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Avatar universal

4 year old peeing on floor

My son started peeing on the floor while my husband was on deployment with the Navy.  When my husband came back, it stopped for a few weeks, but then started back again.  He is 4, and has been potty trained since he was almost 3.  He takes his pants down and goes in his room, playroom, bathroom, and even on the walls in the hallway.  I ask him why, and he says he doesn't know.  He is highly intelligent and has always been ahead of the majority of kids his age.  I know that he knows better and knows that it is wrong, but I can't get him to stop.  This has been going on for about a year.  I have tried everything from a reward system, talking to him, time out, loss of privileges, spankings, having him clean up his own mess, making him stay right by my side at ALL times, and now am throwing his card collection in the trash.  One by one, each time he pees on the floor, I pick a card and cut it up, then he has to put it in the trash.  He is also wearing a diaper right now, as well as cleaning up his own messes (just with water...I use the steam cleaner later).  I am at my wits end with him.  Tonight we had a rational discussion and he expressed how upset he would be if I cut up another one of his cards.  We finished brushing his teeth and in less than 1 minute he came out of his playroom crying and said he had peed on the floor in there.  I really don't get it.  He KNEW what was going to happen and had just told me that he didn't want that to happen, yet he went in and immediately peed on the floor.  Most times he doesn't even tell me when he does it.  Either I or one of his brothers will find it.  Since the beginning, he would only pee on his end of the house (bedroom, playroom, bathroom, and hallway), but recently he even went in my room.  He pees on the carpet, and sometimes on books and toys.  I am SO angry now, I don't even know what to do with him.  I really thought the embarrassment of him wearing a diaper would do it, but once it is on, he doesn't really even think twice about it.  What can I do?  We are worried that he may have some sort of damage to his brain.  When he was 1 month old, he fell out of his baby carrier onto the pavement.  He had a skull fracture, and has been followed up on by his doctors.  His last scan was when he was around 2, and he was so advanced on everything, the doctors said he was just fine.  In the back of my mind, I have always been worried about him though.  Do you think  he could have some damage stemming from that?  Please help!!
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Avatar universal
My grandson, who will  be 5 in October has been doing this too for about 7 months now. He is potty trained just after turning 3 and we are out of our wits. We have tried everything, the reward system, the talk-to about it being okay to go  on the potty, everyone does it, etc....But, no luck, My daughter and her husband are now having to seek psychological help because he has also become EXTREMELY defiant too. I wish I had an answer to help you too, but we can't decipher what's going on with HIM right now.
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Avatar universal
Wow.. Im so happy I came across this question and I now know I'm not alone!! I have a 4 year old son almost 5 and a 2 year old son. My 4 year old pees on everyyyyything.. I have ocd and I'm a germofobe so OMGOMGOMG!!! All on the toys, his room, hallway just everywhere!! He even peed on his 2 year old brother which I did spank him for that because that is just unacceptable!! My poor baby!! I think it just has to do with age.. He is a bit hyper he may have adhd but hes never been diagnosed with it. Verrrry smart kid so he knows to use the bathroom and thats not good boy behavior to pee on the floor. I really think its just something kids at his age either do or dont do.. What has helped me a bit is that I literally take him to go pee so that way he can (1.Get the hang of it and 2.His bladder will be empty) and of course rewarding him saying hes such a good boy ect... About what I read about punishing the child by cutting up his favorite cards everytime he peed on the floor try rewarding your child when he does use the bathroom.. (My son loves candy.) Like maybe more cards or candy or we get to go to mcdonalds or the playground.. Try rewarding him not punishing him bcuz then it just may be a game and he can now push your buttons for attention. Also try a potty chart with stickers you can just make one with a bunch of toilets and pit a sticker on it which tou can make exciting and reward with each time or a weekly thing. Hope that helps.. And btw I'm currently moving bcuz of all the pee in my carpet I cant even be in my own house!! Ha!!
