Thanks Everyone for All Your at My Wits End...

Sounds like he doesn't want to leave the classroom to take care of his business... Contact the teacher and ask for her help. Maybe she can send him to the potty after lunch or something.
LBC

Google "encopresis" -- sure sounds like it to me.
O. of my son's friends had it and it's treatable and manageable, but you'll need a plan. Talk to your pediatrician.
If it IS encopresis--he CAN'T stop it and he DOESN'T know it's happening.

oh, get this little fellow to a doctor, and please stop punishing him. 5 year olds don't do this because it's fun, they want to be big boys. there's probably a physical or anxiety issue behind this, and punishing him will just make it worse. so will 'trying everything'. he needs patience, understanding and consistency. there's nothing wrong with having him help wash out his pants. that's not a punishment, that's a calm reaction. someone's got to do it, he's a big boy and can help. but taking things away is not a natural consequence, and certainly not if he has some sort of issue that's making his bowels misbehave.
it was easier on littles when they didn't need to be in school all day at this young age. that might be tough on him too.
make a pediatrician appointment and start there.
khairete
S.

Call your pediatrician. Moms have asked about this type of thing, and sometimes there are constipation issues or other things that can cause problems. Make sure it's not a physical issue, cause punishment won't do anything for that and may make it worse. Good luck!

I would absolutely not punish at all. he is not doing this to be "naughty". Poor kid! Have a private conference with his teacher. Get her support to start sending him to the bathroom extra. Be a good friend to your son about this. This is awful for him too! Even if he seems to act nonchalant about it, it is a big deal!

One thing I would check is his dietary habits and or if he has been having trouble going poop. My daughter went through this spell in Kindergarten where she was having poop and pee accidents. I took her to her Dr as this was NOT normal and she was VERY embarrassed by it. Turns out she was very constipated and her Dr said being backed up pushes on your bladder then when you get so backed up your body turns the poop into a loose stool to try to release it.

Its possible if its a loose stool he might just think he is passing gas. My advice would be to tell him to make sure he uses the restroom even IF he thinks he is just going to pass gas. And/or see if he has been having problems going poop. Check into what he's eating too, perhaps something is bothering him.

Is he sick? sometimes my kiddos get little stomach issues and this happens for few days and then it passes.
I wouldn't take stuff away from him or punish him. It doesn't sound like he is doing it on purpose. . .When my kiddos have done this I ask them what happened, what were they doing that they didn't get to the bathroom in time, does their tummy feel icky and then I remind them that they need to be sure that if their tummy is feeling strange to hit the potty.
If it persists beyond a week or so, I talk to pediatrician.

I agree with the other ladies, talk to your dr. My daughter had the same issue and the dr said it is very common. Somewhere along the line going poop probably hurt and she started to hold it in. Then her body was trained to hold it in so the only way for the poop to get out was to leak. Our daughter actually forgot how to push it out and was very frustrated when she needed to go.

Our dr had us do a full cleanse (ugh!!!) and then keep her on Miralax to keep everything soft until she could not physically hold it in. Once she went on her own one time she stopped trying to hold it in due to fear we never had a problem again. We have not used the Miralax since.

Just using white grape juice or apple juice will not solve the problem right now. You need to get everything out with a cleanse and start from scratch. Then juice and fiber will help keep things moving after that.

Good luck

As counter intuitive as it sounds that can be a sign of constipation. I would consult his doctor. My younger son went through this. If necessary, they can x-ray his abdoment to determine if there is built up or impacted stool.

S., I feel for you! Could you give a little more information? For example, he's five; is he in kindergarten? At home? In a preschool program? Does he poop in his pants only when at home or at a particular time each day, or does he do it whenever, wherever, unpredictably? Has he before this been fine with getting to the toilet to poop?

You say it's begun "recently" -- how long has it been going on exactly? A few days, a week or more, a month?

Does it tend to happen when he is VERY busy and engaged with something that he does not want to stop, so possibly he knows on some level he needs to go, but ignores it so he won't have to stop his fun?

Have there been any changes or stressors in his life? Even things that seem pretty stress-free to adults can stress out kids this age and they aren't always able to express to us that they feel stressed. Has he had any changes such as a new person in his life, new schedule for his day or night, new sibling or fights with current siblings, new foods, anything?

Knwing some more would help us all to make any suggestions. The first thing that occurs to me from the post is that he says he doesn't know he's doing it; some kids truly do not feel the urge to go until it's far too late, or they become so, so engrossed in what they're doing that they ignore the urge until they're already going in their pants because they could not stop whatever interested them and end up losing control. So he might either be getting so engrossed in some activities that he is ignoring his body's signals (which calls for you to work with him on that behavior, and to have him use the toilet regularly on a schedule, breaking off play even if he says "I don't have to go") or he might be physically unable to feel his body's signals (which if he has been doing OK before this with getting to the toilet in time, would indicate a possible medical issue has begun).

ADDED: I hope you see this, S. -- Yes, as others note, get him medically checked ASAP. Even if there is not a medical issue it is worth getting it ruled out. And I would add: Please talk to his teacher today! Make sure he's not there to hear it, of course. Tell her what's going on; she should know, and you and she should have a plan where she asks him to use the toilet at regular times. It needs to be done in a way that other kids won't notice too much, though, because you don't want him singled out as "the kid who's getting sent to the bathroom all the time."And meanwhile keep the teacher posted on any medical issue that turns up.

My son has encorpresis! As strange as it sounds, if this is what he is dealing with, your son can not feel it or smell himself! My son will be 10 this year and we are just now getting it incontrol with the help of wonderful Doctors at U of M! Don't delay, get him into his Dr. ASAP! Prayers are with you!

Unfortunately u one need to talk to teacher n principle to make sure he's not getting bulling. Thank u need to consult the dr if it's not any of that he could have something going on good luck