My 6 yr old son has recently been pooping his pants. He was sick,so i am thinking that because of the diarrhea, he couldn't hold it. He seems to do this pretty frequently though. He will start going in his pants and then go to the bathroom.
Yesterday, after having diarrhea for a few days, I sent him back to school. Sure enough, I got a call from the school, saying that he had an accident. My son says that he raised his hand to go to the bathroom, but his teacher didn't call on him. He just ended up going in his pants.
I am wondering if this is a normal behavior for a child his age. I try to tell him that it is not ok and that poop only goes in the potty, but he doesn't seem to be responding. Any suggestions?
I would take him to the doctors to rule out any medical problems. It sounds like he just can't hold it.
How awful! for your son especially. This has to be a traumatic experience for him. Why does he have ongoing diarrhea? You have to figure out if it is from stress or from food. I would start by feeding him very simple foods like rice, toast, oatmeal, cammomile tea is good to settle the stomach. Only then can you deal with the emotional issues that may accompany this. I feel for you.
N
My 6 yr old had frequent urinary tract infections, and would often wet her pants. I got to the point of packing a plastic bag with a change of clothes in her book bag every day.
however, I would also TELL THE TEACHERS, because when she didn't have a bodily cue that told her she had to go. By the time she knew she had to go, it was URGENT. when the teachers understood this, they made a pact with her, that if she had to go, she could jump up and run to the bathroom.
You said he WAS sick, but you didn't say for how long . . . is he still having diarhea, or is it firm now when he poops in his pants ? If it's still fairly liquid, he probably isn't getting much warning. And if it's too loose 2 weeks after he recovered from being sick, I think I might consider talking with the pediatrician. There could be something still in his intestinal tract, or if he was on antibiotics, he might need some yogurt or something to re-introduce the normal healthy bacteria that keep our intestines healthy. Bottom line is that if he has diarrhea, it is going to hit suddenly and he probably won't get to the bathroom on time.
On the other hand, when my youngest was in K, it was the first year of all day kindergarten at our school. I volunteered to help in the lunchroom, to give the little ones extra attention to help them "over the hump" of lunchroom etiquette. I was honestly shocked by how "rude" the lunchroom employees were with the kids. They were TOUGH, as if they were dealing with 4th graders, not 5 yr olds. (they'd never had 5 yr olds before). One kid didn't like the fish patty sandwiches, but when I found the ketchup and brought it to the table, every one of the kids ate it. And I told them where to find the ketchup next time. But what killed me was one kid who said he had to go potty, and the lunchroom lady wouldn't let him go until the last kid came back. . . of course, my 5 yr old had urinary problems, but I was appalled -- what if he really HAD to go and wet his pants ? How rude is that ?
that said, your son is only 6. Be sure you talk with the people at school so he does get the attention he needs and gets to the bathroom quickly. Some 1st grade classea have bathrooms right in the room, so it shouldn't be a problem. If you don't get any help, talk to the school nurse and the principal. And if it persists, definately see your doctor. there are lots of reason our intestines don't work the way we want them to, some are physical and some are stress-related. you want to know what's going on, and resolve the root problem, as well as help him to cope with the symptoms.
Good luck, K. ! You're smart to put feelers out there and see what other moms have done !!
Don't treat it as a "behavior" issue until you rule out medical explanations! Inform the teacher & nurse that he may have emergencies & get him to the pediatrician. If this problem is beyond his control, it must be so embarassing for the poor little guy!!
My 6 year old daughter had the same problem. As everyone else is saying this is usually a three fold issue. First is ruling out medical stuff, my daughter turned out to be having real problems with her intestines and we are still dealing with it. Now, the meds cause sudden pooping, or sometimes leakage. Second, I spoke to both the teacher and the nurse and made sure there were spare clothes for her in the nurse's office. We all sat down - teacher, nurse and dd and me to make a plan where she could just leave and go to the nurse's office. She also pees at the classroom bathroom, but if she needs to poop she has permission to go to the nurse's without asking. Lastly, we continue to deal with the behavioral/emotional issues. She needs to be asked and encouraged to go regularly and at set times. She also does not want to stop what she is doing.... Now, we are working on a schedule of specific potty times which work into her school schedule and encourage her body to be more regular.