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Avatar universal
Came here because my almost 4 year old has had some odd peeing behaviors, too. Just this week he peed on his brother, peed in the garbage can, peed in his closet during a time out, and just now peed on one of his favorite toys. I did the same as many of you--asked why, didn't get a good answer, made him clean it up, had him sit on the potty. I try very hard not to make him feel ashamed, except the time he peed on his baby brother (15 mos)--that is unacceptable, so I chose to ramp up the punishment to make a point. He got a butt smack and went to his room (to each parent their own, I know this isn't every parent's cup of tea, but it was a conscious decision, not an act of frustrated desperation).

I work in pediatrics and frequently deal with mental health, so I'm trying to apply the principles I'd suggest to client families--I give him lots of positive attention (I'm learning as a parent that while this is incredibly important, it is NOT a cure all!); I refrain from potty shaming; he's able to go on the toilet and we've used rewards, but at this point it's intermittent (because...eventually kids just have to do what their supposed to do without a reward!)

Now I'm more closely observing the behavior patterns--what happened right before he peed on the floor? How did I respond? How are those things shaping his behavior? As I looked back on each situation, I noticed a pattern--he is peeing on things when I am not in the room, when I'm attending to his brother, or when I'm having to do something he isn't a fan of (like the other morning I had to move the car out of the garage, he wanted to come, but it was -20 out so of course the answer's no! ...and then he peed on baby bro).

My conclusion--he's looking for attention and control. In a lot of the posts I read, I'd agree that there are issues of feeling out of control or needing attention (parent that is gone, lots of siblings, busy home environment--any of those can lead to a child feeling out of control or ignored and lead to undesirable behaviors, it's NOT necessarily ADHD or a behavior disorder [but that doesn't mean you shouldn't seek help if you're having a hard time ;)]. It's so hard because as parents we cannot always control these situations, either!)

I think some of this for my son is in part due to him being the oldest, and he has been fighting to get all the attention back in little ways pretty much since baby #2 was born ;) I expected the sibling rivalry at first, but am surprised to see it continue to crop up now. I also notice (thanks to some of the other posts!) that he's REALLY trying to establish independence in tons of little (and some big) ways. He's getting into trouble quite a bit, too. So he's getting time outs more, and he responds well to this in the moment, but he just might be storing up his negative responses and acting out later for control (or in the closet peeing incident, that was pretty immediate--sort of an "I'll show you, mom!").

Hubby and I do all the things the "books say" as far as spending quality time--1:1 play, 1:1 reading time at bed, cooking, crafts and chores, rough and tumble, "catching him being good", etc--but he just wants more and more. We are very consistent and predictable, but kids still push limits and still need to know where the boundaries are, so punishment is necessary at times. Best you can do is try a strategy, give it a few weeks, and if it's a no go, move on to something else. No shame in seeking help, from other parents or even professionals--shoot, I'm a doctoral educated clinician and have been practicing for over 7 years and I still have trouble at times!

As for dealing with my darling boy right now, I'll be more mindful of these patterns, maybe I have him go to the bathroom before I take the baby for a nap or I give him an "important job" to do while I move the car so he's "helping" me. I'm reinstituting some rewards for peeing on the potty (praise, maybe a sweet treat) to remind him of the behavior I like to see.

Take it day by day, none of us are perfect. When they say parenting isn't easy....it's an understatement :) :)
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189897 tn?1441126518
COMMUNITY LEADER
          "He does have ADHD".   The toilet problems are not unusual with ADHD when off medication.   I assume he does not have these problems at school?   So does this only happen at home?  Many times a kid with ADHD will get so far into something like a video game that they ignore the signs until it is too late.  And, of course, it does sound like he is doing some of this for revenge.  Although, his school situation and the bullying, can also cause these types of problems.
         Many ADHD problems can be dealt with.  Being the CL on the ADHD site - http://www.medhelp.org/forums/ADD---ADHD/show/175  - I have many links on ways to deal with specific ADHD problems.  
