Wetting pants in kindergarten

[Anonymous]

My child started kindergarten this year and has wet their pants twice so far. It was less of an issue in preschool when they took them regularly. We keep a change of clothes in their backpack and we haven't had communications from the teacher about this, we just find out when our child comes home in the spare pants. I assume they are not the only child with this problem, but of course I feel bad for the teacher (our child says the teacher helps them change). I don't want to appear like I don't care or aren't trying to solve this issue. Would it be strange to reach out to the teacher about this issue? Should I wait a couple more weeks?

[Anonymous]

My son did this too. I think it’s pretty common when starting a new schedule. I think he wasn’t fast enough to get to the bathroom or didn’t ask. I ended up communicated with the school nurse and kept spare clothes with her as well as new extra undies for anyone else that may have needed them.

[Anonymous]

My DS was like this too. You can ask if the entire class takes bathroom breaks together or do they just signal when they need to go. My DS wouldn't go when the class went so then he had an accident because he waited too long. I asked his teacher to send him even if he said he didn't need to go. That solved it.

[Anonymous]

It's not "normal" but it's not unheard of either. Every couple years there's a child with this issue and if it's really only very occasional the teachers will deal with it. Sometimes the kids get sent to the health room to change. If it's more on a regular basis and it's a lot and causing an issue in the classroom like soiling the carpets and that kind of thing you may want to consider keeping your child in preschool one more year.

Elementary school kids should not be wetting their pants. Again, schools tolerate it the first few weeks or even months or a single accident the whole year but not if your child is having accidents several times a week all year. In fact, many preschools hate these types of children after about age 4 and will push them out.

[Anonymous]

What kind of school is your child in that there are multiple kids wetting their pants?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS was like this too. You can ask if the entire class takes bathroom breaks together or do they just signal when they need to go. My DS wouldn't go when the class went so then he had an accident because he waited too long. I asked his teacher to send him even if he said he didn't need to go. That solved it.

Thank you so much!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son did this too. I think it’s pretty common when starting a new schedule. I think he wasn’t fast enough to get to the bathroom or didn’t ask. I ended up communicated with the school nurse and kept spare clothes with her as well as new extra undies for anyone else that may have needed them.

I hadn't thought of the school nurse, thank you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of school is your child in that there are multiple kids wetting their pants?

This thread may assist you with your question: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/277114.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child started kindergarten this year and has wet their pants twice so far. It was less of an issue in preschool when they took them regularly. We keep a change of clothes in their backpack and we haven't had communications from the teacher about this, we just find out when our child comes home in the spare pants. I assume they are not the only child with this problem, but of course I feel bad for the teacher (our child says the teacher helps them change). I don't want to appear like I don't care or aren't trying to solve this issue. Would it be strange to reach out to the teacher about this issue? Should I wait a couple more weeks?

MCPS used to build k classrooms with bathrooms as mandated by state law. But then they overcrowded schools and k lost this standard accommodation. Having to leave the classroom alone in k is problematic.

[Anonymous]

When my kid was in kindergarten they reported that they were frequently sent to the first grade bathrooms down the hall because certain kids soiled the in-room bathroom. Teacher confirmed this. And the first grade bathroom was frequently out of toilet paper or had toilets out of commission. Otherwise excellent public school.

[Anonymous]

Talk to the teacher. My kid did it as they were afraid to ask the teacher to use the bathroom and the teacher didn't do regular bathroom breaks. She started to do regular breaks and that helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not "normal" but it's not unheard of either. Every couple years there's a child with this issue and if it's really only very occasional the teachers will deal with it. Sometimes the kids get sent to the health room to change. If it's more on a regular basis and it's a lot and causing an issue in the classroom like soiling the carpets and that kind of thing you may want to consider keeping your child in preschool one more year.

Elementary school kids should not be wetting their pants. Again, schools tolerate it the first few weeks or even months or a single accident the whole year but not if your child is having accidents several times a week all year. In fact, many preschools hate these types of children after about age 4 and will push them out.

It is actually very normal for 1-2 kids and any given elementary class to have a few accidents in the first weeks of school. Can be due to them having gotten used to getting reminders and regular,bathroom breaks in preschool and some kids needing that structure. Can also just be shy kids who know they have to go but feel overwhelmed in the new setting and nervous about letting the teacher know.

Agree any kid having regular accidents would be an outlier. But my kid had maybe three accidents in K (two early in the year and one right after winter break) and the teacher told me it's so common she keeps a spare set of undies and some plain sweats in the classroom at all times. I wound up buying a set of each for her classroom at the beginning of the next year because I was so grateful for how kind and understanding she was with my kid about it.

[Anonymous]

Even kindergarteners who don't have accidents often still have issues going to the bathroom at school due to lack of breaks or needing to use a hallway bathroom at some schools. They just have bigger bladders. My kid came home pretty much every day in K just running for the bathroom. I'd ask if she used the toilet at school and she'd evade the question.

There is just less handholding in K and it's a big adjustment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not "normal" but it's not unheard of either. Every couple years there's a child with this issue and if it's really only very occasional the teachers will deal with it. Sometimes the kids get sent to the health room to change. If it's more on a regular basis and it's a lot and causing an issue in the classroom like soiling the carpets and that kind of thing you may want to consider keeping your child in preschool one more year.

Elementary school kids should not be wetting their pants. Again, schools tolerate it the first few weeks or even months or a single accident the whole year but not if your child is having accidents several times a week all year. In fact, many preschools hate these types of children after about age 4 and will push them out.

Bullocks! It's still in the normal range. Mu daughter "leaked" in her pants until 2nd grade. Not full on wetting, but some drops coming out because she didn't quite make it. I could smell it when I picked her up. She literally did not care that she was wet amd didn't care that she smelled slightly. When a kid said "it stinks in here" she knew it was her and the problem stopped on its own. BTW DD is in med school now, neuro-typical, very bright. Some kids just take longer, that's all.

[Anonymous]

My DD and the girl across the street both started K this fall, and both had accidents during the first week. It must be pretty common given that the 2 K teachers provided each student's parents with a gallon sized ziploc labeled specifically for extra clothes to be brought to school in it.
In my daughter's case, she has always been apprehensive with public toilets because so many have automatic flushers that are very loud. She was holding it all day and finally had an accident during aftercare on the 3rd or 4th day. The aftercare leader rushed her to the toilet but she didn't fully make it in time. After DD realized out of necessity that she wouldn't fall into the school toilets, she developed the confidence the use them daily.