Advice and resources : Continence in children

Nighttime wetting

If your child is experiencing nighttime wetting, please see these leaflets below for some helpful information.

We also advise that your child drinks 6-8 glasses of drink a day. This should mainly be water, or well diluted fruit juice/squash. Milk should be given in moderation as it is classed as a food. Use this drinks chart to encourage them to drink. Make sure they drink on a school day too! By the end of a school day they should have had two thirds of their total drinks. Bowel and Bladder UK have lots of information on how to encourage a child to drink more water.

Make sure your child avoids caffeinated or fizzy drinks, and drinks with artificial flavourings, colourings, and sweeteners. Blackcurrant and orange favours in particular can irritate the bladder making it want to empty more regularly.

Encourage your child to use the toilet between 4 and 7 times a day. You may find this reward chart from Eric useful to reward them. Reward them for drinking and toileting, rather than for being dry.

If after following this advice your child is still bedwetting, the school nurses would be happy to give you further support. Depending on the concern we may invite you to our enuresis (bedwetting) clinic or offer advice by telephone.

You may find these resources particularly helpful:

• Eric website  
• Bedwetting information on our website

Daytime wetting

If your child is experiencing daytime wetting, we are able to offer initial advice, but we recommend you see your GP for an examination to rule out a urinary tract infection, constipation, a neurological or other cause, especially if there is constant dribbling.  

Read this advice from Eric: advice for children with daytime wetting problems. Follow this advice and the advice for nighttime wetting in the section above for three months. If you see no improvement, please book a review with your GP. A referral can then be made to the Paediatric Continence Service by the School Nursing Service or your GP.

Constipation/soiling

Constipation often goes unidentified. Symptoms include:

• not pooing at least 3 times a week
• poo that is large and hard
• poo that looks like rabbit droppings or small pellets
• straining to poo
• poor appetite or stomach-ache
• traces of liquid or pasty stool in your child's underwear — a sign that stool is backed up in the rectum

Check out the different types of poo here on the Eric website.

As a service we are able to offer initial advice, but we recommend your child sees a GP for a physical examination to exclude certain conditions, a neurological cause or other cause.   

Take a look at the resources below and follow their advice for three months. If you see no improvement then please book in a review with the GP. A referral can then be made to the Paediatric Continence Service by the School Nursing Service or your GP.  

Helpful resources

• Advice for Children with Constipation from Eric
• ERIC's Guide to Children's Bowel Problems 
• ERIC's guide for children with additional needs 
• Help for if your child is smearing