Minimize Soiling Pants

7 Ways to Minimize Soiling Pants

1. Figure out what triggers this and try to minimize soiling pants. Does it happen when he is stressed? Does he get so engrossed in play that he forgets to listen to his body signals?
2. Talk to your child about the importance of listening to his body signals. If he doesn’t listen to his body, the feces gets harder, the doughnut muscle gets weaker, and the less the bowel and brain talk to each other.
3. Some children are embarrassed about going to the bathroom, so impress upon your child that going to the bathroom is normal and something that everyone does.
4. Put your child in clothes that they can get out of quickly, such as pants with an elastic band, rather than buttons and zippers.
5. Determine if your child is constipated. Constipation is often the culprit of encopresis.
6. Let the child over six take responsibility for cleaning his/her soiled pants. This is not a punishment, but rather a way to help your child learn to take responsibility for his actions and motivate him to listen to his body signals.
7. Avoid drawing too much attention to your child’s bowel habits, as this can aggravate the problem. Focus on a solution rather than the problem. See Soiling Pants for more information.