At six there is no way he'd poop at school on purpose.
I am really wondering why you think he is purposefully pooping his pants??? Does he have diarrhea??? I'm not understanding...
If he is having frequent diarrhea then there is a problem. Most likely food allergies, but could be another GI issue such as Celiac's disease. I think this is worth investigating from that perspective rather than a behavioral perspective. He would be risking a lot of torment from his peers by pooping his pants on purpose at school.
I don't have any advice in regards to the actual pooping issue, but I used to teach up until last year and I had a bathroom policy. I always told the kids that if they had to throw up or be sick, to just run to the bathroom. I would definitely notice a kid running out of the room and realize there was an emergency. It's always better to sort it out after the fact than to have to clean up or for the kid to have an embarrassing situation. Maybe talk to the teacher and see if there can be an agreement between the two of you. Most teachers are understanding.
Hi Kelli,
My son just turned 6 and he is doing the exact same thing for a couple of weeks now. He seems to not want to stop what he is doing so that he can go to the bathroom. I decided to treat him like he was potty training again and ask him if he has to go every 10 minutes. I figured if anything he'll get tired of me asking or he'll learn to go when I don't ask him too. At night for bath time, I find out if it worked and sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Just an FYI here, pay attention to the things in his bedroom because he might start to hide the poopie underwear underneath things because he knows he is going to get into troube for them. I found out the hard way when I cleaned. Any good solutions, I'd be interested in hearing if you don't mind. Good Luck, A.
It is very normal for them to have trouble with diarrhea at that age. (They are not familiar yet with the urgency of it etc.) As for the school thing ours has strict rules not to send them until it clears up. Maybe his pediatricaian can suggest an immodium or something?
It might be physical. Have you had him to the Ped? He might have lost some of the signals that he needs to poop, or needs to reconnect that feeling to moving his bowels. Also, his rectal tone might have been damaged if he has had loose stools for an extended time.
Plus,......I'd call the teacher and ask what the hech happened! If she really didn't let him go to the bathroom, I would make sure that she knew that he WOULD go to the bathroom if he needed to ebven if she said no. Imagine being sent to the principal because you went to the bathroom after your teacher told him no. AS a parent I would def. call his teacher and give *her* an education about bathroom needs! :)
It's so common that our school nurse has a box of pants and underwear in her office.
He's maybe not responding because he's embarrassed. He knows where the poop goes. He just doesn't want to hear it. Right now he's "the kid who pooped". We still know the name of the boy who did that in kindergarten, and we're having our 20 year reunion(he turned out to be really cute in HS.) He's got to deal with that, too. And he will.
But. I've told my kids: Gotta go? Can't get permission? Get up and walk. Fear not, I got your back. Teacher might yell. Don't worry about it.
K., you should REALLY have your son seen by a doctor immediately. His bowels could be impacted. A fecal impaction is a large mass of dry, hard stool that can develop in the rectum due to chronic constipation. This mass may be so hard that it cannot come out of the body. Watery stool from higher in the bowel may move around the mass and leak out, causing soiling.
My son had a similar problem when he was that age. The impaction wasn't too bad though. He was treated with an enima and mineral oil. This can get very serious if not treated. An infection could occur if not taken care of.
Time of year? I can remember having the same problem one autumn vacation. I had a mild enough bug that I did not run a fever, but my intestines were in knots. My Mom felt like the worst when we found out I just needed some meds. Maybe worth talking to his doctor. Good luck.
Hi K..
I have Chronic Lyme Disease and my 3 children have Lyme Disease. They all contracted it from me. My youngest who turns 6 next week has the same issue. It was not until I spoke with our Lyme Specialist that I discovered that it is a symptom of Lyme Disease. If you would like to discuss this, please contact me. As you would guess, by this point I am full of information about Lyme Disease. 1 in 3 people have it. Most have no idea.
E. ____@____.com
