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- ERIC's Daytime Wetting pages
- Info for Children
- Info for Teens
- Info for Parents
- Info for Professionals
- Leaflets on Daytime Wetting
- Message Boards
Info for Parents
Daytime wetting affects 1 in 75 children aged 5 and above. It is usual for younger children to have wetting accidents as part of the toilet training process but as children get older, daytime wetting can be more difficult to manage at school or in social situations.
Some children will never have been fully dry during the day and have the odd accident here or there. Others will have never been consistently dry and some children will start daytime wetting after having been dry for a while.
Daytime wetting is more common in girls and younger children but for most children who experience daytime wetting, there is no serious underlying disorder. However it is always important to get a professional assessment to identify why the daytime wetting is happening and to seek support to resolve or manage it.
Causes of daytime wetting
There are a number of reasons why daytime wetting may occur and these include the following:-
- Overactive bladder
- Not reliably dry in the day after potty training
- Anxiety or stress
- Constipation
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
To read more about the causes of childhood daytime wetting, download our fact-sheet here.
Always seek a professional assessment from your school nurse, doctor or clinic for any daytime wetting problems.
What can parents do?
Daytime wetting is stressful for children; it can damage relationships with friends and family. It can invite ridicule and bullying, effecting self esteem and school avoidance. Intervention should always be sought as soon as a daytime wetting problem becomes apparent.
Daytime wetting is also stressful for parents who often wonder why their child doesn’t seem to be able to notice they are wet or to stop it happening. It can feel very frustrating for parents dealing with daytime wetting whether it is the occasional accident or an ongoing problem.
Drinking
Drinking regularly through the day is important for bladder health and can help reduce the symptoms of daytime wetting problems. Encourage your child to drink regularly throughout the whole day. Water based drinks are best.
The suggested daily fluid intake of water based drinks is:
|
|
Female |
Male |
|
4-8 years |
1000 - 1400 ml |
1000 - 1400 ml |
|
9-13 years |
1200 – 2100 ml |
1400 – 2300 ml |
|
14 -18 years |
1400 – 2500 ml |
2100 – 3200 ml |
Cutting back on drinks in the day doesn’t help to resolve daytime wetting problems - the bladder adjusts to less fluid and therefore will hold less before needing to empty.
What treatment is available for daytime wetting?
Medication
Medication is sometimes prescribed for an overactive bladder – the most common one is oxybutinin. The medication relaxes the muscles of the bladder to reduce the strength of the bladder contractions which allows it to fill properly.
Bladder training
A bladder training programme should be supported by a health professional. A good daily fluid intake will be encouraged. A toilet routine beginning with visiting the toilet once an hour and increasing this by 10 minutes at a time when there has been no daytime wetting for a few days. This will be continued until the child uses the toilet 6 times a day, (for example when getting up from bed, mid morning, lunch time, mid afternoon, teatime and bed time). A reminder watch can be useful to help children independently manage a bladder training routine.
To download our fact-sheet on how the bladder works click here.
An assessment with your school nurse, doctor or clinic
Always seek a professional assessment from your school nurse, doctor or clinic for any daytime wetting problems.
Before you attend the appointment it is useful to record for a week:
- How often and when your child wees in the day in the toilet
- The number of wetting accidents and damp pants
- How much and what your child drinks.
This will give some initial indications of your child's wetting problems. You may be asked to complete some more charts after your first appointment.
A routine check for bladder infections will rule out a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Constipation will be treated with medication to clear any blockage and ensure things move smoothly.
A bladder capacity check will show how much your child’s bladder can hold. To do this your child will be asked to wee in a measuring pot and this will be compared with the average bladder capacity of a child of the same age. To download how to calculate a child's average bladder capacity click here.
How to have a wee
Girls
Girls should sit on the toilet in a relaxed position with feet on the floor or on a stool. Keep the back straight, lean slightly forward and let the wee flow in a continuous steady flow. Wait before getting off the toilet to ensure bladder is fully empty.
Boys
When standing, encourage boys to aim at a target in the toilet, for example a ping pong ball with a face drawn on,. This improves aim and encourages a steady flow.
School Toilets
How many times has your child come home from school bursting to go to the toilet or even had an accident on the way home.
When you ask, ‘Why didn’t you go before you left school?’
The answer is often: ‘The toilets are dirty, smelly and there is no privacy’.
If your child has daytime wetting problems, a reluctance to use the toilets can have a profound effect on resolving the problems. How can you ask your child to use the toilet every break time when there is no toilet paper or the toilet smells or they fear they will have no privacy?
ERIC’s Bog Standard campaign promotes access to better toilet facilities for pupils and Water is Cool in School is ERIC's campaign for access to fresh water in school.
