Wee is made when blood is filtered by your child’s kidneys. The wee collects in your child’s bladder and then drains when it is full. Wee is also called urine.Your child will probably wee between 5 and 7 times each day and this removes waste from their body.
Poo is made in the bowel and is what’s left once we have taken everything we need for our bodies from the food we eat. Poo moves along the length of the bowel until it is ready to leave your child’s body. Poo is also called stool or faeces. Your child might poo every day, twice a day or every other day. If your child poos more or less than this you can speak to the Healthy Child Programme team for advice.
As your child grows they will begin to develop control over when they wee and poo. This is sometimes called ‘toileting’.
Some children have difficulties around wee and poo and this is not unusual. Problems such as having lots of accidents (wetting or soiling), weeing in their sleep (sometimes called nocturnal enuresis), being constipated (not having a poo often enough) or having diarrhoea (runny poo) are all things you can talk to a member of our team about for advice.
What you can do to help
- Drink water. Our bodies are designed to run on water and this is the perfect fluid to stay hydrated. Your child should drink 6-8 glasses of water per day (this can be flavoured if necessary but choose sugar-free options). This will help their bladder and bowel stay healthy.
- Avoid drinking in the 60 minutes before bedtime and remind your child to have a wee before getting in to bed.
- Avoid fizzy or caffeinated drinks as these can irritate the bladder.
- Stay active. Being busy and getting lots of exercise helps poo to move through the bowel as it should.
- Eat your 5-a day. By eating at least five pieces of fruit or vegetables each day this will give your child lots of fibre and help them poo regularly.
- Good toilet habits. Encourage your child to go to the toilet regularly (every 3-4 hours) and not to rush. Use the toilet in a comfortable position, sometimes a small step might be needed.
- Keeping clean. Make sure to wash hands after using the toilet and remind girls to wipe from front to back. Help your child with hygiene if they need it.
- Be positive. If accidents happen, or if you or your child are worried about their poo or wee, give reassurance, let them know it’s ok to talk about this with you, speak to them openly and seek advice.
Need More Information?
ERIC is the UK based Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity with lots of useful information on their website.
https://www.eric.org.uk
Child friendly information with animations:
https://www.eric.org.uk/videos-about-wee-and-poo
Young people can access information at:
https://www.eric.org.uk/Pages/Category/teens
Who can help?
If you’re worried about your child, a health professional in our team will be able to offer advice and support. You can Call Us on 0300 029 50 50 or Text Us on 07520 649887 to start a conversation. If your aged 11-19 you can text ChatHealth on 07480 635 443
**Monday to Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm excluding bank holidays**
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Delivering excellence in Children and Young People’s Services:
a partnership between Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
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