this. We've had similar problems & found that it helps for DD (age 8) to have a morning routine that includes sitting on the loo for at least a quarter of an hour between breakfast and going to school. It means getting up a bit earlier. The idea is to train the body into going after breakfast, then it's all done for the day. We try to give her a big fibrous breakfast with lots of water, fruit and prunes (although she doesn't like them argh!)

She's allowed to take in anything she wants - books, magazines, music to listen to... I sometimes worry that this detracts from her concentration, but at least it stops her from getting bored.

We've seen two GPs and a consultant paediatrician, but all they do is prescribe laxatives, which don't help.