Your Concerns About Soiling

You said that your child sometimes poops in his/her clothes or bed. Your child may have a hard time pooping. This can cause staining which often upsets the child, parents, and/or teachers. Your child may be getting teased by other children about this. Some people may avoid your child because of this. Your child may feel badly about him/herself. Only children with worse soiling problems than your child have a soiling disorder. Children must be at least 5 years old to have a soiling disorder.

You may notice that your child one or more of the following problems:

• Often has a hard time pooping (Constipation), with or without soiling
• Your child goes days without pooping
• S/he is afraid of using the toilet
• Talks or thinks too much about using the toilet

Most children are toilet trained by the time they are 4 years old. Some reasons for occasional soiling after age 4 are:

• Problems with toilet training
• Physical disabilities, which make it hard for the child to clean him/herself
• Medical problems

Warning signs that things are getting worse:

• Your child poops in places other than the toilet a lot (at least once a month for three months in a row).
• Your child feels more and more upset about this.
• Your child is teased by other children about this and has few friends.
• You or other adults become more concerned about this.
• Your child's toileting problems continue after s/he turns 5.

If you think things are getting worse talk to your child's doctor, even if you have discussed these things before.

Adapted in part from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC) (1996) .