My 8 year old šŸ’© in his pants dailyā€¦.

Doesnā€™t matter if heā€™s in school or at home or anywhereā€¦ he does it and doesnā€™t say anything but I can smell it when I pick him up. I send extra clothes with him each day just in case it happens so he can change and he typically doesnā€™t ā€¦ itā€™s almost like it doesnā€™t bother him šŸ˜…šŸ˜©. Kids at school sometimes say things (as they should because it does smellā€¦) but at the same time I fear heā€™s getting bullied because of it and itā€™s starting to mess with his mental health. We have tried alllll the things but nothing works.. looking for insight from all you other mamas on how I can help him. Iā€™m out of ideas.
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Wish i had advice for you, im here to say your not alone my 9 yo is doing it šŸ˜“

I would talk to his pediatrician, my 8 year old has been bed wetting and he thinks sheā€™s got chronic allergies so sheā€™s gonna be treated for that. Iā€™m not saying heā€™s got the same thing bc heā€™s pooping and sheā€™s peeing but I would definitely consult his doctor .

In the same boat here ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø

I was having a little trouble with my then 7 year old daughter not wiping good enough. If you have spoke to him about it and it hasnā€™t changed, it seems heā€™s doing it purposely? for attention in somewayā€¦? Even negative attention is sufficient for kids.. if yes then I would definitely start implementing consequences. My daughter had to be told if she doesnā€™t take her time and wipe better she will get infection possibly in her vajay. I made her wash out her clothing after a while as well instead of doing it for her before the wash cycle. I told her Itā€™s about being clean and preventing other illnesses that are spread by feces . has he been able to use the bathroom before no issues and this just started? Iā€™m sorry youā€™re going through this op

I would also speak with your childā€™s teachers so they can keep an eye/ help change him encourage him to go so thatā€™s heā€™s not left in it because surely they can smell it too! But yes maybe get some advice from his paediatrician incase itā€™s a underlying issue etc x

Just know you're not alone. My child suffers from encopresis and we have come a long way. We did physical therapy to help strengthen those pelvic floor muscles for better control. Also ADHD meds have helped a lot because children with ADHD can sometimes have issues following their bodily cues. There was also some bathroom anxiety in our case that needed to be addressed and the bathroom issues are part of my child's school plan (for accommodations).

Can he actually tell when he has to go or when he has gone? Does he have no control over his body when it comes time for number 2? Can he smell it? Is he in nappies in the meantime? It may help for an easier clean up.

@Allison we are just getting my son tested for ADHD as heā€™s having a lot of issues at school. We are currently doing some testing and hopefully we will get a diagnosis soon so we can get him started on some meds and from what Iā€™m reading from this post a bunch of other post things online I think that could actually really be super helpful. Iā€™ve always been against medication, but I think this is something that he needs and is going to really help him. Thanks for the post! šŸ„°

Is he actually going in his pants or just not wiping efficiently? My 8 year old rarely has a pants poo but often doesn't wipe well enough, so the underwear will still be messy and smelly. If that's the issue, he might need some lessons in how to do it, know when to stop, maybe a travel pouch of wet wipes if he can remember not to flush them and has sticky poo

@Katlyn unfortunately heā€™s actually going in his pants. We have him sit on the potty in the mornings to try and help him get through the day without an accident and he does but itā€™s never productive. I can always tell when he needs to go and when I bring it up he tells me he doesnā€™t need to and then 5 minutes later heā€™s had an accident. I only know because I can smell it ā€¦. If I couldnā€™t he just would sit in it. I just donā€™t get it šŸ˜«šŸ˜–

@Anais he can tell for sure - he walks like heā€™s holding it or heā€™ll try to get into a position that seems normal while holding it in. And I can only assume he can smell it, I have never asked him directly if he can smell it.

I am struggling with the same thing with my stepson. Heā€™s been doing this for almost 2 years. He was comply potty trained then just started fully pooping his boxers once to multiple times a day. He too will sit in it for hours and let it crust up on him and not care about the smell. It doesnā€™t matter where he is he will do it with 0 shame. I cry daily scrubbing poop out of his boxers and donā€™t know what to do. Weā€™ve see his doctors who just tell us to do miralax and everytime we do he gets used to it and starts again. He says it takes too long to sit on the toilet and he is being evaluated mentally this month. Iā€™d love to link up and give one another advice and support through this. Letā€™s hope 2025 is the end of this!

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