I seriously need some advice in regards to my 5 year old son. He has been potty trained for the past 2.5 years and has never had an "accident" before. The last 3 days he has been pooping his pants. The first time I explained to him that I was very disappointed in him. He seemed remorseful... He had been playing outside and didn't want to come in to go to the bathroom. I didn't use disciplinary measures with him at that point. The second day, he did it again while playing outside. I made him come in and told him that he couldn't play outside until he started going to the bathroom in the toilet. Today, he did it yet again... on the school bus on the way home. I again didn't let him play outside. Then low and behold.....he again soiled his pants. TWICE IN THE SAME DAY!!!! Not only is he soiling his pants but he is also lying about it. I am at my wits end and don't know why this behavior is occuring!!!!
I'd recommend taking him to a counselor. This behavior coming out of no where is a big red flag that something is wrong and he doesn't know how to talk about it/deal with it.
Best wishes!
Take him to the Doctor.
There is something called "Encopresis" which is an INvoluntary "leaking" of poop. The person cannot control it.
It can sometimes occur, per constipation as well.
I also doubt, that a 5 year old would 'intentionally' poop in his pants, on a bus... amongst all those other kids.
My 4 1/2 year old went through this for a couple of days. The issue apparently had been that he was constipated and it hurt, so he didn't want to go and then when he couldn't hold it anymore, he went in his pants. I even had to go pick him up from school one day because he was in the bathroom crying because it hurt so much. I agree with one of the other posts, don't discipline him, there might be something going on physically with his body, changes at home, school, etc can trigger this. I know it's frustrating, but have him change, send an extra pair of clothes for the next few days and then see what happens. For my son, it only lasted 3 days and it hasn't happened again.
i would stop punishing him. something is certainly going on, but it doesn't sound as if he's doing this deliberately, so shaming him won't help. time to turn detective and figure out what's going on in his life, and a visit to the doctor is probably a good idea too.
khairete
S.
threaten a child for being constipated? Sure glad I didn't have such negative advice for my child who is 6 1/2 and soils his pants! He ended up having a medical condition. Corporal punishment doesn't work for little ones.
I certainly wouldn't punish him! I also wouldn't threaten him with anything you're not going to follow through on. And if he's going to school you certainly can't put a diaper on him. My son had issues with a couple of kids at school and he did the same thing. Even though it horrified him to be the kid pooping his pants, he couldn't stop. Finally, we talked to the teacher and she did some investigating and found out, some kids were picking on him and his anxiety was causing him to do it!! Try and talk to him and talk to his teacher/or staff members and I'm sure if that's the problem, you should be able to resolve the issue quickly!! Good Luck!!
I would take him to your pediatrician to rule out any medical issues asap.
I think this would be embarrassing for him.
Definitely look into encopresis. My son did the same thing at the same age. It was so frustrating! I had no idea what it could be until I came across an article about encopresis. He cannot control what is happening to him and is probably as upset as you are. He is lying because he is embarrassed. Look it up online and you'll find suggestions to alleviate it... you'll feel better and he will too. Good luck! And hang in there.
Don't punish and don't threaten.
Instead, be matter of fact. He soiled his pants. Okay, then lets move on. And that means that he has to help wash them in cold water, himself.
As to the lying, tell him that it makes Mommy happy when he tells the truth and that you will listen to whatever he has to say. That doesn't mean that he won't be in trouble if he did something wrong, but that telling the truth is the best way to go. He is lying because he's afraid of you being angry and disappointed with him.
