Why does my 7 year old son keep leaving small poops around the house?

Question

I have a 7 year old and a 2 year old and for as long as I can remember my oldest son has been doing "nugget" sized poops and leaving them around the house! I know it sounds disgusting and today I'm at the end of my tether with it as my 2 year old found one and brought it to me, just in time for me to stop him from eating it!!!!!

I don't know whether this is an attention thing or not because he denies it when me or his dad ask him about it but we know it's him. We find them all over the place, it's not as if he's doing it in his pants because he's not but he seems to manage to do a small amount and just leave it where it is.

I've got angry with him, I've tried to stay calm, I've tried to get to the bottom of why he keeps doing it but I get no answer. I'm unsure whether this is a physical problem or an emotional one but he is generally happy in himself and there have been no obvious reasons why he would do this. I don't really know what to do next???

Answer 1

mmm... thats totally not normal... well i think u should c someone who can actually help

Answer 2

test him for ADHD.

Answer 3

My daughter did this when she was a toddler, i had to give her mineral oil 2x a day mixed in a drink to soften her stool. 2 tsp. in any liquid mixed, he doesn't have to even know. See if that works.

Answer 4

It is not a normal behavior, but it not be a behavior problem. He could actually have a medical issue that is causing this.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/...

try looking at that site, it might have some information for you.

Answer 5

Well if your positive it is your child, as you seem to be, than I would be taking your son to a doctor, whether it be a physical or a behaviour problem.  Either way it needs to be addressed with a professional.

Answer 6

Are you sure it's him and not a pet? Could it be you have a rat investation that you didn't know about?

Answer 7

Cause he is mentally retarded and cant control his p**p glands. JUST KIDDING!

Answer 8

I agree with the other answerer, I don't think children can control the size of their poops.  If the "nugget" was small enough and not "gross" enough for a two-yr-old to want to eat it, I'd say it was a mouse or cat dropping.

To be sure:  Take one of the nuggets to your family doctor.  IF your child is actually doing this (what amazing control!!) your doctor would be able to advise what to do about it.

Suggestion:  Do NOT get angry at your 7-yr-old, especially if he is actually doing it.  That would make it a power and control issue, and yelling at him about it will only make it worse.

Answer 9

hi I've got a similar problem with my seven year old son and i know what your feeling.

My Little un had eating problems for ages and was pooping in his pants it looked like "rabbit" p**p and it was falling out where ever he was. After taking him to the docs it turned out that he had constipation and  his bowls needed training to p**p properly,

the doc told me that the first step was to clear his system out with fig oil " that worked a treat" and then to get him to sit on the loo once a day at the same time for about 10 mins blowing a balloon to get the pushing reaction going again.

since the fig oil is a natural remedy and the blowing the balloon is not going to do any harm i say give it a go.

just be warned that it could take a few weeks

Answer 10

Have you talked to your pediatrician about this?

This seems to be a pretty common problem with boys ~ since I can think of several relatives who had a similar problem with their sons (including me). With all of us, it was tied into the kid not wanting to take the time to use the toilet or not wanting to use the toilet at school/daycare and then "holding things up." Of course, eventually it has to come out (!) and I imagine your son genuinely doesn't realize he's pooping.

Your pediatrician really is the best one to be giving you advice on this. He may suggest a regular toilet time with a reward for when he goes, or may suggest suppositories or laxatives to get your son on a regular predictable schedule. At this age, you've got to get a handle on this problem before he goes to elementary school because he will be teased something terribly if other kids discover if your son is leaving a trail of pellets around the classroom.

Answer 11

It might be to get attention. You should have him speak to the school psychologist to see if they can get anything out of him.

Answer 12

It has to be for attention, especially since you have a two year old. My daughter has been acting out here lately and I know it is because she was used to recieving all the attention and now has to share me with her twin brothers. She is five and it sounds like they are about five years apart too. I would talk to him about it and let him know if it stops he will be rewarded. You could take him to a movie or do something that is just the two of you. My daughter loves to do things without her brothers even if it is just going to the store.