Just in the last couple weeks my son has been having accidents. I'm not sure what to make of it. He doesn't fully wet himself. Well, except one time this week. We were at his Tae Kwon Do class and i could see he had to go, but didn't want to interupt the class. As soon as the class was done (it's only 1/2hour long), i rushed him to the bathroom, but it was to late. I haven't noticed him drinking anymore then normal? We can see he has to go to the bathroom and when we say, go to the bathroom. He get's mad. I started off with saying, accident's happen, but as soon as you need to go, go. It takes longer to change clothes, then it does to just go to the bathroom. That's not working. Just recently, i said, he won't be able to go to preschool, if he keeps having accidents. He loves school and their policy is that they have to be potty trained. He's been toilet trained since he was 3.
It's only been the last couple weeks. The only changes that i can think of, is he started preschool and his dad started to travel again for work. My husband has traveled since he was born, however, this summer he didn't go anywhere. When he had the accident at Tae Kwon Doe, he did go to the bathroom right before class? I don't know, maybe there is something medically going on?
Anyone else have/had similar problem? If it's medical, he doesn't have any pain, just doesn't seem to hold it?
Thank you.
Thank you Ladies. I made an appointment for him. He loves going to school and Tae Kwon Do and i don't think that is the problem, as far as i know. I'll be talking to his preschool teacher to see if there is anything going on in class, that might make him anxious. His dad has been traveling alot. Even though my son doesn't like it, he seems fine. Wish us luck.
Maybe he is too young for Tae Kwon Do class???
It may be stressful for him? Just a thought.
good luck
Hi CT,
if he isn't having any pain then he probably doesn't have an infection. Boys very rarely get a UTI type thing because of their design. Lucky for them:)
When my son was 4 we had a similar problem. He felt the urge to go all the time. We live 45 minutes from town and we could never make it to our destination because he felt he had to go. Only a few dribbles would come out usually. We were at the doctors office several times. She should have referred us to a pediatric urologist but i believe her ego was in the way. She scheduled an ultrasound of my son's kidney's, bladder, etc which was fine...it showed nothing. that was also an uninvasive test. We asked about a specialist and she said she wanted to run another test. She scheduled a catheterization (sp.). My husband was in the room with him and i could hear the screaming on the other side of the door. He wasn't knocked out or given any type of setitive so he wouldn't feel it. When she finally did refer us to the urologist he was furious. He said that around the age of 4 to 5 boys are in a growth spurt. Which was definately true for my son. The bladder hadn't caught up yet. The urologist did do an exam...there are certain things he can look for on the outside but said it was definately a growth issue...sees it very often. He said our son would be fine with in a few months once his body slowed down a bit. He was. We obviously don't see the family doctor anymore that wouldn't refer us in the first place.
I would say if you think something is going on medically then get a referral to put your mind at ease...and INSIST that if there are invasive tests to do that your son be knocked out. Our new doctor said that the pediatric urologists will usually always do this without question. (Our 4 yr. daughter may be referred out if she ends up another UTI~girls have more difficult problems:(
He could just be too interested in what he is doing also and not want to take the time to go to the bathroom. He is a boy...it used to drive my son crazy to have to stop and come in the house to go potty. If that's the case just remind him that it'll take longer to change clothes and clean up...you could even time him sometime to show him.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
It could be just a minor regression, but it could also be medical. My 5 year old neice had a few accidents and no one thought much of it until she got a raging fever of 105.2 after 3 days in the hospital, and antibiotics the doctors decided it was a kidney/Urinary Tract Infection. She is fine now. It is something to keep in your mind. She had no pain and no other signs besides the accidents before the fever showed up. You could go to the dr or you could just start getting him to drink cranberry juice and get him flushed out. Sometimes at that age they get to busy playing and don't want to go so they hold it which can lead to accidents and can cause infections. Just remind him to go often. Good Luck!
Hi CT
My 6 year old son has had some recent issues lately with frequent daytime urination. Like your son, he had no pain or fever but we took him to the doctor just to be sure, they tested his urine which came back normal (no infection, no glucose...to rule out diabetes). My son would stay dry at night but during the day at school he would be using the restroom every 15 to 20 min and sometimes wetting his underwear "a little" if he didn't get to the restroom when he needed to, at home he would be able to wait a little longer 45 min to an hour. Our pediatrician suggested Extraordinary Daytime Urinary Frequency Syndrome sometimes called Pollakiuria. I copied the information that was given to me and posted it here. I'm not saying that this is the explanation for your child's situation and you might want to visit your Dr. if it continues, but I wanted to provide the info. anyway. I had never heard of such a thing and was quite skeptical when my Dr. suggested it. But my son is starting to show improvement after a couple of weeks now. I searched the web and found a lot of good information. Anyway, hope it helps. Take care.