        And, in regards to the problems at home, many times a simple tweaking of the medication can make a big difference into ones ability to have more control at home.  I assume he is on medication?
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Avatar universal
I am having the same problem... However my son is about to turn 13!!! His bathroom has always been pretty gross, in fact my daughter wouldn't clean it without wearing rain boots!  But at least it was confined to his bathroom.  Then I had some old pull ups I was storing in his closet and I found them peed in and thrown back in the closet.  Occasionally he would smear feces on the wall, not like the whole bm, a small amount but still disgusting. Within the last year it has been spreading. He started peeing in the guest shower/bath -- the caulking in his own shower/bath is stained yellow.  Then he peed on some papers that had fallen off a table in the living room.  They had to do with me looking into placing him at a boys ranch and he said that was why.  Lately I find poop spots on his floor, I guess he poops on the floor then puts it in toilet?? Don't know.  Tonight I found him in his brothers room taking a diaper. His brother is disabled and so these are larger diapers. At first he lied then acted shocked that I knew he was going to pee in it.  As always he can't tell me why.  He is super smart, but also has other issues - very disobedient, food hoarding, used to lie a lot but that seems to be getting better.  He gets bullied and doesn't have any friends to speak of. He does have ADHD and he is also adopted.  I am a single mom and have always wondered if not ever having a dad present has caused some of this.  I have an associate degree in child psychology and have raised 4 birth children who are awesome, responsible, productive adults. I know I was more lenient with him both because of my own age as well as the fact I have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 5 years ago.  I love him so much and worry what might happen to him if I have to find another situation for him, but with my health already compromised he is piling on the stress for me.  Suggestions? Help?
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189897 tn?1441126518
COMMUNITY LEADER
      Glad I saw this and am very glad that you are taking the time to do something about this.
     My first suggestion is to start a separate post.  (I almost didn't read this).  A separate post will be easier for her to read and ask questions and it won't get lost in the shuffle.  You also might want to think of posting over on the ADHD forum where I am also the CL - http://www.medhelp.org/forums/ADD---ADHD/show/175
      And yes, I think ADHD is certainly more possible at this age then the old ODD.  Kids with ADHD are 3 times more likely to have wetting accidents then other kids.  Because they do things without thinking and also can get so involved in things that they lose track of time - they tend to have a lot of accidents on the way to the bathroom.  The answer is to watch him and make sure that at certain times he hits the bathroom before he has accidents.  The trouble is that your ex has a one and a three year old (not to mention the 6 year old), and watching him is gonna be difficult.
    By the way, don't confuse hostility with not having the ability yet to control your actions or know how to respond.
    He is going to need more then counseling if he has ADHD, because a weekly session is not gonna help that much at this age.  The one who needs to be involved is your ex, because she is the one who has to deal with him.   And I imagine a lot of her problems is that she probably doesn't know or understand how to work with an ADHD kid.  I also imagine that with that many other kids around, her parenting skills are being stressed to the max.  All behavioral modification procedures are based on immediate, consistent, short time actions.  I have a feeling that would be difficult for her.
   Anyway, I do have lots of resources that can help.  Take a look at this link - or have her take a look at the link on ADHD and see if it seems possible.
The link is -   http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_signs_symptoms.htm
   If it does seem like ADHD is going on - get back to me and I will start trying to help more.  Best wishes!
