My son is four years old, will be 5 in August. He was slow at catching on to potty training… but once he started, he went all the time. He did this for about eight months. Then the last couple of months, he has started pooping on himself. He wears briefs and boxer shorts. He still goes to the potty to pee just fine. I’m not sure what’s going on… so I took him to his pediatrician, and she thought it was bc he is constipated. I don’t think that… he is pooping normal bowel movements and goes often. He doesn’t complain of any pains in his belly or bottom. I’m just lost on what to do… he will be starting school soon, and I don’t want this to be an issue for him. Open to any advice… FYI: this is my first time having a boy.
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It’s funny I run into this post because my friend was telling me yesterday that when he was younger he used to use the bathroom perfectly fine also until one day I guess the reflex for his bum “wasn’t working” and he wouldn’t know that he would be pooing himself. Maybe get a second opinion best of luck mama
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Give him the laxative, try it at least. If that doesn’t help, then talk to another doctor.
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I found this with mine, he was fine peeing but it’s like he didn’t have the patience to sit and do a poo. Keep reminding him to sit on the toilet but make it fun/distract him when he’s on there and try a reward chart. Is he on a potty or the toilet? It might be that. You can get a step seat that goes over the toilet that makes them more comfortable
Any changes or upsets going on? Or heaven forbid, abuse…these things can have emotional causes. I wouldn’t punish him but have him take care of clean up.
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My son goes regularly but we had issues with potty training. Pediatrician said to give him miralax everyday he was probably constipated, I started giving him half a dose once a week and he started going on his own to the potty. Hes 4 now and will tell me about once a month he needs the medicine to help him poop in his cup in the morning. It was explained to me, that he may be going regularly but it may be from the day before and he is considered constipated then
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I’m following I’ve got a fully trained since 3 almost 7 year old who recently started holding it and taking pop can size 
and getting it everywhere on the toilet, floors, walls, himself… y’all he’s wiped fine for years it’s just all the sudden. Best of luck I’m at a total loss too
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My girl use to pee on the potty and hide and poop in the closet. Took her a bit but she grew out of it. Turns out she liked her privacy and didn’t want anyone watching her poop. She’s 8 now and when we go to the bathroom together and she has to poop she makes me wait outside. Possible for him?
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Probably is constipation give him miralax ever day it won’t hurt him! All my boys were constipated cause of all the frozen foods we ate like pizza rolls and pizza and stuff gave them miralax and more veggies and fruit and make sure he drinks a lot of water
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Change up his underwear. It could be a texture issue. My son started in Cotton briefs we ended up switching to the cool dry boxer briefs and have been accident free. We’re at the stage now where he can wear different kinds…
My son just turned 4 he’ll pee in the potty whenever he needs to but begs and I mean begs for a pull up to poop in he says he doesn’t hurt as much to poop that way, he poops 4 times a day. I personally think it’s being scared of seeing the poop in the potty
You can’t. He’ll pee an anything anywhere…but his wife can.
My son would get preoccupied and hold it until he couldn’t. Doc told me its common in kids that age to not want to stop playing, and more common in boys. Remind him, and reward him.
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Had the same problem. Trust me momma, one day it just “clicks”. You’re doing great! Hang in there!
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My son did this around the same age. For us it seemed to be because going to the bathroom to poop took him away from whatever fun thing he was doing for too long. If he goes at the same time each day I’d take him in to the potty or ask him a few times.
Could he have been sexually abused? Talk to him about that and see if that’s a possibility cuz I’ve read kids who are raped/sexually molested have problems like that.
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I have the same problem, my little boy will be five in December. I am worried because he starts big boy school next year and I don’t want him to be teased😔. With him we have been advised that it is definitely a constipation issue. He has been having tummy issues since 2. He has gone to 4 different doctors and all advised not to make it a big issue. I took away pull ups about 3 months ago and told him that the “poop fairy” came and took his pull ups away for making poop in to give to the baby fairies. It has worked and he does not ask for pull ups, unfortunately, it is still not quite right. He is on chronic laxatives to soften his poop cause he has been impacted twice as a little one. It is heartbreaking because I just want to make this as easy as possible for him! We celebrate the poops he makes in the toilet. He has pooped in the toilet five times in the past few months, the other times in his pants. However, we honestly celebrate the improvement that he has made thus far. Just hang in there. It’s so difficult but I am sure that things will get better!
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My daughter bought a potty watch for her son. She sets it for 30 min to an hour. When he hears it he knows its time to use the potty.
I’ve tried retrained I’ve tried laxatives my son will be 9 next month and he goes pee but swears he doesn’t feel the poop urge
The comments are all over the place. But one stood out!! They like their privacy! So they hide and do their business.
My daughter has Encopresis. She withholds (for whatever reason) for so long that she backs up bad bad and when laxitives kick in and she finally goes it’s literally as big as my forearm, one solid piece, that smells like death.
Because the habit of withholding it destroyed the nerve endings in the rectum that send the signals to the brain thay says it’s time to go. If she backs up too much she’ll begin to ‘leak’ around the solid mass she’s holding.
Keep ahead of it.
It takes years and years playing catch-up to fix megacolon.
Maybe keep a food journal?
See if anything clicks.
Educate yourself before using any miralax type stuff, the neurotoxins can cause irreversible issues.
Good luck.
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Has he had a painful bowel movement? When my son was about 3, he was potty & bowl trained but then had a very painful bowel movement - it took a long time for him to start going on the potty again.
Thank you all for your comments and advice. Definitely going to do an award system for him when he does go. I think I’m going to talk to another doctor. I feel so bad for him and I’m happy to know I’m not alone in this. Thank you all again. 
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