6 year old farting in school - teacher opinions

[Sunnydaysarethebestdays]

My 6 year old is really struggling with school at the moment. She gets really upset every morning and is difficult to get into class, and says she feels sick.
It transpires after chatting to her this afternoon that she farts a lot when they are sat on the carpet in class and everyone looks at her.
She thinks her teacher is cross with her about it too.
She has started asking to go to the toilet when she feels she needs to fart but her teacher refuses to let her go after so many times which makes it worse.
I can’t help thinking that it’s quite common at their age for this to happen but also asking for any advice at all as is becoming quite an issue for her.

This sounds like anxiety to me and I think I’d be gently probing as to whether she has any specific issues at school. Is she being bullied or intimidated in some way ? I would also question as to why the teacher is limiting visits to the loo because this could be making her anxious which in turn makes the problem worse. Ultimately, maybe involve your GP as you need to get this sorted.

She could have some digestive issues but it’s also very common to get an upset stomach when anxious and if you’re worried about farting then you are going to end up farting more.

I would speak to the teacher ASAP and say you think she has some digestive issues and you’re going to see the gp but it’s making her very anxious so can she be allowed to go to the toilet as often as she needs to.

Some kids fare to be funny so I definitely think you need to let the teacher know how worried she is.

Take her to a kinesiologist for food intolerance testing. Very straight forward. I think it’s almost impossible to figure out on your own.

This sounds like anxiety to me. I used to have a similar thing at school where I would imagine I was going to do something embarrassing to make everyone look at me and laugh, especially when everyone was quiet and focusing on the teacher. I would work myself up into a panic attack worrying about it. I think you should perhaps have a word with her teacher and see what they can do.

I'd speak to the teacher ASAP, you'll get the full picture and can reassure your DD that her teacher isn't looking at her funny etc. Also worth mentioning that she shouldn't be limiting toilet trips especially whilst there is an unresolved issue.

Hi I'm a nutritional therapist so some experience and training re diagnosing food intolerances.
Coeliac (which is a very serious gluten intolerance) can only be diagnosed through doc.
But you can find out very easily re intolerances by taking the food out for 2 weeks, then reintroducing and see what happens.
The usual suspects would be gluten or dairy, so either take both out at once, or do it separately. Take the suspected food out completely for 2 weeks.... not even a crumb of it. Reintroduce one day.... have that food at 3 meals (e.g. if you're testing gluten have toast in the morn, sandwich at lunch, pasta for dinner). Then cut it out again and watch carefully what happens over the next 48 hours. Note down symptoms/reactions etc. Don't reintroduce 2 foods within the same 48 hours.
The problem could be gluten, which may or may not include oats. Her diet at the mo is high in gluten, remember it's in so many places- bread, pasta, sausages, couscous, biscuits, etc etc... and in a lot of sauces.
Dairy is also a big suspect and it could be just a lactose intolerance (a big cause of sore tummies and flatulence), in which case you could reintroduce lactose-free milk; or it could be a complete dairy intolerance in which case it would have to stay out completely. Sometimes if you stay off the offending food completely for 6 months plus, you will stop making the antibodies to it, and once more be able to eat the food without problem... but in some cases the intolerance will come back.
If it turns out that wheat is the problem, at that stage you could get coeliac testing from the dr. You can be gluten intolerant but not coeliac, which is more serious. The cure in either case of course is avoid gluten (definitely for life, for coeliacs).
Of course it may not be an out and out intolerance.. maybe she just needs to avoid some food that is making her gassy. Sugar and flour and yeast can all be culprits so try replacing night time biscuit with nairns oatcakes (no sugar) and honey or nut butter, try changing breakfast to see if that helps (natural yoghurt and honey, fruit, eggs).
Or... taking a digestive enxyme supplement with meals, esp before school, could help break down the food more fully, so that smaller particles are going into the gut and not feeding quite so many gas-producing bacteria
Just a few suggestions but if you want more guidance with that type of investigation you could try going to a nutritional therapist. But google exclusion diets for more info on how to suss out possible problematic foods.

