Pooing in pants!!

[jerryrafter]

I need some advice...I am desperate. My nearly three year old has been out of nappies since July last year but since the new year he mostly poos in his pants rather than the toilet. His weeing is hit and miss too. He potty trained very easily, no major hang ups or challenges. When he does have an accident I am very careful not to give him any negative or positive feedback I just clean and change him. He has had no change of routine or illness recently to explain why. I am going to re-instate the reward chart but any other advice would be great.

Perhaps he's at an age when he's 'too busy' to leave what he's doing to remember to go.

Or he could be constipated - which would also explain the wee accidents. If he's holding in poos, he'll wee as he can't hold onto them like the poo.

Hopefully it'll be the first and with your reward chart, he'll sort himself out again.

He is definitley not constipated and at times I think he might have been too busy to remember, but sometimes he may just be sitting on the sofa or at the table and he will take him self off somewhere to do a poo in his pants. He did it twice today again and it is so hard to stay rational and calm about it.

Are you sure the poo that seems runny in his pants, isn't 'sneaky poo' (that's what the constipation nurse calls it)that by-passes the lump of constipated poo?

Taking themselves off somewhere to poo in their pants is a common sign of constipation - they're not trying to do a poo (under the table or behind the curtains), they're going there to hold it in.

Obviously you know your DS and he might not be constipated but I actually thought my DD was suffering from Diarrhoea (sp) as she was frequently soiling her knickers (with runny poo).

Hope things are getting better. My DS was dry by two and half with no issues but he had a re-lapse just before turning four. Tried a few things but buying him a set of his favorite power ranger pants and giving them to him as reward for keeping clean every five days or so worked and it stopped. However I am pretty sure that he was getting a bit lazy and leaving going to the loo until it was too late. Might be worth a try...

The last two days have been so much better, only one poo accident which is a real breakthrough. I reinstated a reward chart for stickers but there was no improvement at all until I started giving him a chocolate coin as a reward everytime he went for a wee/poo in the toilet. I know it is not the most healthiest reward but it is the motivation he needs at the moment and it seems to be working. I do take on your advice about it possibly being constipation, I will see how the next few days go. Thanks