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Avatar universal
I have a son who is 4 years old, turning 5 in February.  His mother has physical custody of him.  I have visitation.  For me, he acts great.  I rarely have to reprimand him, and when I do, he listens to me and does what I tell him to.  When he goes back to his mothers, she is calling me within the half hour telling me he is mouthing back to her and will not listen to her.  She has told me that recently he has started to pee on the floor, in garbage cans and even on his brother.  His mother and I get along great.  We rarely fight and / or argue with each other and when we do we make it a point that there are NO kids around.  She has a very "hectic" household.  She has 3 other kids, ages 1, 3 and 6.  I've been saying that he just needs more attention.  I am not sure about this answer.  Her answer?  He has ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) - NOTE that as of May 2013, ODD is no longer a valid diagnosis.  She also believes that he has ADHD, which is a great possibility as he has many of my traits and I was diagnosed with ADHD.  He also has my hostility, which is yet another issue he has.  Just the other day he smashed his 1 year old brother's face into a wall, making his nose bleed and my son just stood there and laughed.  When he gets into trouble with my mother (his grandmother) or his mother, he smiles and / or laughs about it.  He does not do this with me.  So, tonight his mother asked me to look up on the internet to see what I could find out.  I came across all of your posting and it is soooo much like the situations that are going on with my son.  So, if ny of you have any advice and / or ideas, please feel free to respond.  It should be said that we have him signed up for counseling, however there is a long waiting list (?) for that.  We are hoping a spot will open very soon.  
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Avatar universal
My son pees in the floor and his pants sometimes
Nothing stops him that I have tried so far. I know he pees his panys because he doesn't wamt to take time to go to the bathroom and miss out on something or he waits until its too late and cant unbutton his pants or pull them down fast enough. As for peeing in the floor when I ask him why he says its because I made him mad. He is 3 almost 4. Idk what to do either because punishment makes him do it every time.
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Avatar universal
I have a 3yr old little girl who is potty train. Today my daughter and I were outside taking a walk when she started pulling her pants down trying to pee on the side walk next to a street full of passing cars. she told me she had to pee after she had her pants half way down. This is my only child and I wanted to know is it normal for little girls to try and pee outside?
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Avatar universal
I can't believe the comments about the  'punishment' these little ones are getting. I have a three almost four year old who is doing the same thing, it's normal for this age (as you can see from all the other people in same boat). Lack of patience and understanding only prolong the problem. It's not like they're being naughty on purpose, it's a physical thing that only love and persistence will fix. Take a step back and try to see it from their point of view....mummy takes away my favourite thing when I do something 'naughty'. Just increases the anxiety!!!
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Avatar universal
Everyone seems to have the same the problem. Does it 'cure itself' or 'just go away?' Are there any solutions?
I have an idea about what my 4 year old's problem is, and I try to make time for him, play puzzles and the like, but he spends so much time misbehaving that it's hard to do anything but send him to his room or spank him.

Mom and I are having a tough time with it.
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Avatar universal
I am dealing with this right now and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but my son WAS abused at the local YMCA and his counselor told me to watch out for this behavior. Another one, which he actually isnt doing but she mentioned, is if they wipe poop on the walls. I too was abused as a child and gross as it sounds, I remember doing that :-( Please seek help for the kids and you can gently ask, as I did, " is there anything you want mommy to help you with? or Is there a secret that you want to tell me that someone told you not too? or I just asked him one day when he was 'sick' home from school again, "is someone hurting you?" My heart dropped but I am glad I asked. I wish you all the best as it is a struggle we are still in. Its been a year, he is 4 1/2 now and just starting to do it so.... I dont have answers. I am sorry for all of you because I know where you are at.
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Avatar universal
I am 42. I used to poo in my bed at 3-4 because I was afraid of monsters!!!
My mothera nd aunt scolded me, called me pig (fiklrthy in portuguese) and snmaked me. This only made it impossible for me to articulate my reasons. they never found out that Iw as simply too afraid of a monster hand that might grab my legs if I stepped out of the bed in the dark. So, when I woke in the middle of the night needing to go to the toilet I literally 'shitted myself'. I was totally aware of how inappropriate pooping in the bed was... after all I had to sleep on it!! But the fear of monsters was greater than the threats and punishments. I was unable to resolve this problem. Had the adults asked me kindly what was going on, instead of making me feel inadequate and treating me like I was evil and stubborn and simply trying to get their attention or on their nerves ( pure psychiatric blurb) we could have handled the issue on the first night!
