Bladder/Bowel Assessment Chart

Instructions for parents completing a Bladder/Bowel Assessment Chart

1. Completing the chart can help identify constipation or an overactive bladder – i.e. a bladder that is squeezing when it shouldn’t. Even if a child is never going to achieve continence, a healthy bladder and healthy bowels should be promoted at all times.
2. You may also have been asked to fill in this chart to see how often your child wees or poos and if there is any pattern, in order to plan a toilet training programme.
3. Choose a day when your child is going to be home all day – not a school day!
4. Your doctor or nurse will tell you how many days they would like to be recorded – usually a minimum of two days. The most important thing is accuracy – if necessary they can be separate days, but you’ll be able to see if a pattern emerges if you can manage consecutive days.
5. You need to check your child’s nappy every half an hour to see if they have passed any wee or poo. It can be hard to tell if the child has passed a small wee as the nappy will wick the wetness away. So, put some folded kitchen paper into the nappy – that will stay wet if your child wees. Change it every time you find it wet.
6. Write down every drink, every wee, and every poo. Write by the nearest hour or half hour – you don’t have to record the exact time.
7. Please measure drinks/feeds in mls.
8. In the Stool Type column, write down the number from the Bristol Stool Chart that best describes the poo – see image below.
9. If you feed or change your child at night, please summarise the information in the night time box on the chart.