Not Makeing It to the Bathroom on Time

You need to take her to a doctor ASAP with this problem as it could be a sign of physical or psychological issues. The doctor could then tell you if the issue is dietary, an issue of control in a classroom where she is not allowed to go to the b-room at her request or any other number of issues. For her self esteem, she needs to remedy this situation before more people are telling her that she smells, other children start mistreating her or simply not wanting to be around her, etc.

Good Luck,

H.

I would first suggest you get her checked out by the doctor. It is possible something medical is going on that she cannot control her bowels. If it is not medical then have the doctor recommend what necessary steps you need to take. I would not wait, if her classmates become aware of this they can make her life a living hell, which will create a whole different set of issues.

I have had this same problem with my eight year old son. I was surprised to find out that his problem was that he was constipated. The doc explained to me that when poop gets packed at the bottom of the colon (constipation) then the colon stretches... this stretching can causes new poop to leak around the stuff that's packed (encopresis). He said that kids usually never realize they have even had an accident. I have had to start giving my son stool softeners to help and refine his eating habits a bit to get his back on track.

Make sure she is wiping correctly---I had this problem for a few months when my little girl was younger. It wasn't that she wasn't making it on time (we all thought that was it, and she said that was it, but when I looked into it more, it was the wiping) a family member had suggested in front of her that she wasn't making it on time. Once we went through wiping and the importance of it a few more times she did just fine. It was more she was in a hurry, not that she didn't know how. Hope this helps...

Besides wiping (which is often the issue), see what the procedures are at school for going to the bathroom. Have a conversation with the teacher first to get the official version before asking your daughter about it. Does she need to ask the teacher in front of the class for a pass? Is she shy about it? Is there a time limit (and she takes longer to poop)? Is there a teacher sitting in the bathroom as a 'monitor' (which might be intimidating)? Is there a problem in the bathrooms - with bullies/teasing, are they too far from the classroom, etc?

I can't imagine that your daughter is ok with this - unless there is something *so* wrong that the alternative of pooping on herself and sitting in it all day seems like the best choice to her.

Good luck!

have a sit down talk with her to see if you can get to the bottom of it....perhaps there are some issues that she is facing........otherwise give her a consequence that if it happens again she will have to wash the underwear by hand.

It could just be a wiping issue. If she doesn't wipe well enough then it'll itch, she'll scratch and her undies will get nasty. Go back to square one and make sure she's wiping good enough. If that isn't the issue, then like another poster said, it could be a constipation issue. If you decide it isn't a wiping issue then I'd have her see a Dr. She could have "petrified poop". I had that prob when I was little cuz I was bugged by pooping at school and wouldn't do it and then I got super constipated. Which for me, only gave me a tummy ache. But those little poops could be trying to get out on their own ;) Also, a Dr would be a good idea to make sure she is feeling everything down there ok... if that makes sense. Good luck :)

It is very important that you start with a medical exam. There could be a medical reason for this happening. Also talk with her about adequate wiping, tho I doubt that is the cause. My 9 yo daughter does not wipe. she does get poop in her panties but not so bad that it smells.

If she is leaking urine and/or poop it is most likely a medical problem that can be corrected.

I would also have her take a bath every day or every other day at least. And be sure that she is changing her panties every day. Most odor becomes stronger over time. If she wets her outer clothes she needs to not wear them again. If she can't smell herself ask the doctor about that also.

Wearing diapers is not an option. It would be demeaning to her. She needs to feel good about herself so that she will take good care of herself.

When I was around 10, my mother and aunt asked me how I took a bath. It turned out that I wasn't specifically washing my pubic area and I did have an odor. It is also possible that I was maturing and my body was putting out secretions that have an odor over time. Some girls do begin maturing sexually at 8.

Most important first step is a bath daily with clean clothes daily while you wait to get in to see the doctor. Also be sure that she has clean sheets and bedding. If she's leaking in the daytime she's probably also leaking at night.

Your poor child! How AWFUL!

My advice from personal experience is - check her for food allergies - particularly CELIAC disease. My daughter has had a lot of incontinence problems (pooing and peeing) due to that disease, until we got rid of the food allergen. Now we make her non-wheat bread, and we keep her away from all things wheat, and make sure not to contaminate anything with even s smidgen of wheat - because it causing big problems in this area, including diahrea, and terrible constipation.

I'll bet you your daughter can't go when she wants, then when she least expects it - there it is, soiling her. Dairy allergies can also cause the same problem. Naturopaths can, with a simple blood test determine what the food allergen is.

On average, it's taking MDs 11 years to diagnose Celiac disease. My daughter was diagnosed at age 3, saving us from all kinds of problems by my naturopath. She would be autistic today, if we hadn't taken care of this early.