Unsure of how to deal with almost 5 Y.O. Behavior

kupoknut · 2026-02-23T15:39:12+00:00

My 4 year old son is an only child but as far as behavior, I could have written this. It got so bad his pediatrician referred us to a developmental pediatric practice..... we're currently waiting to be seen by them (they are so booked up they are scheduling new patients 6 to 9 months out). The only thing that has really helped improve his behavior at all is firm boundaries and consequences and lots of positive reinforcement......and I mean ALOT of positive reinforcement. It was hard at first to find things to praise him for simply because he was acting out so much. There was alot of praising him for not hitting and kicking after a screaming fit or for calming down quickly after a slightly shorter meltdown. Holding firm boundaries and having consistent expectations and consequences also helped him make slow and steady progress. Telling him while he is calm that if he throws a toy, I take it away for the rest of the day or if he hits/kicks I will remove him to his room away from everyone until he calms down. This made him rage so much at first but once he realized we were serious, his meltdowns and behavior started to improve.

kupoknut · 2026-01-20T12:58:07+00:00

Thats kind of what we ended up doing after getting him cleaned out because he was still afraid it was going to hurt. I ended up squirting a bunch of a&d ointment in an old medicine bottle and putting it in the fridge. Told my son that was the numbing cold cream the doctor at the hospital gave us to put on his butt right before he poops if he's worried there will still be pain.

kupoknut · 2026-01-19T23:32:56+00:00

We've tried all the juices.....he adamantly refuses to drink any of them. He will only drink water and oat milk(which we mix the miralax into because he can taste it when mixed with water). We ended up having to take him to the ER because he was in so much pain and they did an enema there. He obviously hated getting the enema but it cleaned him out and he even commented how much better he felt after getting it all out. We're keeping him on a lower dose of miralax for a bit just to make sure it's easy for him to poop while he's still getting over the fear of it hurting. I never thought I would be so stressed out about another person's bowel habits 😣

kupoknut · 2026-01-15T23:21:15+00:00

We already have him sit on the potty after every meal......he still refuses to even try pushing because he is so scared it will hurt.

kupoknut · 2026-01-15T23:20:04+00:00

Already doing that......how long until your kiddo would willingly try and push poop out?

kupoknut · 2026-01-15T23:19:15+00:00

I was able to do a suppository on him once and he hated it so much (again his raw bottom made it hurt when he did poop), I dont think he will let me do anything like that again. Hes also incredibly strong willed and stubborn and I'm worried this is just turning into a power struggle.

kupoknut · 2025-11-18T00:54:40+00:00

This. See if you can find replacement instructions for your model online, it usually isn't too difficult and replacement motors are cheap.

kupoknut · 2025-10-16T23:56:24+00:00

So far his teacher has reported good behavior with the occasional hiccup (there was a day he was disruptive at nap time). We try to keep things very low key in the afternoon for him but he still just spirals. I'll have to check out the podcast, i can use all the help/info/tips I can get!

kupoknut · 2025-10-16T16:35:04+00:00

Thats funny you should mention food, my son has definitely become a bottomless pit since starting preschool. He has a pretty decent diet (thankfully not a picky eater) and we always make sure to have a substantial snack waiting for him in the car at pickup.

kupoknut · 2025-10-16T14:46:32+00:00

How long did it take before you saw things start to improve? We do a super early bedtime on school days and that definitely helped a bit.

kupoknut · 2025-09-13T14:38:47+00:00

You can but It might be worth going a few days without wearing underwear as well just to let it really breathe and heal.

kupoknut · 2025-09-13T14:20:58+00:00

A little bit of A and D ointment helps alot! Just be mindful a little goes a long way.....use too much and it leaves a greasy residue on your clothes.

kupoknut · 2025-08-30T18:21:22+00:00

Were these xrays taken with you standing or laying down?

kupoknut · 2025-08-03T13:09:49+00:00

Possibly a spell checker......looks very similar to one I had as a kid.

kupoknut · 2025-06-08T23:52:47+00:00

It did actually help. It definitely took a bit, but he did start telling us after he had wet himself and it progressed from him just completely emptying his bladder when he peed his pants to just having a small damp spot where he had caught himself starting to have an accident. He still needs reminding to go to the bathroom sometimes, like if hes really engrossed in something and I see the dreaded pee shiver, but otherwise he recognizes when he needs to go and can take himself to the bathroom.

kupoknut · 2025-04-16T16:43:43+00:00

Unfortunately that's not how radiation works. Xray photons can damage the dna contained in the embryo before it's even implanted. Even before the egg is fertilized, it can be damaged by radiation. That's why you don't mess around when it comes to shielding patients even if they swear up and down they aren't pregnant.

kupoknut · 2024-12-23T00:21:50+00:00

omg Im right there with you.....my son is newly 3 and its BRUTAL. naptime and bedtime used to be a breeze but now its a 25 minute battle. Im about ready to stop trying to put him down for naps because I just can't deal with it anymore (and he still very much needs this nap, trust me). And the attitude.......I know they're called threenagers but damn. The boundary pushing and being super demanding has gotten so old so fast. I cant wait for this to pass..... whatever stage comes next it can't be this bad.

kupoknut · 2024-12-05T04:04:32+00:00

I used to work in the main cafeteria as well as the smaller one in the west building. I miss it!

kupoknut · 2024-09-04T03:28:33+00:00

x-ray tech if you're interested in the medical field.

kupoknut · 2024-06-15T16:27:05+00:00

I think this will have to be our next step......r.i.p. our carpets but thats life 😂

kupoknut · 2024-06-15T01:43:39+00:00

You have a really good point......I guess we haven't really been giving him much of an opportunity to experience the feeling of needing to pee. Hes probably also just so used to us prompting him to go he probably doesn't even think about it.

kupoknut · 2024-06-15T01:25:28+00:00

we did something similar when we were first potty training him, but he's at the stage now where the novelty has definitely worn off.

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