Here - Health Promotion Agency

Habits and behaviour
PROBLEMS WITH
TOILET TRAINING
Wet children in the day
•
If your child shows no interest
in using the potty, don’t worry.
Remind yourself that, in the end,
your child will want to be dry for
him or herself. If your child starts
to see the whole business as a
battle of wills with you, it’ll be
much harder.
•
Take the pressure off. This
might mean giving up the potty
and going back to nappies for a
while, or just living a wet life and
not letting it get you or your
child down. It might help to talk
to someone about the best action.
What you don’t want to do is to
confuse your child by stopping
and starting too often.
•
Show your child that you’re
pleased, and help your child to
be pleased, when he or she
uses the potty or toilet or
manages to stay dry, even for a
short time. Be gentle about
accidents. You need to explain
that it’s not what’s wanted. But do
your best not to show irritation
or to nag. Once a child becomes
worried, the problem often gets
worse.
•
If your child has been dry for a
while (night or day) and then
starts wetting again, there may
be an emotional reason, such
as a new baby or new house.
Be understanding and sympathetic.
Your child will almost certainly
be upset about the lapse and will
not be doing it ‘on purpose’.
•
By the time your child starts
school, he or she is likely to be
just as upset by wetting as you
are, so do all you can not to be
angry. Your child needs to know
you’re on his or her side and will
help to solve what is now your
child’s problem more than yours.
You can also obtain helpful
information from ERIC
(Education and Resources
for Improving Childhood
Continence) (see page 147
for address).
Bedwetting
Bedwetting up to the age of five is
considered normal, and treatment is
not usually given. You may, however,
find the following measures helpful
if your four- or five-year-old wets
the bed.
• Try not to get angry or irritated
with your child.
•
Protect the mattress with a good
plastic protective cover.
• Check whether your child is
afraid to get up at night – would
a night light or potty in the
room help?
•
Don’t cut back on fluids as the
bladder tends to adjust and holds
less. It is better for your child to
drink around six or seven cups of
fluid during the day so that his or
her bladder learns to hold a larger
capacity. However, avoid giving
fizzy drinks, citrus juices and
drinks with caffeine, such as tea,
cola and chocolate, before your
child goes to bed as these can
stimulate the kidneys to produce
more fluid.
• If your child is constipated, this can
also irritate the bladder at night.
Constipation and soiling
Your baby or child is constipated if
he or she doesn’t empty the bowel
properly (some stool stays inside)
when going to the toilet. The stool
is usually, but not always, hard and
difficult to pass. The stools may also
look like little pellets.
Most children simply grow
out of wetting. If this does
not seem to be happening
when your child is ready for
school, talk to your GP or
health visitor about it. You
may be referred to a clinic
for expert help – not for
your sake, but for your
child’s sake.
If a child who has been dry
starts to wet the bed again,
this may be due to
threadworms. See page 99
for more information.
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