my 4.5 year old back to pooh in the pants help!!

[rubble]

what do i do he has always been a bit dodgy with his potty training but we have made good progress and now he is doing up to 3 accidents a day. not the full monty but enough to have to change the pants. he seems to stop himself going after this first bit but if you rush him to the loo he often can't then go. he is getting cross with me and its not exactly a barrel of laughs for me! i do try and be positive but what should i do practically we have just started a star chart but do i put him in just pants or nothing or what ? help!!

Could he be constipated?

Sounds like he constipated. Might need a couple of days of lactolose.

definitely not constipated he's a twice a day boy!

Rubble, how long has it been since he did a proper poo then? It sounds like he's withholding - has anything changed in your household at all, or his routine? Sometimes, something can trigger a child to withhold their poo. My daughter does it but it is linked with constipation. I put her in pull-ups and then pants and neither seemed to make much difference. In the end I bought her a soft toy that she really liked and said she couldn't have it until she did a poo on the loo. Amazingly and interestingly (considering she told me she couldn't feel the poo coming) she did a poo on the loo within 10 minutes! Cheeky madam! We do a reward chart and this seems to be working for the moment.

Another thought, is the poo hurting him? I'm thinking of an annal fissure or something. Feel for you as it's bloody awful living with it. My life revolves around poo!

Thanks for that it is a bit better the last 2 days as he is responding well to his star chart. it s just weird that my other 3.5 ds has always had a better handle on the old potty training and my elder one has from day 1 found it difficult. nowt so queer as (or more sole destroying!) as children and the old potty!!

Glad to hear of the improvement rubble. Long may it continue!