thread: HELP! DD is going to the toilet too often

  1. #1
    BellyBelly Member
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    Jan 2007
    VIC
    2,199

    HELP! DD is going to the toilet too often

    I have no idea why she's doing it, but she will whinge and whinge about going to the toilet every 5-10mins throughout the day (if she doesn't have access herself - say if we're out). It's driving me INSANE!!
    She does wee everytime she goes... sometimes it's a fair bit other times it's not a lot (although I don't go with her all the time).
    She doesn't seem constipated, she doesn't mention pain or anything when she urinates, she hasn't had any blood that I've noticed.... I've been thinking this is a learned behaviour but my Mothercraft Nurse Mum mentioned about her ridiculously frequent trips to the toilet and didn't think it was normal.

    She's currently calling out "daddy I need to go to the toilet". It's 9.05pm and she's been to the toilet 3 times since 8.30pm. This happens EVERY night. I try ignoring her and it doesn't work. We take her and let her go but she only needs to go again 5 minutes later. I've tried limiting her fluid intake before bed, upping her daily fluid intake. Watching what she eats. Letting her eat what she wants. Asking her to go to the toilet before bed, not telling her to go (in the hopes that her bladder will be so full that she goes all at once and then has no more need to go). I've tried everything but locking her in her room and letting her wet herself. She's been toilet trained for over 6 months and is 30months old.
    This behaviour is getting old now. She's waking several times a night and screaming out for her Dad to take he to the toilet (yes she can go on her own.... :S). We can't leave her to scream and take herself because we have had family staying for the last 11 weeks and it wakes them up.
    My son is lucky to go once a night. She can go anywhere from 4-10 times a night. It's driving us batty. We're not getting the quality sleep we need and neither is she.

    I'm now worried that something may be wrong? Even at playgroup where she is heavily distracted she goes to the toilet at least 6 times in 1 and a half hours and everytime something comes out.

    HELP!! Does this sound familiar to anyone? Should I be taking her to see someone?

  2. #2
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber. Love a friend xxx

    Sep 2008
    Melbourne
    1,424

    Could it be an anxiety-based behavior? Worried that she might have an accident? Has she had any accidents recently or gotten the idea that it's 'bad' from somewhere? DD had an accident 3 weeks ago - the first in abt 6 months - and was MORTIFIED. We have never told her off or made any sort of big deal and it's prob only happened about 5 times since she was TT but she's a bit of a perfectionist and it really embarrassed / upset her.

    Do you think she might enjoy the 1:1 time she gets when you take her enough for this to reinforce / increase the chances of her asking?

    Otherwise, I do think it might be worth getting her checked out medically JIC she has a UTI, bladder infection etc. or perhaps getting a referral to talk to a continence nurse. We deal with one through my work and she is brilliant and knows a great deal about both behavioral and physiological causes and solutions.

  3. #3
    BellyBelly Member
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    Jan 2007
    VIC
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    Thanks lovely.
    When we are home, I never go with her. Most of the time we just tell her to go when she calls out at night and she does... but it continues.
    No accidents here for months and months. She's not wet the bed since the first month of TTing.
    We do have the kids grandparents here and I've thought it might be a ploy to get out of bed lots at night. She takes herself to bed during the day but these toilet trips keep her up anywhere up to 2 hours past her bedtime.

    I just don't know what her deal is. She's a cheeky little thing.... always into mischief and it really wouldn't surprise me if it was a bit of an attention seeking/delaying going to bed type thing. It's just frustrating because there used to be times where she'd go a couple of hours without going. I can't pinpoint when this behaviour started but I know it's been going on for a while.
    I might take her to see the GP if I can get her in.
    Thanks!!
    xx

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Jan 2010
    1,975

    Hey Niadalla,

    Excessive urination can be (maybe, occasionally, possibly but NOT always!) a sign of diabetes. Also, look for increased thirst and tiredness or lethargy. Given she is urinating frequently during the day as well as at night, maybe it's not just delaying bedtime. I wouldn't panic, but I would certainly take her to the GP and ask for a blood test (usually a fasting glucose) to rule out diabetes.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    in the ning nang nong
    12,163

    I'd get her checked out for a UTI - they don't always present with pain.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    pakenham, victoria
    3,660

    DD1 went through this phase too. it did eventually pass though. most times she just sat on the loo and did nothing. Her input was nowhere near enough for the amount if times she was going to the toilet.
    with diabetes her input will be just as excessive as her output. keep an eye on it, just to be sure. hopefully its just a phase though
    xx

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Aug 2006
    On the other side of this screen!!!
    11,129

    Definitely get her checked out at the drs to rule out any health problems. Then if it continues, you can get a referral to see a continence nurse who are trained to help people of all ages with their bladder issues. There may even be one near you who specialises in working with children. I took my DD to one of these and they taught her some simple awareness and relaxation tricks and the problem she was having got better. But first you need to get her checked out to rule out infections, kidney problems, diabetes etc.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Sep 2011
    63

    Agree re getting her health thoroughly checked out. There are so many things that could cause it that aren't behavioural. Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes), diabetes insipidus (water diabetes), infection, kidney issues...and many other things. Leave no stone unturned to rule out medical stuff before assuming it's behavioural.

    I say this as an adult who used to go to the loo a ridiculous amount - and was initially told to make behavioural/lifestyle changes like drink less and hold on longer. However it was eventually (belated) discovered I had a serious medical issue. Once that was treated, the problem cleared up immediately.