Wee accidents are very common when children are potty training. However, if leaks are still happening over the age of 5 years, you should book an appointment with a doctor so it can be looked into.

There are different types of urinary incontinence:

• Doing lots of small wees (frequency) and/or needing to rush to the toilet (urgency). This is often called ‘bladder overactivity’.
• Daytime wetting – damp pants or full bladder empty
• Finding it hard to relax on the toilet and fully empty their bladder
• Structural problems with the bladder usually from birth, such as bladder exstrophy or if the ureters connect to the bladder in the wrong place.
• Other conditions such as Spina Bifida which affect a small number of children from birth. This means the messages between the bladder and brain don’t work properly so children don’t recognise the need to wee. Get more information on complex bladder conditions and how they can be managed.
• Night time accidents (bedwetting) are common in children who also have daytime problems. If your child wets the bed and also has accidents in the daytime, this need to be investigated and treated first.

ERIC (The Children's Bladder and Bowel Charity) offers lots of support and advice for parents. For further information, please visit their website or talk to your chid's doctor. Please speak to your child's teacher if you think there is anything school needs to know about your child's bladder health.