I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter who is potty trained but started peeing her pants again, why?

Question

My daughter has been potty trained for over a year now. She has had occasional accidents.. so what. But just this week she has started to consistently pee her pants. When I ask her why she did it she tells me that she cant run that fast. I clearly saw her just sit there and pee her pants and not even make an attempt to go to the restroom. One day she peed at the the table all over my dining room chair and just sat there. I am really confused as to why she would do this all of the sudden. The only thing that has changed is that her 1/2 sister who is 8, has come to visit for a month. She has an older brother (10)that already lives with us, so she is used to sharing attention. Her sister is very undisciplined and can sometimes be very mean to her. She has even been caught hitting her and saying ugly things to her. What could be causing her to knowingly pee herself?? Insecurity..?..Anxiety???

Answer 1

Sounds like it's because her 1/2 sister is there.  It sounds like anxiety/change.  Show her lots of attention, she might be pissin on herself for attention.

Answer 2

This is not that uncommon at all, in this case it is probably her unruly sister there to visit that is the cause of it. All you can do is be patient with her, give her a little extra love, frequent reminders about going to the potty. More then likely it will pass shortly.

L

Answer 3

Sounds like something is definitely bothering her.  I'd talk to her doctor and have her seen by someone.  Maybe something has happened to her that she's very upset about.

Answer 4

I would say that chances are good that her half sisters visit is the direct cause, but I think that she is acting out and that generally means (for a child her age) that she needs to communicate and doesn't quite know how.

I would take her out somewhere (just her and you) and try and get her to talk about wetting herself.  Tell her you were so proud of her being potty trained and that you don't understand why she would want to be a baby again.  Draw her out.

If this yields no results I would consult her pediatrician.

Answer 5

it does sound like it has to do with a new person in the house...especially if she doesnt see her sister very often...toddlers are very used to a routine and hers is disrupted,...on top of that her sisters attitude to her....also ask her maybe if her sister scared her by saying something about going to the bathroom...you might have to talk to your husband about his daughters attitude but in a gentle non judgemental way....

Answer 6

It sounds like she is maybe having anxiety or fears of something. Or maybe she wants to get your attention and she knows that works. Kids can do some very odd things for attention. Has anything changed recently in her lifestyle (new sibling, new home, etc.)? If its not that she made need to go to a doctor and have everything checked out. Some children develop bladder control problems and can't help it. Good Luck with everything.

Answer 7

That happens quite often.  If the household dynamic has changed drastically - such as the addition or removal of a member, then yes many kids regress back to pre-potty training days.  My sister was completely potty trained until we all went to school - which was a change again - we weren't there all day during the day like we used to - and she started regressing.  Many children do this.