The issue resolved when we moved from my aunt's into my own family house. There my mother was more tolerant and I was given a room to share with my older brother. There were now two single beds. I jumped from mine onto his, and from there over to the door, far away enough to escape the monster hands!!! this fear was so REAL! So it was that I resolved the problem. It had nothing to do with attention grabbing, fathers away etc. If father being there would make any difference it would perhaps be because I would be less afraid of monsters with him there or so. So STOP worrying, just help the boy resolve the problem. Be his friend, not his executioner. Read parental experiences with this in this site and you will see that all punishments failed to handle the issue. this is because the issue is not a disciplinary one. the child needs a friend to help them resolve the problem. Punishment AGGRAVATES the problem.

DO NOT BRING THIS ISSUE TO THE SIOCIAL SERVICES: they will interpret this as a cry for help, and say that your child is clearly suffering emotional harm from YOU. They are in court as I write trying to accuse me of this regarding an instance of defecation in the nursery (another child invited him to do it and they did it together at age 3) and he urinated once at home. He has not done it since. Not in many months. He's now 4. I never made anything of it. The etachers and teh social worker did but I protected him by ignoring it. Treated him with dignity. He is fine!
Also, this has nothing to do with potty training. The kids know how to control the bowels and they know where to do it, but for a reason or another at some point they decide that it is best to do it somewhere else.
(And often teh reason is hard to tell the parents because of fear of humiliation, through non acceptance. The very attitude of disappointment in the parent prevents the child from telling the reasoning behind their behaviour. For the child feels it is acceptable and rational but the child is too young and inarticulate to confront an adult with language and reason, especially if they feel intimidated or not accepted.)
In my case it was because of fear. It was greater than me.
I was a lovely 3-4 year old girl and the patronizing and humiliating disciplinary actions they gave me degraded me, and NEVER solved my problem. STOP punishing the children, and STOP looking for mental/psychological reasons. There will be some sensible explanation for this.(from the child's perspective it will be sensible). And if the child cannot articulate it, well, let it be, the child will resolve it someday. Lots of love, katiusha
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Avatar universal
I thought I was the only one. i feel relieved I'm not. my son is 5 and has been potty trained for over 2  years and just recently started peeing on everywhere too. It smells disgusting. He just started doing this after his step father came back from deployment. maybe he's resentful he left? I dont think he understood why he left for so long. I'm going to look into the UTI comment, but I dont think its possible for that to make them do that for such an extended period of time?
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Avatar universal
Ugh! I cannot seem to get my 3 year old son to stop peeing on the carpet in his room! I feel like he does it just to make me mad!? for example tonight before I put him to bed I made him use the toilet then after I walk off he got out of bed and stood in his doorway and peed! My entire apartment smells like pee! I'm not sure what else to do! I have tried everything but nothing seems to work! I wish there was a simple fix for this! Please anyone with suggestions! I have also tried cold showers still nothing!
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Avatar universal
i am glad to know i am not the only one....but my daughter has been to behavioral specialist and all and nothing has helped. i even had her checked to make sure she is not or has not been touched inappropriately. its been going on so long i almost forget when it started. to make it worse...she cries a lot and i tried spanking, taking things from her, talking, showing affection and all...NOTHING WORKS....she deliberately pees all over herself. like today she stood in the middle of the floor and peed...the restroom was less that 5 steps away.  and to make it worse my other kids are resenting her for it. i love all my kids, and work hard to make sure that they have the best. I even cut back my work schedule to make sure that i am home to spend more time with the 2 babies. Yall I am at my wits end i swear i am about to start pulling my hair out.p/s....she has been to both the pediatrician and the behavioral therapist. I am not big on spanking and yelling and all that cause i hated it as a child...but maybe i need to go old school on her.......HELP!!!
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Avatar universal
Future References that read this: I know this is a really old forum, but have any of you considered the possibility of your child having a UTI? Little ones don't always know the best way of telling us they have a medical problem. We have to be their eyes and ears as their mothers and fathers.
