ds, 5, soils his pants most days at school

[tiredandgrumpy]

He was clean until this last term, then now he seems always to come home with stinky pants. He doesn't seem to be constipated as he'll usually do something at home before school, but it's his afternoon poo that usually causes problems. He claims it doesn't hurt him to poo and reckons he makes a mess simply because he doesn't go soon enough. Trouble is, he just doesn't seem to care. The accidents always seem to happen when he's distracted playing & simply can't be bothered to take himself to the toilet in time. We've tried reward charts, ensuring he has enough to drink (diet seems ok). What next? Do I need a word with his teacher? Is there a medical problem?

Is his teacher aware of it? This could be so many things - laziness, emotional, physical .... of he is doing it most days, I would probably pop him along to the docs just to make sure he hasn't got a blockage of some kind or is not stressed about pooing at school. Good luck

My dd 5 years was also doing this, reason behind it was she was unhappy at school and that her dad goes away to work, took alot of talking and reassuring but she is generally clean now unless something upsets her.

I would really encourage you to talk to his teacher. When I was teaching reception I would have been very happy to remind a child to go just after lunch/ before afternoon play (discretely of course ). Also I think you will find that his teacher will want to know, as it is clearly happening at school so must be something to do with being there, especially if he is fine at home. Hope that it is sorted soon for you!