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Old May 14th 08, 01:18 PM posted to misc.kids
Stephanie[_2_]
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Default my 6 year old poops his pants

Eowyn wrote:
avalon_mom wrote:
Ok so my almost 6 year old is still pooping his pants i'm at a total
loss. I dont think its a medical condition because he can make it to
the bathroom he knows when he has to go it doesnt hurt. I make him
go to bed early I take away tv I've spanked nothing has worked. He
will go to the bathroom for a couple weeks sometimes a month no
problem then out of nowhere he starts pooping in his pants again.
It's not alot though usually one small to medium size like he's
holding it in doesnt want to go I think because he's too busy
playing to stop and go any idea's on how to make him go and stop
this nonsense? Please help


It is not entirely unheard of for 6yo, especially boys, to poop their
pants, but it is definitely unwanted. If you are absolutely sure it is
not a medical issue, the most likely problem is that he doesn't feel
he has to go, or ignores it. This behaviour has to be changed asap,
the older he gets, the harder it is to learn this properly again.



I doubt this asap business.

We are in a similar situation with our 5.5yo. First and foremost thing
to do is not make this an issue for him. When he poops his pants, let
him clean it up, wash his own bottom and change. You can even let him
wash his underwear. He has to become aware that his poop is his
responsibility and noone else's. Do NOT get angry or upset, just
ignore it entirely.



I agree with this.

For DS1 we have a fixed schedule of going to the bathroom: before a
meal he goes to pee and wash his hands. After every meal he can take
a small toy and goes to the bathroom for 5 minutes (we give him a
timer) to try to poop. If nothing comes, that's OK. If he poops, he
gets praise and a sticker with which he is saving up for computer
time (you can make him save time for anything he really enjoys
doing). During the weekends he gets to use up his time whenever he
likes. When things are going well, we reward him with extra stickers
to keep him motivated.
Also pay attention to his behaviour, see if you can find clues that he
has to go. We noticed that DS would always go play in his room just
before he pooped his pants. So he now has to ask to go to his room,
and then I tell him to go to the bathroom first.



For my child by the age of 5 or 6 this would have been micromanagement and
would be counter productive to the former idea that the child is responsible
for going to the bathroom or the consequences of not. I would stick to the
first paragraph and leave the rest behind. If he was still training, that
would be a different problem. But IIRC he was formerly confident in his
ability and is backsliding.

All of this based on the assumption that the child does not have a medical
issue, which I would confirm with a pediatrician first. It would be terribly
frustrating and counter productive for the child to get no assistance when
he literally *cannot* control the issue.

HTH! We noticed a really quick improvement when we started this
schedule. Within a week or two DS was nearly clean. Since then he has
had an occasional accident, but is OK overall. If you don't notice
improvement, take your DS to see a pediatrician.

I