Are your child’s pee and poop leaks behavioral?
It is understandable that if your child is having poop or pee leaks, accidents, or just flat out refusing to sit on the potty you are feeling frustrated.
And it’s easy to start thinking that it’s behavioral - that they are trying to get a rise out of you, are making a conscious choice, or don’t care.
The truth is, if your child is refusing to go on the potty or having a lot of accidents, there may be something more going on. And pelvic floor physical therapy can help.
Behavior is communication
Child’s behavior is how they communicate. Think about how difficult it can be to communicate your emotions, feelings, and experiences. And that’s as an adult with experience!
Behavior is how children respond to stressors.
A child’s ability to regulate biological factors (like the fight, flight, freeze response), navigate complicated emotions, manage attention and process information, navigate social situations, and form relationships all influence behavior.
What does that all mean?
Your child’s behavior is not a conscious choice they are making. It is how everything happening in their life is manifesting.
Is it behavioral or is that they are:
worried about falling off the potty (or in)
overwhelmed by the smells, sounds, and bright lights
frustrated that they cant let out their pee or poop
having a hard time processing all of the steps required to go to the bathroom
struggling to process multiple inputs that are happening (aka can they recognize they need to go to the bathroom if they are really focused on their toy?)
dealing with decreased core strength that is making it difficult to coordinate their muscles to go to the bathroom
At Root to Bloom I get to the root cause of your child’s toileting stuggles.
By focusing on optimizing function through functional play, and realistic habit change, Root to Bloom can help your child get pee and poop in the potty, keep their underwear clean and dry, and end the battle with constipation.
If you are concerned about your child’s constipation, pee or poop leaks, or bedwetting, you are not alone and you do not have to live with it.
Reach out to schedule a consultation and learn more about how pelvic floor physical therapy can support your family.
