DD (3.5) suddenly having daily wee accidents

[LolaLadybird]

She's been potty trained since last June and is usually brilliant at going to the toilet. She had the occasional wee accident but nothing to be concerned about. However, in the last week, she has started wetting herself pretty much daily. She seems absolutely fine in herself and we've not had anything change around here so no idea what's brought it on. It seems to happen regardless of where she is - home, my mum's, pre-school. It usually happens when she knows she needs to go but doesn't get there in time.

Has this happened to anyone else and did it just sort itself out? She had an accident at pre-school today and when I mentioned it, one of the staff said it can sometimes be a symptom of a bladder infection but surely if that was the case, there would be other symptoms and she would be complaining that it hurt when she goes to the loo.

Any advice gratefully received as it's quite exasperating ...

I'd get a sample tested at the GP to rule out an UTI

Ask them to send it to the lab as well (dd had anUTI that tested neg with a dipstick but positive at the lab)

If neg, bump your thread!

my dd is having the exact same thing and she is also 3.5! out of nowhere we had a week were she kept weeing herself, all over the floor, carpet, clothes, bed! She wasnt complaining of weeing hurting or anything it seemed to be a case of she was so enthralled with what she was doing it wasnt registering with her she needed to get to the toilet and would leave it till it was too late. Now she is so worried about properly wetting herself she is obsessed with little dribbles in her knickers, even when she hasnt done a thing she says she can feel it and takes her pants off, she is absolutely fine when naked but when shes got clothes on she is constantly pushing her knickers up into between her legs checking for dribbles! i feel so sad for her! however she only has this at home, nowhere else!

im just trying to chill out and tell her not to worry and let her pop her "dribbly" knickers on the radiator so they dry (even though theyre not wet!) as i think perhaps my constant nagging and sometimes cross and shouting at her has made her more worried and perhaps caused this nervousness so im just trying to chill out and think well she wont exactly be doing this in a years time will she!?

Bernard - did DD have any other symptoms?

Kilty - so did the weeing accidents just resolve themselves after about a week?

I know what you mean about needing to chill. Yesterday I got quite cross with DD as she wet herself big style, not just a little leak, just before we were about to go to a friend's. Once there, DD kept saying she needed the loo but once on the loo couldn't go and I think it was because she was paranoid about another accident.

I've never had to ask/remind her to go before but maybe I need to start doing so for a bit.

yes, she just had a week were she did full on massive weeing on the floor/carpet, once downstairs and then the rest would be next to the toilet, as in she wouldnt make it in time, had started to wee before she got there and instead of getting on the loo would stand next to it and carry on weeing! I must admit i really shouted at her for it and while she has completely stopped full on weeing everywhere she is just so paranoid about it she worrys about dribbles! I feel so awful about it and the fact that i must have scared her and have made her so worried that she has this fixation now! There is no problem outside of the house at all, its just at home!

Now i just shrug my shoulders with her "dribbles" and say never mind, would you like a wee? put her knickers on the radiator and act like it doesnt really matter just to try and get her to relax and stop touching herself checking for dribbles! I also let her just prance about the house naked now on her bottom and she's very happy being like that as she seems a bit more relaxed and not worried about weeing her knickers! I think its just going to take a bit of time to boost her confidence in her own toilet going skills again as i think i probably undermined them and i feel so utterly awful everyday for it when i see her so worried! god i could cry, the guilt of motherhood heh!

DS1 did the same! I would get a UTI ruled out first for sure. We put him back in pull-ups briefly (as I was simply not prepared to get cross with him or have him distressed at having wet clothes and 'making a mess') and started the regular toileting and encouraging him to go to the loo again, I think he got so fed up of us hassling him to go the loo he got on with it himself again . He was in pull-ups for 3 days and hated them although he still has them at night.

Even at 4 he still has very occasional accidents if he's be engrossed in something and then suddenly has an immediate urge to go. We don't make a big deal of it, no point, he hasn't done it on purpose.

Lola - no other symptoms other than wetting

Thanks everyone. It's reassuring to know that DD isn't alone in the toilet regression - friends have also experienced this with their DC's. DD had another accident today (I wasn't here - got a 'day pass' - so DH had to deal with it and wet knickers/tights were still on the utility room floor when I got home ... but that's a whole other thread!).

I think I'll give it another few days of active reminding/encouragement and then if things don't improve, go and see the GP.

Thanks again.