What is frequency of urination during the day?
Daytime frequency of urination occurs most often when a child is 4 to 5 years old, but it can occur as late as age 12. You will notice that:
* Your child suddenly starts urinating every 10 to 30 minutes and as often as 30 to 40 times a day.
* Your child passes small amounts of urine each time.
* Your child has no pain with urination.
* Your child does not wet himself during the day.
* Your child does not drink excessive amounts of fluids.
* Your child has been toilet trained.
* The urinary frequency is not a problem during sleep.
What is the cause?
Frequent urination usually reflects emotional tension. It means your child is under pressure. The symptom is involuntary, not deliberate. The urinary frequency usually begins within 1 or 2 days of a stressful event. You can make the problem worse by worrying about disease. Punishment, criticism, or teasing also worsens the symptom.
Although physical causes are rare, your child should be examined by a physician.
How long will it last?
Overall, this is a harmless condition that eventually goes away by itself. If you can identify and deal with whatever is stressing your child, his frequent urination will disappear in 1 to 4 weeks. Without treatment, the symptom usually gets better on its own in 2 or 3 months.
A few children who also have small bladders and problems with bedwetting may have this symptom more than once.
How can I help my child?
* Reassure your child that he is physically healthy.
Tell your child that his body, kidneys, urine, and any other aspect of his health that he is worried about are fine. Because the family (and also possibly physicians) have been concerned about the child's bladder and urine, he may fear there is something wrong with his urinary tract. Reassure him once or twice that he is quite healthy.
* Reassure your child that he can learn to wait longer to urinate.
Reassure him that he won't wet himself, which is a common fear. If he has wet himself before, encourage him to talk about his embarrassment and reassure him it happens sometimes to many children. Tell him that he will gradually get back to urinating every 2 to 3 hours, or whatever his previous pattern was. If his frequency of urination has gotten worse during shopping trips or travel in general, don't take him with you to public places for a while.
* Help your child relax.
Frequency of urination can be a barometer of inner tension. Make sure your child has free time and fun time every day. If he is over-scheduled with activities, try to lighten the commitments. Relaxation exercises may help your child if he is over 8 years old.
Increasing the happiness and harmony within your home will usually restore your child's sense of security.
Ask the staff at your child's school or day care to help reduce any tensions there, such as limits on when a child can use the bathroom.
* Try to figure out what is stressing your child.
Meet with other family members and try to think of a stressful event that may have occurred 1 or 2 days before the frequency began. Also ask school or day care staff for ideas. Talk about your ideas with your child and try to help him overcome the stress. Common stressful events are:
o death in the family
o accident or other life-threatening event
o tension in the marriage
o a sick parent or sibling
o school entry or a new school
o too much concern about staying dry at night
o wetting himself in the presence of peers.
* Ignore the symptom of frequency.
When your child is using the toilet frequently, don't comment on it. Comments remind him that the symptom is worrying you. Stop keeping any record of amount or frequency of urination. Do not collect any urine samples or measure volumes. Don't ask your child about his symptom or watch him urinate. Do not have your child do bladder-stretching exercises. Your child does not need to tell you when he has urinated; you will have a general impression about whether he is getting better or staying the same.
Be sure that none of your child's caretakers or teachers is punishing or criticizing him about this symptom.
Stop all family conversation about the frequency. The less said about it, the less anxious your child will be about it. If your child brings up the topic, reassure him that he will gradually get better.
* Avoid bubble bath and other irritants.
Bubble bath can cause frequent urination in children, especially girls. Bubble bath can irritate the opening of the urinary tract. Taking a bath in water that contains hair shampoo can also cause similar symptoms. In addition, before puberty, be sure your child washes the genital area with water, not soap.
When should I call my child's health care provider?
Call during office hours if:
* The frequency of urination is not back to normal after you have followed these recommendations for 1 month.
* Your child begins to have pain or burning when urinating.
* Your child begins to wet himself during the day.
* Your child begins to drink excessive amounts of fluids.
* You have other questions or concerns.
There may be several things that are causing this problem. That the little guy in and have him check out by your doctor. What ever you do, don't take him out of Tae Kwon Do. He needs that to release some of his energy.
I know it sounds crazy but it could be that he is constipated and it's creating pressure in his belly that causes the accidents. The same thing was going on with my child and when we brought her to the dr. the dr said that she had lots of stool backed up and it was pushing on her bladder and making her 'leak'. She has been on benefiber and it's gotten much better. Good luck!
