6 Year Old Poops in Pants Occaisionally

Hi B.,

This was an issue with my daughter as well-- she'd get busy playing and not want to stop to go to the bathroom. Then she'd get constipated and it would hurt for her to go, so she would avoid it even more. Her doctor recommended MiraLAX-- it is an over the counter laxative-- it's kind of expensive, but it really works. When your son gets constipated, just put a little in his juice or whatever he is drinking. It does not taste bad at all-- in fact, it adds a little bit of sweetness to the juice and makes it taste even better. The way the doctor explained it, it helps to regulate their bodies, so eventually you won't need it anymore-- they can tell when they need to go. Her doctor also also talked about how being constipated can be really bad for the kidneys, liver, etc., so you really do want to get a handle on this.

You could also try going a more natural route-- raisins, dried plums, yougurt. Avoid too much bread, pasta, etc. Buy more fiber-rich foods. Good luck!

If his "pooping accidents" are happening about the same time of day each time, then I would have to say that your schedule needs to work around it, as much as possible. Another thing you might try is to strongly encourage him to TRY to go BEFORE you leave your house for the event. A 3rd thing to try is to have him wear "Good Nites" pants while you are out, and that way, if there is an accident, all you have to do is pull them off, clean him up, and then put on his "regular" underpants. Belittling your son is NOT going to work, and may actually even make things worse. Even though he is 6 years old, he is "still" a LITTLE BOY, and accidents WILL happen! Believe me when I say your son is NOT the only one this has EVER happened to!! :) (You might also want to ask your DH's mom if DH had any problems when he was your son's age....I'd almost bet he did! "Like father, like son..." I know when I talk to my DMIL, she almost always gets his attention by telling stories about when he was little!)

Hope these suggestions help! (And if it's only happening once every 3-4 MONTHS, he's doing GREAT!!!!) :)

~J.~

I have a 8yr boy and this has happened before because he rather play then go to the restroom.And i feel you pain .Both of my boys were potty trained by the time they were 1 1/2. Then all of the sudden he started this.I feel bad, but he kept doing this so i started making him raise his own underwear and he STOP right away. But i just had a little girl 17 months ago,and everyone said it was because he was jealous not being the baby anymore. He has stopped but noe im trying to make sure he cleans his self completely so that he wont have a smell.

It's possible this is encopresis. I have a daughter who just turned six, and we have struggled with this off and on. Because they don't want to stop what they're doing and use the restroom, they begin to become constipated and lose the ability to know when to go. Then it leaks out around the mass of constipated stuff and they don't even know it's coming.

I would encourage using a training schedule again - have him sit on the potty and use a timer to time 2 minutes. If nothing happens, go 15 minutes then back on the potty. The two minutes on the potty should not hold any distractions, such as looking at a book, talking, etc. Just focused on seeing what happens! After two or three rounds of this, use a child's enema to clean him out. That gives his body a chance to get rid of anything in there. Then when you do the training period again, you're more likely for him to produce a movement on his own. Use this training period once a day for about 1 hour altogether.

Be patient and kind! They are still learning at this age. Those of us who have kids who are tuned to the outside more than the inside have to constantly be reminded and trained to slow down and focus on what their body is feeling. It is extremely frustrating to deal with, but if you can stay focused and consistent yourself, and just matter-of-fact about it, he will feel more capable of mastering this and will learn the importance of being responsible for his body.