• Children usually develop the ability to be toilet trained about 3 years of age. If children aged 4 years and over are unable to be toilet trained or experience regular incontinence, advice from a health professional is recommended.
• The bladder is an organ that stores urine (wee). In Australia, 1 in 5 children have a bladder control problem.
• Signs of a healthy bladder-
• Empties 4-6 times a day; can hold up to 400-600ml of urine; may wake you up once at night to pass urine, tells you when it is full but gives you enough time to find a toilet; empties completely each time you pass urine; does not leak urine.

Types of incontinence in children

• Daytime Wetting- the loss of bladder control during the day, usually caused because the bladder is not working properly. It is NOT caused by attention-seeking, naughtiness or laziness.
• Bedwetting- this happens when the bladder involuntarily empties during the night. Most children will be dry at night by school age. Some children may experience accidents until 7 or 8 years.
• It is important to seek professional help for bedwetting if:
• your child starts wetting at night after being dry
• the wetting is frequent after school age
• the wetting bothers the child or makes them upset
• the child wants to become dry
• Soiling - is when the bowels are emptied in places other than the toilet. It usually happens because the large bowel in not emptying properly and the child is constipated.
  

Please contact me through the office or your child’s teacher if you would like any further information or advice/ contact your GP or look at https://www.continence.org.au for tips for parents and carers.