4 year old hiding poo

[boozybird]

My daughter is 4 years old and has been potty trained since the age of 2. I have never had any problems with her when she needed to use the toilet. A few months ago she started wetting her pants and saying that it was an accident but this became a regular thing,she would wait until she was bursting then go to the toilet and other times she would stand and do it with no effort to go to the toilet. Now she has started to poo her pants,the first time she did this was at a friends party and i had to throw away her pants and put a nappy on her that i had to borrow from a friend. This was very embarrasing as people could smell it and i wasn't about to admit that my four year old had soiled herself. Now it is becoming worse,I have found poo in her toy box twice and had to throw away the toys that she had soiled on! I cannot understand why she is going into her bedroom to poo in a box when the toilet is right next to her bedroom....please help as I am out of ideas on what to do,she has no remorse when i ask her why she has done this and she gives me no explanation as to why either!

[ifsogirl]

My daughter had a similar problem.  Allthough we never had any regression my daughter was soiling her pants until she was 4.  Your little girl may be constipated.  Mine refused to poop in a toilet but would pee.  Unless she was witholding for too long.  Look up encopresis in children, see if the sypmtoms fit.  If not she may just be getting distracted.  You may have to be a little more aware of her body signals.  Some kids don't want to stop what they are doing just to use the toilet.  They are worried they might miss out on something.

Good Luck to you

[boozybird]

Hi thanks for your advice....the problem is not because she is busy doing something,she actually tells me she is going to the toilet then goes into her bedroom to do it,this is the part im confused with. I will look up encopresis and see if i have more of a clue about things,thanks.

[grandmaof2girls]

Hi,

My 3rd old granddaughter has the same problem.  She hides and poos in her pants and if you ask her if she pooed she will say no.  We only know she did because we smell her.  She is more then happy to stay that way forever.  Did you find an answer?  I have no clue what to do about this.  This is a every day thing.  She will pee on the toliet but not poo.

[Susyj]

I also have a 4 year old who has accomplished going to the bathroom to pee.  When we started potty training, he went poopy twice in the toilet on the same day... then suddenly stopped.  I'm a full time working mom and my mother is her sitter for most part of the day.  We have tried having him wash his underpants and himself... giving him half body showers everytime he goes in his pants, bribing, leaving him on the toilet alone and with ourselves.  I know when he wants to go, because he hides from us... when I follow him, i tell him excitedly: "lets go potty", however, he just doesn't go when we're there.  He always finds a moment to go in his pants since we have a 1 1/2 yr. old daughter also and can't keep an eye on him all the time.  We are expecting our 3rd child this May and i think i'm going to go crazy w/ chaning all three kids... I need help... we bought the potty for him, but he just ignores it...HELP  ANYONE....