Look up "encopresis". My son (almost 9) goes through this too. It is usually caused by the child holding in the stool (which can be due to a number of reasons like sensory, fear of painful movements-especially if he has a history of constipation) which stretches the colon, making it less sensitive to that 'gotta-go' feeling. Then you get leakage. It can damage the colon in the long run so he will need to learn how to avoid this cycle and seeing a GI can help.

What helped my son the most was a stool softener (lactulose) at bedtime & scheduling a toilet sit after breakfast each & every day, no matter if he felt like it or not.
We also did not reprimand him or make him feel bad because he needed to feel like we were on his side. We talked about it as if it were as normal as a hangnail. It made him more willing to cooperate because he didn't like that it was happening but didn't know how to stop it. As maintenance, he now takes the Lactulose just once a week.
Once you get it under control, you need to stay on top of it. It can take months for the colon to get back to its normal size. He may need still softeners off and on throughout his life. In any case getting him checked out by a doctor is essential to rule out more serious (rare) causes. .
http://www.encopresis.org/

When we go camping, I always scope out where the facilities are located and choose our spot based on that. lol

Good luck with your upcoming trips! Watch out for any signs of constipation and I'm sure he'll be fine.
Sometimes my son tries to say 'I don't feel like I have to go', I remind him that is exactly the problem. If he waits until he 'feels' it, it will be too late! He usually agrees to at least try then.

Even if Brody gets off schedule and ends up backtracking a bit, at least now you know how to get him back ON track when you get home. ;)

Aside from the bad episode a few weeks ago, (which actually never ended up soiling because we basically pumped him full of laxatives and sat him on the toilet until it was over...it was BAD) my son, Brandyn, age 9) has been accident free for about 6 months now! So I really think his colon is getting back into shape from the stretching due to constipation and he seems to have more awareness of needing to go, even if it isnt the scheduled time!

So, yay for Brody! He's on his way!! :)

hi Jamie! Thank you for the info! Yeah, the toughest part for us will be this weekend. We're going to visit family for a few days, so, Brody will be in unfamiliar territory. He usually adjusts well though believe it or not. But, this will be the first time since him seeing the doctor that we will be off our usual schedule so to speak. Then in about 2 weeks, we're going on our family vacation. So, again, it won't be our normal circumstances, but, we do this every year, so Brody will probably not freak out at all. the toughest part will be being close to a toilet when its time to use the potty!

That is great news!! :)
Encopresis is just the medical term for soiling. As far as I know they are the same thing...anyhow...

The scheduling aspect of it has been the single most effective part of our son's treatment as well.
He has come to accept that he has to keep this up in order to avoid it starting all over again.

It does tend to come right back if you start forgetting the schedule, so be aware of that.
My son ended up with a very painful blockage a few weeks back and I'm still feeling really guilty about it. But, onwards and upwards!

Glad to hear he's doing well! Thanks for the update! :)

Its been a little since I was last on here, but, I'm happy to report that we were able to get our son to the doctor and get this bathroom addressed. He's now on a schedule and is able to go to the bathroom with no problems! We're going on about a month now of NO accidents at school! He is taking a laxative daily. He also takes a fiber gummy every day as well.
Apparently, the problem he has is calling "soiling". I honestly thought it was going to take a long time to get him to use the bathroom and not have any problems, but, like I said, we're going on a month now with NO accidents. His underwear is completely clean! He's doing a fantastic job! He's been through so much in his life all ready. He's such a trooper!