Would you punish a 4 year old for having accidents (peeing pants)?

Question

Husband thinks we should start punishing 4 yr old for having accidents during the day. Our son is not out of pull ups at night yet either. He also has diabetes and pees more when his blood sugar is higher. I don't think its right to punish for accidents but want to get more perspective so please share your thoughts.

Answer

Never punish your child for this.

Answer

Sorry to sound blunt but Your husband seems like a real piece shit for even thinking this. A 4 year old or a 14 year old - why would you ever punish someone for having an accident?

Answer

Absolutely not. It’s called an accident for a reason, your son is not peeing himself on purpose. You don’t punish people for accidents. Also since he has diabetes and that may be the cause, you would be punishing him for having something he quite literally can’t control. Tell your husband no to punishment for something that is out of his control and is an accident, not a purposeful mistake.

Answer

No punishment, but he can help clean up the accident (paper towels to wipe it up or throw his underwear and pants in the washing machine). It sounds like you might need to make potty breaks more frequent for him too, especially because he’s dealing with a medical condition that exacerbates the accidents.

Answer

No. Punishing for accidents creates worse issues.

Answer

Some kids are fully trained before 2, I’ve seen others at 5 just before they started school. 3 seems average for kids with no other issues but accidents still happen. It’s learning/teaching moments. Punishment won’t help it end.

Answer

If your child has a medical condition that makes it harder for him then why punishment? It wouldn’t do anything but make it worse. Maybe find an expert/ Dr who can help give you advice. Either way punishing a child who has accidents will not make for a better outcome, will probably negatively affect the child’s self esteem

Answer

Yikes, 4 years old is not old enough to be completely accident free. You're going to punish him over something he has no control over.

Answer

Punishment is NEVER an effective means of potty training!

Answer

I have only punished my daughter for an accident 1 time and that’s when she peed on her little brother. They were playing and rolling around on the ground and i asked her many times to try and pee and warned her if she peed on her brother she would be in trouble. She has accident and we have “talks” but other than that I don’t punish.

Would you punish a 4 year old for having accidents (peeing pants)?

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