encopresis - potty accidents in Disney

[omegsmom]

My DD6 is dealing with encopresis... holding bowel movements until constipated and leaking out or having accidents in her panties. She was better for 5 months, but it's back.. she's been on miralax, but I haven't always remembered to give it to her... I need to do it everyday and get her back into the doctor. So, we leave for WDW in a couple of weeks... Last time, she was still in pull ups. We do plan to have her use a reusable swim diaper in the pool, just in case, but have no plans to put her back in pull ups. I was planning to pack extra panties, change of clothes, wipes, and plastic bags when we go to the parks and if she had an accident or leak, just deal with it. It's not usually much or often - not leaking through her clothes. I'm still thinking... what would you do? Anyone with experience with this with an older child?

 

[ssommerville]

None of my kids have this exact problem- but on our first trip, my son developed diarrhea after breakfast our first morning in the parks (he was 6 at the time). Luckily I had a change of clothes for each of the kids, just in case, and was able to get him cleaned up. He was scared to death that he was going to have another accident and not have any more clean clothes, so we ended up getting a couple of pull ups from the baby care center and letting him wear one the rest of the day. It definitely made him feel better to have the pull up on and not be worried about accidents. I don't think he would have had very much fun that day otherwise.

 

[Schmeck]

For leaks, how about a poise pad or pantiliner? Poor kid, hope she has a great trip, with no issues!

 

[soinlove808]

My DD6 had the same problems, she just wouldnt go.. so now i give her 2 fiber gummies everyday, and she go almost everyday now.. worked like a charm

 

[mjkacmom]

For leaks, how about a poise pad or pantiliner? Poor kid, hope she has a great trip, with no issues!

This is a good idea. I used to add pads to one of my kid's diapers because he peed so much at night.

 

[Kaelyn]

My DS6 has encopresis. We were at WDW last for his 5th birthday, about a month before he was diagnosed. (I had spent two+ years thinking that I was a bad mom and couldn't potty train my child.) Rather than fight the potty-battle in the parks we put him back into pull ups. Had I known at the time that his condition was medical, I still would have made the same choice.

We are going back in November for DD4's 5th birthday, and he will be almost 7. I will suggest to him that he wear a pull up in the parks, but if he refuses, I will honor his wish and simply hope for the best while preparing for the worst.

I think that the pantyliner idea is a good one, and I might try that route, altho in DS's case, "leakage" usually runs down his leg. It might still help, tho. I know that I have simply shared my experience, not given you advice, but hopefully it helps. Encopresis is a lonely experience for the parent.

 

[cvjw]

My son had a similar problem - just wouldn't go to the bathroom. The doctor said to give him a chewable fiber pill everyday. They were orange flavored, so he had no trouble eating them. They cured his problem pronto. I would find a way to make sure that I remembered to give my child the pill. Get a little pill storage unit with the days on it - it is very important to get the issue worked out. Our doctor said the problem could get worse and need professional intervention.

 

[Yoshiandi]

I wouldn't want to have her feeling shamed if she had an accident.. I do like the liner idea. My son has Down Syndrome and after every thrill ride, he had pooped a little in is underwear. It was such a pain packing pull-ups after the 3rd day at Disney. I will have to try that trick for the next trip!! Thanks!!

 

[marmalade]

Since it's a medical issue and not just a potty training issue, I would use pull-ups, or the liners as another poster suggested. I would rather change a pull up/liner then try to wash out an accident in underware at WDW.

My DD(7) had the flu last month and couldn't keep anything in her and she begged for pull-ups because she couldn't make it to the bathroom and didn't wan't to have the accident in her underware. It's not like anyone other than you and your DD will know she is wearing them.

 

[May05 preemie mom]

My thought also is, since you still have a couple of weeks before the trip, put her back on Miralax consistently and see how that goes. Tape a big note to your refrigerator or kitchen cabinet so you don't forget to give it to her. And also, pack some pull ups or some type of pad.

 

[2binak]

For leaks, how about a poise pad or pantiliner? Poor kid, hope she has a great trip, with no issues!

I definitely agree with this suggestion. Our DD had issues holding bowel movements while potty training so we've dealt with leakage issues. She felt so much more confident with a panty liner on her undies. Changing a liner vs. the undies really made a huge difference for her.

Sending you & your DD OP!

 

[100AcreWood]

Hugs to you! My ds has encropresis and we finally found a good dr. to help him. We just did a major clean out using a lot of miralax. He pooped 5-10 times a day for 4 days. I just wanted to mention it because I had no idea he was holding that much poop until we saw this dr. Good luck! I feel your pain

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

My DD is 3.5 and withholds. We are going to WDW soon and I was concerned about the same thing. I bought a potty seat at www.onestepahead.com...a travel seat cover with handles. It helps when she holds on for when she does let it out.

