Is this typical child behaviour, or something else?

[asecretlemonadedrinker]

Bit of background - DS (5) not fully continent - being treated for constipation and it isn't working. School treated him horrifically, new school now.

One thing I have noticed it he likes to pretend he is a baby - it got so much worse, or really started, when school wanted him in pull ups only.

I am potty training his younger brother (2) who has had a few accidents on the patio - potty has been outside in the good weather. DS1 (5) has taken to weeing now on the patio - even if DS2 is using his potty! Just now DS2 had an accident on the carpet, so DS1 just wee-d right next to it.

When I have to change his soiled clothes he makes baby noises, or shouts at his brother that he is a baby, or shouts out "baby baby baby nappies nappies"... things like that.

It sounds like he (and you) have been through a horrendous time. Somebody with more experience will probably advise, but one thing I've noticed with my two (different circumstances, as they were adopted after being neglected) is that sometimes they regress to an earlier age behaviour-wise. Instead of saying to them 'you're x age now, you shouldn't be doing that', we were told to go with the flow, as they needed to go back and 'fill in' that missing time. And having done this, we find they move on very quickly. By meeting that need, they get through it and no longer have that need, iyswim. Maybe this would be worth trying for a week or so, as it's the summer holidays. Baby him a bit and see what happens.

On the other hand, maybe it's a jealousy thing. But maybe if he sees his younger brother move through potty training, he'll not want to linger at that stage either!

Having constipation and the treatment from school must have been very stressful and confusing for him, so it could be a combination of the above - not one clear thing? Wanting some of the attention his brother is getting, feeling overwhelmed by the unhelpful treatment at school, which might have felt like they were asking more advanced behaviour of him than he could manage (hence the need to regress?) Just thinking out loud.

Hope you find some answers.

just wanted to add, having re-read what I'd written, that I didn't mean to imply there'd been any neglect, or that his brother was getting more attention than he should be! Potty training just does take a lot of attention! It's more that as your son has struggled with this medically, it might have set him back a few stages. And if he's seeing his younger brother getting lots of encouragement for potty training, maybe he wants to get in on the act and be a younger child for a while?