Overactive Bladder / Daytime Wetting in a 4 year old at School

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Im hoping to get some help and suggestions from anyone who’s had a similar experience with a child with an overactive bladder / daytime wetting.

My oldest son is 4 years old and is summer born so is one of the youngest in his reception class. He has never been dry during the day or at night. Initially I thought we had failed him at potty training and I’d been beating myself up about it since he was 2. However, after trying everything suggested to us by the doctors, health visitors and ERIC, it’s become clear that there is an underlying issue.

As he’s now in school we have been referred to the continence clinic but their wait time is 1.5 years. We have decided to go privately to see if we can be seen quicker but from my research it seems that he won’t be eligible for medication until he is 5 years old (8+ months away). Although I was wondering if anyone had been prescribed medication before 5 years old?

He has had urine and blood tests and so diabetes and other serious medical issues have been ruled out.

His daytime wetting is pretty bad. He has between 1-3 full accidents a day and then often gets wet on the way to the toilet and so gets partially wet. He has never been dry at night.

Ive done the input/output diary for him and he wees around 15 times a day when he should be going 4-7 times a day. Each wee is around 100mls.

We have been monitoring his drinking and ge drinks the correct amount of water a day for his age.

Its a lot worse now he’s at school as they don’t seem to realise he’s wet so he tells us that he had a accident at morning break and he’s been sat in soaking wet trousers all day. I have asked the teachers to keep an eye on him but they have only changed him once since he started school in September and he’s started to get red rashes on his legs from being sat in the urine all day. I have reached out to the schools sendco, but my husband and I have started to weigh up pulling him out of school until he’s 5, as this doesn’t seem fair on him. We worry that other children are going to be noticing and he will be picked on. He absolutely loves school so pulling him out would upset him.

Has anyone dealt with something similar and could you give me advise as to what we can do to help him?

Thank you!

Contact the school nurses and see if you can get a care plan in place for his needs.

Is he in pull ups for school?

Thank you, I'll reach out to them again

I have a child with this, I was probably like you and getting passed to continence clinic etc and in the end I was really firm with the gp I think I can’t remember but I might have complained to practice manager. I explained that I know my child, this isn’t ’normal’ something is not right and I want to be referred to peadiatrician because this is not ok. Anyway, we were referred and we see a paediatric nephrologist and she was amazing, and confirmed overactive bladder, and my child has oxybutinin medication it used to be liquid as when they were 4 couldn’t swallow tablets, now has tablets. But the medication has been life changing for her, no longer has accidents and is happier because it’s hard as when they constantly have small wet accidents and no one notices they become sore, it gets embarrassing for them and it’s constant washing for you. You just want them to be ok. But my experience after the initial being passed from pillar to post with the peaditrician has been positive xx

I think you should see a paediatrician first, I’d push the GP for a referral.

No, he's been in pants since he was 2.5 years old. I've been told repeatedly not to go back to pull ups, although I have tried incontience pants for him to "soak" some of it up. He is in a pull up at night (the ones for older boys with superhero's on so they don't seem too baby)

Does he also suffer from constipation?

Thank you so much. It's great to know someone else has been in the same boat. I'm so glad you were able to get medication before 5 years old as ERIC said that they wouldn't do that. I need to get pushy as I'm the only one that can advocate for him so I need to start getting firm about getting him this help. How was the medication?

No he doesn't. It was the main thing that they kept checking about but he seems to have good poos

Thank you. I'll start getting firm and pushing for a referral!

Get your GP to refer you to the hospital paediatrician but in the meantime do your own research on paediatric Urologist. We found a great one at Evelina hospital but that was years ago.

Also, ask for an appointment with the school Senco. The reception staff really should be encouraging him to use the toilet every twenty minutes.

Until he is diagnosed best to put him in pull ups in school and send in a spare one for a change, rather than pulling him out of school. Staff can get busy and if it's a ongoing issue, I'm sure they would rather change a pull up than changing all his clothes that can get wet up to the shoes & socks. You could also try Homeopath treatment, also look up home remedy until you get to see an specialist. Hope all gets better for him and you soon 🙏🏻

medication was fine, no side or effects or anything like that. Absolutely fine, there dosage has been increased because they started on morning and evening but the point in the middle after school they started having accidents again, so we have 3 times a day now. If we ever forget a tablet in the morning if we are rushing about they would still have accidents now. So the medication is what supports her to be dry, the dr said having the medication will hopefully allow the bladder to become stronger and able to hold the wee so eventually they won’t need medication but that will be some time. But genuinely it was really hard because like you people just think they aren’t potty trained and it’s frustrating. You know your child. And as they get older it will affect their self esteem if they keep having accidents at school. Xx

@Snicksnacksnora Honestly thank you for your responses. You've given me hope! I'm glad your daughter is better now and that she's getting the right treatment and I hope I can get the same for my son!

@Safxxx I understand what you're saying as I know it must be tricky for the school but the doctors have said not to put him back in pull ups many times, so I'm torn

@Anewuser Thank you! Did you end up going down the medication route as well?

I personally wouldn’t use pull ups either x
ahh your welcome!! Good luck with it….there is light at the end of the tunnel xx