But yes it could also totally just be anxiety!

2 week change of diet to see though, as I was saying above... that could help, if it is dietary. (Could be bit of both.).

I used to get mystery sore tummies daily as a teen after dinner. My mum thought I was putting it on. Turned out years later I found out it was wheat /gluten intolerance ... specifically, eating toast after school, then a normal dinner 2 hours later... severe indigestion pains. So it's worth investigating things, to see....

Do you know what she is having for lunch? My DS briefly struggled with farts at school on reception. He was having jacket potato and beans each day. Cut down the beans and the farts went away.

Nobody should have that much of an issue that they feel sick as an ongoing issue for holding farts in

@CovidCorvid are you for real? The sickness is anxiety related fgs...

Try skipping porridge for a week or 2 as this can cause awful wind and very Smelly wind too, have noticed this alot if my kids start having it!

@Sunnydaysarethebestdays well don't hang about at the expense of your child's anxiety!!! Ring tomorrow ASAP and get the teacher to let her go!!!! Alternatively ask if the teacher can change the routine a little an incorporate a 5 minute 'post lunch energy buster ' of star jumps, stretches and on the spot jogging....to jog things on a bit before carpet time xx

Primary teacher here, the classroom is always smelly after lunch from kids farting. She probably just did it loud enough for other children to notice once and they teased her about it. It'll blow over.
Pun intended.

Before you start diagnosing her with anything, please speak to the teacher - you may find that something happened once or twice and your DD is now overly worried about someone noticing or saying something. If the teacher doesn't know why she is going to the loo many times whilst on the carpet, she may think your DD is trying to get out of whatever is happening on the carpet.

Honestly - the teacher will think nothing if you pop in at the end of the day and had a quick chat and explain whats happening from your daughter's perspective and she may be able to clarify and help your daughter.

@SukiPook

Hi I'm a nutritional therapist so some experience and training re diagnosing food intolerances. Coeliac (which is a very serious gluten intolerance) can only be diagnosed through doc. But you can find out very easily re intolerances by taking the food out for 2 weeks, then reintroducing and see what happens. The usual suspects would be gluten or dairy, so either take both out at once, or do it separately. Take the suspected food out completely for 2 weeks.... not even a crumb of it. Reintroduce one day.... have that food at 3 meals (e.g. if you're testing gluten have toast in the morn, sandwich at lunch, pasta for dinner). Then cut it out again and watch carefully what happens over the next 48 hours. Note down symptoms/reactions etc. Don't reintroduce 2 foods within the same 48 hours. The problem could be gluten, which may or may not include oats. Her diet at the mo is high in gluten, remember it's in so many places- bread, pasta, sausages, couscous, biscuits, etc etc... and in a lot of sauces. Dairy is also a big suspect and it could be just a lactose intolerance (a big cause of sore tummies and flatulence), in which case you could reintroduce lactose-free milk; or it could be a complete dairy intolerance in which case it would have to stay out completely. Sometimes if you stay off the offending food completely for 6 months plus, you will stop making the antibodies to it, and once more be able to eat the food without problem... but in some cases the intolerance will come back. If it turns out that wheat is the problem, at that stage you could get coeliac testing from the dr. You can be gluten intolerant but not coeliac, which is more serious. The cure in either case of course is avoid gluten (definitely for life, for coeliacs). Of course it may not be an out and out intolerance.. maybe she just needs to avoid some food that is making her gassy. Sugar and flour and yeast can all be culprits so try replacing night time biscuit with nairns oatcakes (no sugar) and honey or nut butter, try changing breakfast to see if that helps (natural yoghurt and honey, fruit, eggs). Or... taking a digestive enxyme supplement with meals, esp before school, could help break down the food more fully, so that smaller particles are going into the gut and not feeding quite so many gas-producing bacteria Just a few suggestions but if you want more guidance with that type of investigation you could try going to a nutritional therapist. But google exclusion diets for more info on how to suss out possible problematic foods.

