4 Year Old Son Regressing in Potty Training

Try having him drop a Cheerio in the potty before he goes and ask him to "hit" the target and try to sink it. That ought to help him empty his bladder completely.

I agree with the other moms. I have a 4.5 yo girl and we still go through times when her panties end up damp/wet. I truely believe that they get sooo busy in what they are doing that by the time the do get to the bathroom it is a little too late. When we go through little stints of this I just remind her more often to go. I try to explain to her that she has to go as soon as she feels it not wait around... not real sure how that discusiion is going but I still do the talk. :) I used to get upset about it but I also found the more I did that the worse it made it and then she would hide it if it did happen. Just another twist and turn in the parenthood! :)

A.

I had the same problem with my son. He's 4 y/o, and still has small accidents. I was worried as well, and talk to his doctor. Same thing was said to me. My mom told me that no one knows their own children better than their mother. Go with your gut instinct. After paying close attention to him for awhile, I learned that all my son needed was reminding. He got so involved in playing, that he didn't realize he needed to "go" until his pants were already wet. I had my husband go with him to the bathroom to show him how to make sure it was "all gone". Now, he has small accidents ONLY at home, and I know it's because he just wants to run around naked. Boys!

L.: Not to alarm you, but my daughter was having the same problem with her 6 yr. old daughter...it went on for several months. Altho' we suspected an infection of some kind, it turned out to be Type 1 (Juvenile) diabetes. No one on either side of the family has type 1 and it was a real shock to us all. Almost one year later, she stays dry, and is a MUCH healthier and happier (most of the time!) little girl who has adjusted to her routine of diet and insulin and has showed incredible strength of spirit. Not to wish the same on your son, but it's worth being tested to rule this out. Good luck to you.

I wouldn't be worried. Kids do that for the first year or two when potty trained. Its strange but the more attention you bring to things like this the more it happens. If you set down with him or he hears you talk to someone about it he will do it more. Either because it stresses him out because he thinks there is something wrong with him or it gives him attention so he does it because he gets attention. So just monitor it but don't talk about it out loud. Let it run it's course. The best thing to do is not to worry, monitor but don't talk about it. My sisters Son and my daughter still wets on them self from time to time up until he was 6yrs old. They go through phases...
good luck

My youngest is 4 as well we don't have the pee issue we have the other. I have found by sitting in there with her and reading a story sometimes that helps. It turns out thought for Sydney she doesen't want to stop playing long enough to go potty.(this has been an issue at home and preschool) Use this as a geme, set a timer and every so often have him take a potty break. Good luck.
S.

If he is wetting his pants while he's awake, make going to the bathroom fun. Go to a $.99 store, buy a box of cereal that are ring shaped (like Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Cheerios, etc). Tell him you're gonna teach him a game called shoot the loops. Throw a couple of pieces in the toilet, then tell tell him to aim & shoot in the middle of the ring. Hopefully it works for you cause it sure did work for me!

Have you thought about any emotional issues your child may be struggling with? For example, are there any recent changes in his home or environment, has he started preshcool, has there been a change in his routine, or have you been struggling with any of these? He could be picking up emotional cues from you that may affect him psycho-somatically.

do you think it has something to do with attention related to having a little sister? Now that my 1 yr old is getting around and getting more attn for getting into things, my 4 yo is trying harder to get attn. when she got mad at me a few months ago she went on this stint of wetting her pants and going on the floor. She will try to be a baby at times to get the attn he gets. Maybe try giving him some extra attn and praise him for being a big boy?

L.,

I am in the EXACT same boat as you. My son is 4 and has been fully potty trained (with the exception of overnight) for nearly a year now. He has had excessive episodes of wetting his clothes at nap time and regularly during the day at school. He was doing great with sleeping through the night dry but even that has had a set back. I find myself washing sheets and clothes at a large rate, daily. My only advice is that maybe because you have a 1 year old, your 4 year old is acting out for attention, even though it may be negative. Good Luck and I'll be checking out the reponses to yours for assistance as well.

Some times when the older child feels left out, he wants the attention. I have 5 kids and when the last one was born, it seems like the attention was focused on the baby, not the 4 year old. Make a big deal out of him going to the bathroom in the restroom. I gave rewards, an M&M or something like that. I hope this is helpful. He may just seem slightly neglected.
P.

My son was doing the same thing. They want to hurry up and get back to whatever they were doing, so they do not empty their bladder all the way. One of the chief urologists that my son went to, suggested that I make my son sit down everytime he has to go potty. Also, he suggested that I make him sit there for at least two minutes. It is definitely worth a try. It worked for us :).