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Avatar universal
I really think that every parent going through this should look into abuse being a possible cause. attention seeking seems to be a big part of it too... setting up some special time seems to be a good idea, maybe as a reward for good behaior, but if your kid won't talk to you about what's really the reason they're doing it then a counselor may be needed
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Avatar universal
my four year old daughter started peeing on the carpet, only in her bedroom,
She gets plenty of attention more than most children because she is an only child.
The attention she gets is quality and positive. My daughter is very smart with a vocabulary
better than some adults I know, so with that said.. being stern by timeout, not rewarding her,
taking fun things away DID NOT WORK  so I turned to the internet and found that Im not alone.
I have to say I had to laugh not one person suggested a spanking, So I will tell you after she got
a spanking one that got her attention SHE HAS NEVER DONE IT AGAIN.
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Avatar universal
My daughter is 3 1/2 and has been peeing on her bedroom floor for several months now. she was potty trained at 2 1/2 and did really great with it. I never pushed potty training or made it a big thing.I do think that after she was out of diapers, a lot of changes were happening in her life. one after another. Changes that just couldn't be avoided. she was so big I couldn't keep her in her crib, because she was climbing and falling out.I moved her to a toddler bed. Then her biological father came into her life. She had to be alone with him and a court supervisor.very stressful on her. Then her sister was born. I was breastfeeding and at home all day. I try so hard to give her a wonderful life, and I am with her a lot but there is a 12 month old sister there too. I do the best I can. she loves her preschool, her grandparents, and her family life is nice and loving. I just can't help but feel like I have failed as a mother. I've been making her room so nice and she pees all around her bed. maybe I should call the doctor? I try to give her so much attention. my mom says I should react whatever way feels natural.... well It makes me pretty mad. I've never spanked her for it. somehow i don't think taking away her preschool tv shows will make her  stop either.  **** sigh   but reading all of these posts has really helped.
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1657670 tn?1302281722
My little girl is 5, she has been peeing on her bedroom floor since she was 3! We have no idea what triggered it or why she does it. We bought a house when she was 3 and thats when and where it all started. She pulls down her pants and pees on her bedroom floor. No where else just her bedroom. She recently started doing other things as well...smearing poop on her wall, destroying things, talking back. I dont know what to do or how to stop this! We have tried several places for help and NO ONE can figure out WHY she does it?? She has had a TSS, a behavioral specialist a theorpist...no one could help us! I think I am going to try what Lovesadkids suggested and see if it helps any. I hope so!
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Avatar universal
I am so relieved to see that I'm not the only one experiencing this!! My son is 5 years old and only recently started this behavior after new years, this year. My mother in law lives in St. George and has taken my son for 'vacation' about a week to two weeks a year (at one time) since he was two years old. He asked while we there for new years if he could stay at my mother in laws and come home later. We decided that'd be fine and we called every day, nothing new to him or us. He came home about a week and a half later and everything was fine. Then suddenly one day I step in a wet puddle where I KNOW nothing could be dripping, spilled, etc. I lean down to smell and ew! Pee! My husband had actually seen my son just take out his thing, but asked- what are you doing?, and my son just said "nothing. just looking." and put it away. It was wierd, but he didn't think anything of it until I came in and said it smelled like someone had peed right in the doorway (where my son was seen holding his thing). We scolded him- he was sent to his room, no tv, toys or video games the rest of the night. That seemed to be the end of it, though when I later asked him why he did it, he replied "I don't know, I was just being crazy." Uh, ok. So I forget about it, and he starts making complaints about going upstairs alone (day or night), and asking me to go with him. I asked what he was scared of, and he said "Zombies and monsters." Obviously we explained there was nothing to be afraid of and a week goes by with this annoying zombie problem (I don't even know where he saw/heard about zombies.) and having to go with him or making him go alone. Just a few days ago I walk past a heat vent right in the hallway outside the bathroom and there was an overpowering pee smell. I go in the bathroom and the smell decreased- i