Celiac is NOT an intolerance. It's an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the body.

And now we've got that minor bit of science out of the way, I could go into the reasons why somebody calling themselves a Nutritional Therapist and claiming they have diagnosed food intolerances is hogwash and hokum. But I'll sum it up in six words.

duck...duck...duck...duck...duck...duck..

Maybe speak to a dietitian or dr

Not sure why you want advice from random teachers on the internet about the farting habits of your child

Get a doc's appointment

Is it the position she is sat in that is making her fart, maybe? Or making her farts less muffled (e.g. if she is sitting in the carpet with her legs crossed, it may be really hard to muffle a fart).

Anyway, I suggest you teach her to do the mannerly thing next time; look around in shocked and shoot a disgusted glance at the neighbouring kid. These are important life skills.

@KateTheEighth
Thank you for your reply.
I’m not looking for advice from random teachers on the internet, I was merely asking a forum with members who have varied experience if they had experienced anything similar to what my child is having issues with.
Ultimately I am a sensible grown up who is quite capable of making my own decision about my child and is fully aware that a medical opinion is always the most reliable source of information.
I have actually found the majority of replies very useful.
Thank you for your input.

I would genuinely say first stop is teacher.

You know she doesn't fart much at home so why should school be different?

All you have to go on is a 6-yr-old's account of a teacher and other children supposedly giving her funny looks, and then her wanting to go to the toilet repeatedly and the teacher telling her no. Which TBH the teacher probably did if she asked every 5 minutes and all she was doing in there was a fart.

Chances are that you have a normal child who farts a normal amount who has got self-conscious about it as kids, who lets face it are obsessed with farting anyway, have made comments.

Too many carbs in the morning can make you fart. How big is this bowl of porridge? I would suggest a high protein breakfast instead - a cup of full fat greek yoghurt with seeds / fruit will help.

In my experience most primary school children smell of fart, a classroom of 6 year old after lunch always stinks of fart. So I wouldn't say its an unusual problem

My thought would be school lunches, is she wolfing it down?

If you aren't noticing it then it can't be too bad, and it sounds more like an anxiety thing. Has she farted once and been laughed at maybe?

I’m somewhat surprised at the responses. But then again my two hold it in all day and conveniently save it for the car on the way home!

[quote Sunnydaysarethebestdays]@KateTheEighth
Thank you for your reply.
I’m not looking for advice from random teachers on the internet, I was merely asking a forum with members who have varied experience if they had experienced anything similar to what my child is having issues with.
Ultimately I am a sensible grown up who is quite capable of making my own decision about my child and is fully aware that a medical opinion is always the most reliable source of information.
I have actually found the majority of replies very useful.
Thank you for your input.[/quote]

Obviously it's up to you but I would seek medical advice. There are a lot of people claiming to be things on the internet that they aren't and I would be concerned about fart trolls pretending to be teachers or nutritionists not having any real knowledge

As I say it's up to you

I hope you get it sorted

Talk to the teacher, tell them what's happened. See what they can suggest. It's amazing the solutions they can come up with - it might be something as simple as she sits on a chair instead of the carpet for a few days until she feels less anxious. Sounds like she's got herself in a tizz. The teacher may well be preventing her from going to the toilet multiple times because they realise it is an anxiety thing. And feeding the anxiety never helps.

I really wouldn't cut out major food groups from your daughter's diet unless you are noticing excess wind which you think is a medical problem. Even then I'd see the GP first.

My 6 year old is quite farty. Especially at the end of the day. He also smells a bit when he's been farting away. I don't think it's unusual.

Anxiety makes me windy, I was very much like your dd at school, I was shy and anxious and this caused me to swallow air resulting in trapped wind 😬. I would also try giving her something else for breakfast, could be gluten in the bread causing it, or the porridge?