Enuresis
Some children struggle with urinary urgency, needing to rush to the toilet and urinary frequency which is needing to empty their bladder more regularly than normal.
Some children experience day time wetting, which is common and can range from small to large volumes of wee.
If your child is experiencing daytime wetting, this may be occurring due to constipation, their bladder not being big enough, their bladder sending a signal to the brain to empty before it’s full and being too distracted when bladder is sending signal to go to the toilet. Most children have reliable bladder control by the age of 5 but for every 30 children 1 to 2 will suffer from daytime wetting (Promocon, 2016).
Watch the video to help explain how the urinary system works.
What is a healthy bladder?
The normal range for children needing to visit the toilet for a wee is 4-7 times per day, usually every 2-3 hours.
Children should be emptying their bladder fully every time they visit the toilet.
A healthy bladder should be able to hold a certain amount of urine dependant on their age and send signals to let the child know when they need a wee, giving them enough time to reach a potty/ toilet.
Getting the drinking right
It is very important that children drink well throughout the day. The recommended amounts are below:
Please note this is only water based drinks and does not include smoothies or milk.
The recommended volumes of water based fluid children should drink is 6-8 cups per day (increase when hot or exercising).
| Age of child | What size cup |
|---|---|
| 5 years | 180 mls |
| 6 years | 210 mls |
| 7 years | 240 mls |
| 8 years | 270 mls |
| 9 years | 300 mls |
| 10 years | 330 mls |
| 11 years | 360 mls |
| 12 years plus | 390 mls |
- 4-8 years- girls and boys, 1000-1400mls per day
- 9-13 years- girls 1200-2100 mls per day, boys 1400-2100mls per day
- 14-18 years- girl’s 1400-2500mls per day, boys 2100mls- 3200mls per day
- Ref: NICE (2010) Nocturnal enuresis: The management of bedwetting in children and young people.
Tips and advice
Spread out drinks throughout the day and limit bladder irritants such as: blackcurrant, fizzy drinks, drinks with sugar, and caffeine.
Aim to visit the toilet for a wee every 2-3 hours. A vibrating watch can be helpful to remind your child to visit the toilet. There are a wide range of watches available such as: WobL watch and TabTime.
Encourage your child to take their time to pass urine, when possible encourage boys to sit down to pass urine. Once finished it can be helpful to rock backwards and forwards and then try again to see if they are able to pass any more wee.
Useful information: ERIC.org.uk - What is a healthy bladder?