Many children have problems urinating or difficulty with potty training. Examples include daytime accidental wetting, bedwetting, recurring bladder infections, frequent urination, infrequent urination, inability to urinate and delayed or disrupted potty training. Urinary problems can have a major impact on the child’s and the family’s lives. Children, but often their parents too, are ashamed of these complaints and do not dare to talk about them or only share them with a few others.
Urinary problems have a wide variety of causes. These can include a malfunctioning bladder or sphincter, a urinary tract infection, not responding to signals from the bladder (for example, with hyperactivity), an overactive bladder, having tension and using muscles in the wrong way, such as constant tightening of the pelvic floor muscles.
To gain insight into your child's urination problem, the doctor will start with a comprehensive intake interview and physical examination. In addition, you will be asked to map out urination at home better using an assignment sheet.
Based on these data, additional scans will be scheduled: e.g. kidney and bladder ultrasound, uroflowmetry or an RX cystography (bladder scan).
Treatment focuses on normal bladder habits. It usually consists of advice and toilet training. Sometimes medication is needed, for example in the case of a bladder infection or a bladder capacity that is too small.
