My son is almost 4 yr old and he has been potty trained for about a year but now he is starting to digress. For about a month or so, he has started pooping and some times peeing in his underwear. When it first started happening, his cousins were in town and I just thought he was playing too hard and not stopping to go to the bathroom. But this has continued.
Has anyone experienced this? How have you handled it?
My daughter just turned 4, i am determined to keep on going with training her, but its the hardest bridge i have ever come to. I have to set the timer and manually pull her to the potty every so many minutes. She will never go by herself, i am just hoping the routine visits will kick in for her and she will make it her own habit to go and be a big girl.
Might be just a phase - tho I have one question for you .... does he walk around on his tiptoes a lot?
Any stress in his life? New sibling or one on the way? New school? A move? A new bedroom or bed? Kids will often react to stressful life situations by digressing.
I'd also try to watch and see when he has his accidents. Is it during play or TV time? Have him go before he begins. And is he still wearing pull-ups? Because they whick away the wet so some children think they can go in them.
You might need to go back to PT 101 and set him on the potty at regular times, etc., until he gets back on track.
Have you talked with him?
ALL of my Daughter's teachers, from Preschool to Kindergarten and 1st grade, ALL said that kids these ages have accidents. Still.
Kids have accidents. Even if potty trained. Childhood.
Or, sometimes it can be due to stress or changes in the family or household.
Unless he has a medical problem, it is probably a phase.
My daughter was potty trained from 2.5 years old. Then in Preschool at about 3.5 years old, she started having accidents. The Teacher made no big deal of it, we did not either, my daughter didn't know why, and it was a phase. It also had to do with my having had a 2nd child at the time. ie: stress for her and life changes.
She also, 'thought' she could hold her organs longer, but could not. Kids this age, often 'think' they can hold their bowels/bladder longer... but cannot. Because- they cannot yet, 'predict' how long they can hold it. Then it is too late. It is because their organs/brain/nerve connections, are still developing. It is not fully developed, yet. Even if potty trained.
I would not scold for it. Not saying you are.
But try to see if it is emotion based, or simply his organs is not developed enough yet for him to be exact or he is waiting too long.
Also, see if he has a medical problem.
Urinary infections, or "Encopresis" (which is an involuntary leaking of poop) due to things like constipation.