I am just hoping all goes well, and yes, bring a change of clothes. I am just more worried about crowded bathroom stalls and eating out at breakfasts then not being near a bathroom. I do plan to give her a milk in the room in the am, usually she has to go about an hr after drinking in the am. So hoping I can catch that first glimmer of her holding it in, and have her go in the room. It def adds stress to the mix.

We too used to use Miralax often. We are off it now..for about 6 mths...but I do plan on bringing it just in case.

 

[disneymomjcs]

My DD6 is dealing with encopresis... holding bowel movements until constipated and leaking out or having accidents in her panties. She was better for 5 months, but it's back.. she's been on miralax, but I haven't always remembered to give it to her... I need to do it everyday and get her back into the doctor. So, we leave for WDW in a couple of weeks... Last time, she was still in pull ups. We do plan to have her use a reusable swim diaper in the pool, just in case, but have no plans to put her back in pull ups. I was planning to pack extra panties, change of clothes, wipes, and plastic bags when we go to the parks and if she had an accident or leak, just deal with it. It's not usually much or often - not leaking through her clothes. I'm still thinking... what would you do? Anyone with experience with this with an older child?

Poor thing that is tough on both of you. I would suggest packing flip flops or extra lightweight shoes just in case. Expensive to buy in the parks. Might be worth it to put on plastic underpants over the swim diaper. They aren't leak proof they just don't absorb the pool water and if she has an accident it could leak into the pool. Public pools require them. My dd was small and still rode in a stroller at 6 years old. Might be good to have an extra towel to sit on in case the stroller gets wet. Ours got soaked with a rain shower and we used plastic bags and purchased an expensive towel for her to sit on. You are prepared so you will be able to relax and have a great trip and just roll with the punches.

 

[seashoreCM]

Make some extra rest room stops. Don't force your child but do act very unrushed while you are there.

Bring some duct tape to cover the toilet flush sensor just in case the automatic flushing scares your child. YOu can bring a reasonable amount of tape without having to bring the whole roll by sticking pieces of tape one on top of another with a little stagger to make each piece easier to peel off.

 

[blessedby3]

My dd4 is on Miralax everday. It helps so much. If she doesnt take it, she wants to hold her poop because she says it hurts (she has large, hard BM's if she doesnt take the Miralax). I recently tried taking her off of it to see if it was better...but it wasnt so we went right back on it. I put it in my kitchen window and see it first thing in the am when I fix her milk. Once you get in the habit of using it, you wont forget it...just put it where you will see it.

 

[deegack]

I'm sorry you are dealing with this. Dd has a bit of a problem but I started giving her pear juice every day and it works well. That said if she doesn't want to wear pull ups maybe the underjammers. My nephew uses them overnight because he sometimes still has accidents.

 

[momto2js]

My son is 5 and has over active bladder. He can go to the bathroom every 15 minutes and still have leaks. At home and school he is fine in underwear but when he says he needs to go it still means NOW. On out last trip (pre trip to the urilogist) we went through at least 3 changes of clothes a day. Looking back, I should have put him in a pull-up.

Here are some things I would consider before making a decision. First (and maybe most importantly) do you have easy access to laundry. We were in a condo with a washer/dryer. It was easy to toss in a load of laundry each night. However, if you have to lug dirty pants and underwear to the laundermat and then pay for each load and waste a hour or more each day. That would make pullups or at least having really inexpensive panties and shorts (that you could just toss) more attractive. I have sent 4-5 dollars a load in some hotels.

I think the pad or panty liner is a good one but you will need to find the ONE that works well for your kid. They are made for adult women, and may be to wide to fit comfortably in the panties of a little girl. Pull ups are made for kids so might be more comfortable for all day wear.

I think if you can get the miralax dose right that is a good start but it is an art. The meds for OAB cause constipation, so we use miralax. Too much and he looses bowel control too, too little and it hurts to poop. It took a little experimenting to get it to work.

In the end, I would do what is going to be easiest for both of you. It is VACATION. One week a year when it is OK to take the easy way out!! Good luck

 

[2binak]

Bring some duct tape to cover the toilet flush sensor just in case the automatic flushing scares your child.

Post-it notes work really well and are much easier to carry around than strips of duct tape.

I think the pad or panty liner is a good one but you will need to find the ONE that works well for your kid. They are made for adult women, and may be to wide to fit comfortably in the panties of a little girl. Pull ups are made for kids so might be more comfortable for all day wear.

I've found that the thinner liners work best for DD because they are usually narrower. We've tried Always thin & Carefree body shape acti-fresh regular liners and both fit well.

 

[abckid]

I have no advice because we didn't go through this while at an amusement park. Just wanted to let you know that 1 of my 4 boys had this medical issue, so I feel for you. Before we knew what was going on, we thought we had done something wrong with our potty training and/or that he was just being stubborn. I'm happy to say that we were lucky enough for our son to outgrow it, and I hope your child is able to outgrow it soon too. Good luck!