bowel problems with 4 year old

[kaecee]

My granddaughter has recently started booping in her pants. She has been potty trained for some time now. She has not had any problems with constipation and I don't understand why she is doing this. Her situation currently is that she spends a week with her father and a week with her mother. This goes on all year but there has not been a problem until now. I recently heard that this could be a sign of sexual abuse. I am worried about this as I heard it from a reputable source.


This discussion is related to 4 year old son messing his pants.

[ella25]

I have exactly the same problem with my little stepdaugher, so we decided not to punish her, but watch her 24/7 to find a kind of "pattern" in her behaviour. Besides that I have checked several medical websites and it seems that she is having a condition called "bowel incontinence". A doctor should urgently check your granddaughter, because if she is having the same problem she would need constant observation and probably a special diet for month if not even years. As she lives one week with her mother and one week with her father, both families will have to stick to the diet and good communication will be required. I have not found any reference to a connection between pooping and sexual abuse, but I am sure a psychologist will be able to help you veryfy that. I hope that your "reputable source" is a psychologist, because sexual abuse is a very sensitive issue and just used in too many court houses for getting custody or denying custody to fathers.