Many people have reached out to me because they’re at a loss. They don’t know what to do. They’ve spoken to friends, families, doctors and even teachers. So, to mix things up, I got our parent group together again. I like to hold conversations with parents about different issues. Because, who offers better advice than other parents going through the same things?
There are lots of different reasons why your child might be smearing their faeces. This could be down to;
– behaviour,
– sensory issues or
– medical issues.
It’s important to try and work out which one it is first. Then, before look at introducing strategies to try and stop the smearing.
So, why might a child smear?
- They don’t like the feel of the toilet paper – it’s too thin, it’s too rough, it hurts them.
- They are unwell. This may cause diarrhoea which they don’t – or DO – like the texture/feel of and enjoy touching it and smearing it around.
- Not understanding that their faeces go in their nappy and then the bin or down the toilet.
- Looking for a reaction. Smearing faeces is one of those things that is SUPER hard to NOT give a reaction over. And the individual is soon going to pick up on this and is a great way for them to get some extra attention/a reaction.
- Fear. They could have a fear of toilets, or opening their bowels on a toilet/potty/in their nappy.
Do any of these fit with your child? If yes, don’t worry because there’s lots of ways that may help you.
Tips
- Speak to your child’s school. They may have had experience of smearing with other children. And they may have picked up on some great tips for how to stop smearing and how to deal with it. Don’t forget – they can support you too!
- Visit your doctor – they can check that there is nothing medically wrong with your child or that they are in pain.
- Try using different types of toilet paper or wipes. You can now get Andrex wipes – which may be more soothing for the individual.
- Social stories. Use social stories to discuss where we go to the toilet. They can also help discuss what we should do when we’ve gone to the toilet and why we shouldn’t smear.
- If they like the texture, try and find something else with the same texture that they are allowed to play with. Some examples are play dough, painting with textures such as mixing sand with glue and paint or playing with jelly foam. Or even the jelly stuff that goes in the bath to make it a different texture.
- Try not to give them a reaction or something that will give them the attention that they are seeking.
- Set up a toileting routine with visuals around the area so that you are able to refer to these.
- Use pieces of clothing such as onesies where the individual will find it more difficult to smear.
Social stories work well, and we have a toilet social story available here.
