Help with a pottying issue in a nearly 3yo

[StaceyinLA]

Dd is about to lose her mind, so I told her I'd post here and ask for some input. I just can't really think of anything else to tell her.

 

Dgd is potty trained and has been for several months. She will be 3 in September. She asks to potty often and/or goes when dd reminds her with no issues.

 

Today, she has peed SIX times on the couch and in the bed (not during sleep, just when lying there while dd was nursing the baby). Dd said she'll just do it then either scoot over from the wet spot or just not say a thing. She is really struggling trying to figure out what in the world is going on all of a sudden.

 

No sign of any issue like a UTI or anything. I am just really at a loss for ideas (other than telling her to put a diaper cover over her panties so she can't ruin all the furniture).

 

Any ideas?

[OneStepAtATime]

The issues just started today?  No problems prior to today?

[Tap]

Is she doing it just when mom is giving attention to the baby?

[HomeAgain]

We noticed a slight regression about age 4-5 here, coinciding with a growth spurt and focusing on other skills.  It's possible it could be something like that.

[StaceyinLA]

She has an occasional accident, but nothing like this.

 

And I don't think it is, but I have definitely thought about it as an attention getting behavior.

 

This dgd is a little quirky. I often wonder if she is on the spectrum, but I feel like she's a little young for a diagnosis (and I know some people are just quirky, but she has some behaviors that make me wonder). The fact that she is just doing it and basically ignoring it is just strange.

[NoseInABook]

I would take her in to check for a UTI anyway. My DD did the same, just peeing everywhere when she was potty trained and ignoring it so I took her in and sure enough, she had a UTI. No complaints of pain, no fever. 

[LifeLovePassion]

My dd regressed around that age and simply said if you want to use the big girl potty and use undies, they have to stay dry. Otherwise it is back to diapers. She mostly did undies. When she was ready, no accidents what so ever. We did have regular scheduled potty times since little kids tend to forget

[cjzimmer1]

My son is not quite 3 1/2 and has been doing the same thing for the last few weeks.  From what I've read periods of regression are somewhat common at this point.  Especially considering there is a baby in the house. I would just put them diaper back on for a while.  She can still take the diaper off if dgd tells her she needs to use the potty and just put it back on after but her furniture is protected in the meantime.

[nd293]

If she's not doing it 'on purpose' (with awareness) then I'd say ignoring it is not that odd. When ds wet the bed at night he would always insist he had been 'sweating' - he had no worry about punishment, he just didn't want to acknowledge that something he knew shouldn't happen had in fact happened.

[Ottakee]

In addition to the UTI could she be constipated? Even if going daily any back up can cause wetting issues.

 

These are the first 2 things our urologist said he checks for in kids.

[Alice]

Definitely check for a UTI. New accidents are a sign of a UTI even without other symptoms. And I agree with Ottakee, constipation would be my second thought. 

[Rachel]

I would bet constipation even if she has regular bowel movements.

[Rachel]

Oh and she may have a uti even without showing the typical signs an adult shows.

[Tammyla]

Poor kid, poor mom.

 

It defiantly could be constipation or u ti ...  The constipation often comes with lots of gas and it's easy for littles to pass the gas and wet at the same time.   I'd try prune & cranberry juices and lots of water as a first approach.  

 

If it's jealousy of time, try addressing that with t lc and understanding.  I'd also change her clothing (training pants etc.) to lessen the mess / cleanups.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Tammyla

[lynn]

Medical condition ruled out?   My experience is this......My oldest did this as that age.   My pediatrician recommended putting him back in diapers for a while.  now that was very hard to do, he was 3 and had been potty trained it just felt so wrong.  I struggled with it but dealing with "accidents" all day and having a baby and the stress of a move I needed to do something.  I think I did pullups because diapers on a 3 year old just was hard.  I think it was a few months later he was potty trained again.    

[StaceyinLA]

Thanks for the replies. If she has another day like yesterday, dd is going to get a sample and have it checked for a UTI. I don't think constipation is an issue (never has been), but I mentioned it to dd so maybe she could add in something to help with that if it's an issue.

 

I know she doesn't want to go back to diapers, but I can't say she will rule it out if this continues.

[kbutton]

Assuming no medical issues, it could be sensory-related, esp. if she has signs of sensory quirks. I think sensory kids (especially if they are under-responsive) will wait too long and have a bit of a leak. Then, they feel better because the pressure is off a bit, and the cycle is established with "little" accidents and not responding to bodily cues. 

 

The fact that she is quirky and you wonder about autism makes me think this might be a potential issue. And no, it's not too early to be evaluated--the earlier, the better generally. (Some kids who don't present strongly will not be identified until later though. They might pass a screening that early only to present later, or they might not get screenings early.) 

[6packofun]

A less serious/medical issue may be that she's no longer being rewarded for going potty?  Especially if the training took some time and always involved prizes as motivation.  No idea if that's going on, but the joy of not being wet may not be enough when there were stickers or candy or whatever before.  LOL  That was totally how my last kid rolled.  :P