7 year old toileting issues

[fretaway]

My 7year old dd has had issues with going to the toilet on time. She tends to leave going for a poo to the very last minute, or rather seconds - sometimes she will leave it too late and then end up with poo in her pants.
Lately there have been poo marks in her underwear every day.

Most horrifyingly, over the weekend we found that when she had been having a bath she would have a little accident and has hidden little bits of poo around the other side of the bath. She had been doing this over a number of days before we found where the smell was coming from 🤢

Spoke to the GP and she is going to run tests on urine and stool samples, but she says it’s probably anxiety. Dd says that sometimes she doesn’t know it’s happening, other times it’s because she doesn’t want to stop what she’s doing.

We’ve been through this so many times but I am despairing of dealing with the poo every day!
Has anyone else had this? How can we stop it happening!

Oh no this must be hard for you and her
No answers but hope someone comes along with some

Ask for a referral to your local bladder and bowel clinic.

Is your DD neurotypical? This is really common with children with ASD / ADHD / sensory processing disorder. Have a look at this clip about interoception (it says new topic in autism, but don't be put off by that, it's not exclusive to autism and some NT children can also have interoception problems)

If she struggles with interoception or you think she might need help with sensory processing generally, you can ask for a referral to occupational therapy.

@KarmaViolet, she doesn’t seem neurotypical. In every other aspects she’s quite aware of what’s going on, except for this poo thing. It’s come and gone but has got worse the last couple of months and this latest phase is the worst it’s been.

Thank You @TheHighlighter.

Do you mean does seem NT? If she doesn't seem NT are you pursuing anything?

I don't think this is 'normal' for an NT 7 yo. Is she anxious?

Sorry, that was a typo - I mean she IS neurotypical.

Not it’s definitely not normal for a 7 year old. She has had anxiety issues around school which we have been dealing with, with the help of school, and she has been improving. However she is not often able to express her worries and tends to mask how she is really feeling if worried.

Is she constipated? Even if she is going everyday she can still be constipated, it can cause lack of sensation and control.

Try looking at the Eric website, lots of information and tips on there.

Pooland app, it's wonderful for children and helps explain what happens etc maybe try that or she has anxiety. My wee one has a reward chart for poo as well as recommended by the health visitor?

My DS who is 6, has spells like this, sometimes he doesn’t feel it and has to run to the toilet, his pediatrician for other health issues thinks it’s IBS related, he doesn’t go regular every day no matter what he eats, when he doesn’t make it to the toilet, he has marks on pants hides in washing basket as he feels ashamed that he’s in the wrong no matter how many times I reassure him it can’t be helped, constipation and IBS all contribute to it

My DS has similar problems and it seems to be due to constipation. He will need a proper poo for days and in the meantime bits come out or smear his pants and he says he isnt aware of it. We've had bits in bath too.

He hasnt been ashamed of it so far. Just tells me matter of fact "I think there is poo in my pants". We've had this for over a year now.

Doctor prescribed movicol to make poo less solid but I cant say its helped much so far.

Thank You for all the suggestions. I’m willing to try anything to improve things.

I do wonder if she is constipated, she doesn’t go every day. @misslml - dd sounds in a very similar situation to your ds, hiding her pants etc. However I’ve spotted her wriggling sometimes so she seems to know when it’s coming but just doesn’t go herself unless I tell her to.

We do have Movicol in the house as it was prescribed for dd’s older sister before for possible constipation. I’ve tried it on dd but she isn’t keen on it, so getting her to drink it every day would be quite challenging I think.

I mix movicol with blackcurrant cordial. He doesnt usually have juice so sees it as a bit treat. Also when doc told me to do 3 packets a day I was struggling to give that many drinks. However found out on here you can put 2 sachets in one drink.

My DS is the same about wiggling around. I'm constantly suggesting he needs a poo. He says not, then sure enough, soiled pants.

I really don't mean to frighten you, and of course there are a number of explanations, but I've worked in children's homes for a good few years, and toilet issues like this, particularly with poo are sometimes an indicator of sexual abuse. If you have ruled out any physical, medical issues issues I would really recommend that you seek help from a psychologist, and look out for any other signs.