My potty-trained toddler has recently started wetting her pants and odd places at home.What does this mean?

Question

She has been potty-trained well over a year and just in the past two weeks started wetting her pants quite often and just last night urinated in a box. Then today after she wet her pants again, I found her crouched down in a corner in her room and I think she was trying to poop in the corner. I don't know why she is doing this?!!

Answer 1

something in your home or family that has her upset. is there a new baby in the family or some changes in the home, someone staying there or visiting. check out the day care school or provider that takes care of her when you are not around. something or someone has gotten her upset......if a new baby is home, it might be she is jealous of the baby and wants attention...

Answer 2

Is there a new baby in the house?

If so toddlers often resent the new baby and take on "baby" type behaviors to communicate this resentment to you... Even toddlers who outwardly love cuddle and cherish the new baby...

Has there been a new stress put into your childs life? (Daycare, a new person boyfriend/girlfriend for parent, a new living arrangement ie new house)

If so your toddler could be acting out against that..

Does your toddler become very involved in play and not wish to leave the room?

If so they could be just going so they don't have to stop...


If it was my child I would take her to the dr. and have tests run to rule out bladder infection etc. If that is rules out go back to the old try to use the bathroom every hour on a schedule to prevent accidents like we did during the potty training... This will both prevent the accidents and give your child the little bit of addded attention she needs if any of the problems listed above is a cause...

Most importantly don't belittle her for accidents try to work back to accident free as quickly as possible using the same methods you used when originally training her.. Positive reinforcement coupled with ignoring the negative... Hopefully it's just a phase that will only last a few weeks for both your sanity and her confidence...

Good Luck..

Answer 3

Don't panic. At this age (I am assuming between 3 and 4) a child's diet and fluid intake increases as their bodies do. The bladder, however does not grow at the same rate. So the child needs to go more often and is not used to it. They might be lazy or it could be a mental stage of defiance that most kids get at this age. If your daughter can understand enough try to ask her if she know when she needs to potty. Reconfirm that you understand she may not always be able to get there on time but she needs to try. Try the stickers on the calender approach and have a prize when you fill a week, then two with no accidents. (This is of course only if you are willing to resort to bribery, of which I am sometimes guilty)
Some kids as they see more responsibilities and fewer freedoms may regress back to 'baby habits'. You know your baby best, but check with your pediatrician too.
Good luck.

Answer 4

My daughter did this for a while too. At first she would hide somewhere & then tell us later what she did. Then she got bolder and started peeing on the couch, or sitting down on the carpet right in front of us and go.
We figured it was a way for her to release anger, it usually happened right after she was scolded for something, or told "no" to an unreasonable request.
We started teaching her emotion words, like 'frustration' and 'angry' and 'I don't understand'.
She just turned 3 & has been completely accident free for 6 months....
AND uses big people words to tell us how she is feeling.

Answer 5

Do you leave her with anyone?Does she go to daycare?
Does she have a new sibling?
Could be normal,but please dont shame her or disapline her,what ever you do .It will only compound the problem especially if it is becouse of a tramatic reason in the frist place.
Not meaning to scarre you to much but id seriously concider who your leaving her with.Some one could be abussing her in any way.Are you giving her personal atention?Are you gone alot?
Are you in a middle of devorce?Are you a single parrent?
Are there significent changes in her life resently?Could there have been a urinary track infection that started this or maybe a constiparion problem----these things can couse a fear of going to the potty and they can feel more relaxed and less fearfull of a painfull relationship with the potty place.
Go to a doctor if you feel you should. Give rewards like stickers.

Answer 6

If the child is old enough to talk with, ask them why they are behaving like this.
Do they not like the potty? My daughter got really scared one time after we went to the mall and the automatic flushing toilet flushed. She did not want to get near a toilet.

The only other thing is emotional issues. We have a neighbor boy that used to do this around the complex (eew!) He had an abusive father.......

That's all I got

Answer 7

Hi there,

Sounds like she has new awareness she did not have previously. She needs reassurance and direction as to what is the right response (going to the potty). I would suggest however that potties are not great as the child has to then upgrade later to the 'big' toilet. I have kid 8,6,4,2, and we have avoided potties with good results. Stuart.

Answer 8

My daughter also regressed for a time. Mostly I think she was just getting lazy, you know, too caught up in play to make it to the washroom. I would make her help me clean it up, and after a bit she figured out it was better to just make it to the toilet in time.

Answer 9

did somethng happen in the potty that go ther scared to go

Answer 10

lock her in the bathroom