Lots of children have poo and wee problems, but because they can be embarrassing to talk about, you might think you're the only one. There are probably other children in your class who have weeing or pooing accidents, you just don't know who they are!

Number of children with bladder and bowel problems

The good news is there are things you can do to sort your bowel or bladder problem out:

  • Ask your mum or dad or the person who looks after you to call our helpline. Our helpline team will give them lots of information and support to help you get better. 

  • Write to us using our Ask ERIC form. Sharron and Natalie from our helpline team (read more about them below) would love to hear from you. They will read every message and might publish it along with a reply on the Ask ERIC page. You don't need to give your name in your message. Please note that the Ask ERIC form is only for children to use. Parents and/or carers who would like help from ERIC should contact our helpline using the helpline phone number (0845 370 8008*) or email address (helpline@eric.org.uk).

  • Go to see your doctor. Your doctor (also called a 'GP') will try to find out why you have a bowel or bladder issue. They might give you some medicine or ask you to see a special nurse - see below to find out what will happen when you visit the nurse.

  • Keep your bladder and bowels healthy. Have lots of drinks throughout the day (water is best), eat lots of fruit and vegetables and get plenty of exercise.

Our helpline team

Hi, I’m Sharron! I’ve worked on the Helpline for a couple of years now.  Out of work I love my three dogs - a collie called Brecon, a Tibetan Terrier called Indie and a small fluffy puppy called Ted. I really enjoy walking and cycling. The dogs run alongside my bike, apart from the puppy who sits in his basket on the back!

Hi, I’m Natalie and I work on the Helpline at ERIC. Your mum or dad, or the person that cares for you, may have spoken to me if you’re having wee or poo problems. I’ve got two little girls and a naughty dog called Colin. As well as talking about wee and poo I love camping with my family and friends and going to music festivals.

Share your experience 

If you want to share your experience with other kids who might have the same problem as you, Childline runs a message board for children and teenagers aged 11-19. Find out more about Childline's message board here. 

Seeing a special nurse

Nurse SueSue is a nurse who helps children with wee and poo problems. You might feel a bit embarrassed talking to someone you don't know but nurses like Sue talk about wee and poo all the time and want to help you sort your problem out.

Sue explains below what will happen when you go to see a nurse like her...

What is your job?

My job is to help children with their wee and poo. Wee and poo problems are very common, so I get to meet lots of children in my job!

If you have a wee or poo problem, sometimes you’ll come to see a nurse like me to talk about it. You’ll probably come to see me with your mum or dad or whoever looks after you.

Where will I see you?

You might see me at your school or you might come to a place called a clinic, health centre or hub. Before you come to see me, I might ask you to fill in a wee and poo chart so I can understand when and how often you do a wee or poo.

What will we talk about?

There are lots of things we can talk about when you come to see me. I’ll probably ask some questions about how much you drink and what you eat. Sometimes I might draw pictures to help you understand how your bladder and bowel work - the places where wee and poo are made. And don’t worry – I won’t need to look at your body while you’re here.

Getting all this information will help us to decide what you can do to sort out your wee or poo problem.

What will I have to do to get better?

There are different things I might ask you to do, depending on your wee or poo problem. Sometimes I might ask your doctor to give you some special medicine for you to take at home.

Will I see you again?

Once we’ve decided what you can do to help make things better, you’ll go home and come back to see me again every month. We can talk about how you’re getting along and if your problem is getting any better. Usually I’ll carry on seeing you until wee and poo are no longer causing you any trouble.

I'll also give you some tips on how to keep your bladder and bowel nice and healthy, so your problems don't come back again.

Now you know how to get help for your problem, find out more about what causes bowel and bladder problems or head to the 'fun stuff' page to take the bowel and bladder quiz and play the poo game! 

*Calls to the Helpline cost 9.6p per minute plus service provider charge.