I just grew out of it. As I grew older I pooed my pants less and less often until eventually I stopped altogether. However, I'm not suggesting you just let your son grow out of it. My parents never sought any help for me but, with hindsight, I wish they had. It really wasn't much fun having to be cleaned up by my mother at the age of 7 and older becaused I had pooed myself - and I'm sure my mother liked it even less.

Even if your son doesn't seem to mind when he poops himself and isn't bother about being in poopy pants, I imagine that deep down he is terribly upset by the situation. I know that I was. I imagine it must be terribly frustrating for you to see him standing next to the toilet in poopy pants but please don't think he is doing it deliberately to upset you. He needs your love and support to overcome this. It will help him if he knows that you love him just as much whether his pants are clean or dirty.

The medical term for his condition is encopresis and it is often linked with constipation. You can find lots of information about it on the net. I would definitely advise speaking to your doctor about it.

You may also try keeping a record of when he soils, this may help you spot any patterns. Does he mainly soil at a particularly time of day? What has he been doing immediately before you discovered he was poopy? Does he only poop himself at home or at other places eg friends' houses, at daycare, in stores? Knowing these things may help you to find a solution to the problem.

Best of luck, Leilani. I hope you are able to help your son with this.