5 1/2 year old having p**p accidents?

Question

My 5 1/2 year old Daughter has started to have p**p accidents in her underwear. She has been potty trained for about 3 years now and recently has started to have accidents. Each time she will try to hide it from us even though we have never gotten upset at her or has gotten in trouble for it. Is she has an accident she will sit in it until she is able to get to her room and change. She will not tell us. Until recently it has only happend at home (while playing), but last week it happened at school and she was really embarassed. I figured this would have fix the issue but the next day it happened at home.

We have spoken to her about it and every time she says that she could not hold it. she later admitted that she was holding it for a while before having the accident (at home) and we have told her not to hold it and just got to the bathroom. In school it happened because it was not her time to go to the bathroom so she held it, we told her next time to ask the to go to the bathroom.

Answer 1

If it isn't her attention span that is causing the accidents, try talking to a doctor.  She may be experiencing some colonic issues.

Answer 2

The key is to find out what is so interesting that its keeping her from going to the bathroom.  

The solution though is to set a time for her to sit on the potty each morning.  It is a good habit to get into for the rest of her life actually, but right now she needs to know that 'waiting' is not an option and regularity starts with being regular about your habits.

Answer 3

I guess my question is what is the consistency of the stool? Is it formed or liquid?  If it's liquid, it could be that she is constipated and has liquid stool leaking around a large, hard piece of stool. This kind of soiling is involuntary. Talk to her pediatrician--she may be constipated. This happened to my son, and I had to given him several Fleets enemas to get him back on track (as ordered by his pediatrician.)

Answer 4

Just tell her that if she has to go to the bathroom to not be embarassed about it...tell her its better to go to the bathroom then to hold it and to have an acident.