Five Year Old Son Having Constant #2 Accidents

Updated on February 02, 2008
S.G. asks from Broken Arrow, OK
6 answers

My now 5 year old son was potty trained by age 2. In the last month he has constantly been having #2 accidents, and it is so bad it is running down his legs. He tells us right after it happens and apologizes over and over again. I really think he doesn't know until after it happens. I was hoping it would work out sooner or later but appears to be getting worse. There are some mornings that we have to dress him three or four times before he goes to school because of the accidents. Now he is asking us what it wrong with him and wants to know why he can't tell he needs to poop. I assure him he is okay. I don't want him to worry although I am very worried because I know this is not normal. I was just wondering if anyone else had ever been thru this type of situation and will welcome any suggestions.

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M.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I have my daughter on Miralax too. She was having the opposite effect she was constipated and it was pushing on her bladder making her pee her pants.

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T.B.

answers from Tampa on

I would schedule an appointment with his doctor ASAP. If he is telling you he can't feel the need to go, he must be checked out now!

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J.H.

answers from Kansas City on

My daughter had the same problem this fall. I took her to the doctor and it turned out she was constipated. I was amazed. The BM gets all blocked up inside. Then the new feces doesn't have time to form and seeps out around the blockage. The child loses the ability to control their muscles and the feces just comes out. The cure was an enema and Miralax every day to soften the stools. I used panty liners for her underwear to help save some. I hate to tell you but it took over two months to get it to stop. She is still on Miralax but there are no accidents. Take you son to the doctor and ask about this. Apparently it is quite common.

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R.S.

answers from St. Louis on

My son was constantly having #2 accidents also and he is 5 years old. Apparantly this is more common than I thought! My pediatrician also put him on Miralax. The most important thing I want to say is that it is not your son's fault. Believe me, I know how frustrating it is to constantly be cleaning up feces! Just remember, he is telling the truth that he can't feel the "urge" to go. If he is constipated, there can be a hard blockage that causes the stool to "back-up" behind it. All the pressure interferes with the nerve impulse that allows us to "feel the urge" to defecate. Some of the softer stool can get around the hard piece and leak out. While my son was being treated with the Miralax, I would use pull-ups in case of any leaking. I also put a few pull-ups in his backpack when he went to kindergarten, and let his teacher know what was going on. If he had a little accident while at school, she would discreetly take him to the restroom to clean hinself up. This helped to avoid embarassment with his peers. He no longer has to take the Miralax and has no more problems, but it did take a few months to get him back on track. Get your son to the pediatrician ASAP!

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M.L.

answers from Rockford on

Take him to the dr.!!!!

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D.M.

answers from Springfield on

I had been having a hard time getting my 3 yr old son potty trained. Especially #2. He has always been an extremely picky eater, and would go days refusing to eat. I finally took him to the dr and insisted they find out why he wasn't eating. They ran some x-rays and found the same thing, he was chronically constipated. They put him on Miralax as well and explained that he didn't have the sensation for a bowel movement. He has been on it for about 6 months now and is finally eating regularly, we have also almost gotten completely potty trained. Hope this helps, good luck!

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