look back in the hall and there was a small puddle dried up right there, and yellow running down and in the vent. SICK. I don't understand that- he was literally right outside the bathroom. Today, I walk past the same hallway and there is a guest bedroom right next to the bathroom and the smell of pee was coming out of it. I'm just like, no way. I walk in and I can't see the spots, but I can definitely smell them. So I bring my son in and very calmly ask him, "Where in this room did you pee?" At first he lied, and told me "I didn't do it!" but I kept him there and kept repeating where he peed. Finally after about 3 minutes he shows me two spots in the closet and a pile of blankets. UGH. So he was immediately sent to his room, without his 'goodnight snack' or movie time before bed. He started crying really hard, so i sat down with him and asked why he was peeing on the floor. He admits he knows it's not a toilet, and that he doesn't like the bathroom- he doesn't want to be there alone. SO, I will be going to the bathroom to supervise from now on. This house seems to freak him out (it is older, and my brother was recently saying he hears 'weird noises' from the bathroom or upstairs (which is why i'm thinking he's started doing this). We are moving at the end of the month to a condo and I am terrified he's going to pee on the brand new carpets. Also with the moving I haven't had as much one on one time with him (he's my only child), so I'll try upping that and see if I can get this to stop. I'm hoping it's just that my brother or whoever else made him freaked out of just this house, and the behavior will stop once we've moved, if it doesn't after tonight. I had him repeat what the consequences would be (no tv, xbox, AND a spanking since this is the 3rd occurence) and he did, saying he didn't want to lose his tv or xbox time. I explained to him the concept of consequences and just had a long talk about whatever he wanted, and why he didn't want those consequences to happen to him. He still had to go to bed with no movie or 'goodnight snack', but he wasn't crying and seems optimistic that he'll never do it again. Guess we'll see :)
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Avatar universal
Ugh! Glad to know I'm not the only one going through this! But like everyone else, I sure wish there was a "fix" to this issue. My daughter will be 3 in March, we're working on potty training still, she wont go poop on the potty, which I'm not pushing, my other daughter didn't go poop on the potty until right before she turned 4. But the issue with my soon to be 3 year old is peeing and pooping on the floor. Just like everyone else, she knows where the potty seat is and where the bathrooms are but just doesn't use them, she only will if I realize it's been an hour or 2 and I ask her if she has to go, otherwise she just sneaks off and pees or poops on the carpeting, which only make me angry! My whole downstairs living room smells like pee all the time, no matter how much I clean them. I'm at a loss too and just hoping this passes soon. I dont punish her, I just tell her we're not supposed to go potty on the floor and you have to tell mommy when you need to go potty. She says okay, but this has been going on for probably 6 months now. I'm a stay at home mom so they have my attention all the time, I only have 2 kids, my husband works normal hours, there's been no major changes in their lives, so I just can't understand why she chooses to pee & poop on the floor when she knows she's not supposed to. I play with them all the time so I really dont think it's an attention seeking thing. It really just seems like she doesn't feel like taking the time to walk to the bathroom and it's just easier for her to pee where she's standing! It makes you feel like you've done something wrong when you have 2 children that are taking longer than normal to potty train. I know every child is different, but when you're a stay at home mom and spend all your time with your kids, trying to teach them right from wrong, you feel like you must be doing something wrong when they do things like this.
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Avatar universal
My daughter would pee on the floor as well. She was 3 at the time  but was already potty trained. She took her pants off  ran into the room and just went infront of me on the living room floor. All of this started just after her father was deported. She was regressing and acting out because, in her eyes, her father left her. Children have a funny way of blaming themselves and at these ages they act out or regress because they don;t know how to communicate their confussion, anger, or pain. Play therapy has helped her and she is doing great now.
Her father is not home yet, like your husband, but I was told that good change is also hard as well to adjust to for young children. I will be taking her back to play therapy, when her Dad returns, to help her adjust.
His father leaving and returning could be causing him to regress and their may be resouces available in your area to help him deal these changes.
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