My DS(4) is going through yet ANOTHER phase of peeing in his pants. He has been more or less trained since before he was 3. He hasn't pooped in his pants since he was 2 1/2. But it seems like every few months he just forgets to go potty.
It's driving me crazy!!!
Any suggestions?

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

I feel ya!

My 5 yr old DD has been 100% potty trained since 37 months. Now all of the sudden, she has had 3 pee accidents in 2 weeks. They are ALWAYS when we are outside playing and having a good time. It's like she gets so busy having fun that she holds it until the last possible second. And then it's too late.

I got back into the habit of asking her every 30 minutes- 'Do you have to go potty?' And now I make her go before we go outside. Even if she says she doesn't have too. She has learned that we don't go outside until she goes.

Just get back to reminding him, it's just a 'phase.'

Of course if he doesn't FEEL the urge, or it hurts him, see the Dr. Could be a symptom of something else.

Like you said, he just forgets. My kids would pee their pants if they were outside playing and didn't want to stop and come in! I think you just need to remind him when he feels "it" to try to get to the potty before the accident happens. If you get angry I think it will make it worse, and he will feel bad about himself.
4 is still very young. Hang in there Mom!

My daughter is STILL wetting the bed most nights (almost 6 years old) so we just got her started on DDAVP and it is working great.

Night is not even an issue with us yet. I think he'll wear pull-ups at night until he's 12
DH & I both have bedwetting issues in our families so I do not expect that to be a strange transition.

I have been getting angry. Maybe that's where I'm going wrong. Deep breath.....

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

At this age, it's usually that they are just too engrossed in their activities to stop. It can help if you end their activity as soon as you discover they are wet, take as much time as possible in the cleaning up/changing process (a bath or shower if possible), and do not return to the activity afterwards. I wouldn't be punitive, just "Oh no, now we can't _______(play on the swings, finish the puzzle, etc.)! We'll have to stop and take care of this.

Sometimes just knowing they will be better off stopping for a minute to use the bathroom & returning to play, instead of ignoring it and ending up losing out on fun, can be helpful.

My son is 7, and still has the occasional accident. I don't send him to school with as much to drink anymore, so he doesn't have as many accidents. He has special permission to not have to ask to use the bathroom, because he is too shy to speak up and interrupt.

Regarding the bed wetting- He has ALWAYS wet the bed, almost every night. We tried waking him up, and limiting fluids in the evening, nothing would work. I come from a long line of bed wetters (my mom wet the bed on her wedding night!), so I figured that it would just be something we would have to live with. Recently we got him an alarm to wear at night, to wake him when he starts to go, and what a difference! It took a few weeks, but now he is dry every night, and doesn't need the alarm anymore. I am so glad we gave it a try.

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When my little guy has an "accident" and tells me, I just say, "OK, go take care of it." I don't get mad, or say anything else. He then has to go upstairs, take off the wet clothes (I will not touch them) puts them in the tub for me to deal with later, and gets out new clothes to put on. It takes him much longer than it would have to just use the toilet. Maybe this would give him the message? Also, if it is always outside, then make him go in and have him put his pjs on, and stay inside.

I don't get at all angry, 'cause I have no idea what he's feeling or not feeling. Most times now if he is wet he just goes upstairs and takes care of it without even telling me.

My guy will be in pullups for a long time at night too.. and I don't think it's worth stressing over. One night when he was dry I said, "Good job buddy!" "He looked at me with the wisdom of an 80year old and said, "You know I can't help it, right?" So after that we just go with the flow.. He's 5 and luckily has never wet out in public, but at home I'd say it's 1-2x a month.

Good luck!

Our grandson is 6 and 3/4. About a month ago we were all in the Houston area for the weekend and went to the space center where there is a very nice play area. He got so engrossed in playing that he came out wet. First time in perhaps two years. So it may happen at times but it will get better. Just keep reminding them. We had gotten out of the habit of doing that and ended up having to run out and buy him a new pair of jeans....lol...

I'm sorry if you guys are tired of me worrying about this but he's still doing it and I am so frustrated!

I have figured out he is doing it on purpose. I did take him to the doctor who gave him stool softener because she thought he might be constipated and that would cause the problem.

His routine seems to be that he pees in his pants on the way to day care (4 minute drive). He does not have any accidents while there and when he is back with us he's doing it again.

I just do NOT understand. Nothing is different in our lives. He still gets the same amount of attention he always has. I am so upset.

I am at the point where I just feel like throwing a pull-up on him any time he's not at school but I think he'll just regress more.

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

My youngest is 5 (will be 6 in June) around Dec. he kept pooping in his pants...he'd get doing something and start going poop in his pants...(didn't finish the BM but just enough to make a mess) He also did it for a whole weekend for his step mom too!! What I did was finally take away video games from him for 2 weeks....then he started to remember again to use the potty!!

My niece also is in Kindergarten just turned 6 and she occasionally has accidents still when she's playing and doesn't want to stop....Her mother spanks her when she has an accident and yells and screams....It doesn't work...poor girl had an accident one evening at my parents when all the kids were playing...Her mother went NUTS on her because she wet her pants....(I dont like SIL she's my brothers 3rd wife, her daughter/my neice is actually a stepniece) The poor girl just stood there trembling in fear...probably wet herself even more...

Anyways, my point...this sort of thing happens for quite a while...Luckily my ds was so scared of loosing video games for 2 weeks again, that he now "remembers" to go!! BUT who knows he may have another accident....I wont worry too much!!

Okay I am just going to throw some thoughts out here. First thought is, maybe it is the daycare. If he is afraid of going there or is for some reason unhappy there, he may only feel safe acting out with you. Has he ever said anything about the school or the teacher that you may have written off as idle chatter? Anything at all about not wanting to go or not liking something or someone there? Kids this age can be very clingy and unhappy with parents for pushing them into situations that they have trouble expressing. Another thing is most kids really really hate change. Does he have a new teacher? Does he have some new classmates that might be acting up?

Second thought is how do you respond? Tell yourself that this a little boy who is just barely beyond babyhood and maybe you should just prepare for the wettings and otherwise ignore it for a while. Boys mature more slowly than girls generally and they also seem more likely to resent potty training and seem more likely to have several failures before full time success comes. Take a deep breath and remember this is a small blip on the radar of your lives. It will pass.

Third thought is have you tried bribing him? This works for some kids, not so well with others. Is there some treat that you can offer if he goes, say one day to start and work up to three days without a problem? With perhaps a slightly bigger treat if he goes a whole week? Does he have a favorite place he likes to go, like Chuck E. Cheese or a playground or bowling? That is only for boys who stay dry. You can't go places if you are wetting your pants. The big boys don't wet and they will not want to play with you if you are wet.

And last, if there are bedwetting issues on both sides, I would not expect any fast cures. You might reread the last sentence in paragraph two, because I bedwet until I was 10 or 11. My son bedwet until almost that old, my mother's sister not only bedwet, she talked and walked in her sleep, as does my son. My son was still talking and walking in his sleep, that I know of, when he was about 24. He is now 37 and has not mentioned it lately. And my mother's other sister was a bedwetter until 8 or 9. Just don't leave home without a change of clothes any more.