Holding is likely to overstretch the bladder, it also makes children more likely to endure a urinary tract infection and also it can lead to kidney damage due to the back pressure. Please be reassured however, that if this issue does not continue for too long, it won't have a long term effect.
If your child is only urinating two or three times per day, that's not enough. Holding urine too long can cause urinary tract infections, especially in girls. Kids should urinate five or six times per day, she says — about every two to three hours.
Caregivers should take a toddler with any of the following symptoms to see a doctor: no urinating for over 3 hours.
Water helps those sphincter muscles to relax and release. When you're trying to get your child to sit longer on the potty AND relax and release their pee, it helps to have some water play activity. The sound and feeling of water can help trigger a pee release during potty training.
Call your doctor if your baby or child has a dry mouth, fewer tears than usual, and no wet diapers or hasn't urinated in more than 6 hours. Get emergency help right away if your child or baby is very sleepy and hard to wake up, or if your baby or child hasn't had any wet diapers or hasn't urinated in 12 or more hours.
Children with an underactive bladder are able to go for more than 6-8 hours without urinating. These children sometimes have to strain to urinate because the bladder muscle itself can become “weak” from being overstretched and may not respond to the brain's signal that it is time to go.
Holding urine for long periods can allow germs to get into the bladder, which can lead to infection. Urination helps prevent infection by flushing germs out of the bladder. Children should void at least 6 times per day even if they do not feel like they have to go.
Lower your expectations.
Most kids aren't able to stay dry through the night until they're 5 or 6 years old or older — either because their bladders are too small, they're genetically predisposed to wet the bed, they're constipated, or they sleep very deeply and aren't able to wake up in time.
Most toddlers urinate four to eight times each day, usually about every two hours or so. Most toddlers have one or two bowel movements each day, some have three, and others skip a day or two in between movements. In general, each child has a regular pattern.
Children normally gain control over their bladders somewhere between ages 2 and 4—each in their own time. Occasional wetting is common even in 4- to 6-year-old children. By age 4, when most children stay dry during the day, daytime wetting can be very upsetting and embarrassing.
“Most kids should be able to hold their pee for two to three hours,” Anneliese Schlachter, a certified potty training consultant, tells Romper. “That can fluctuate in the beginning learning stage, or depending on their fluid intake.
“The most common issue for kids not wanting to release is that they're just not quite ready, physiologically,” she says. Most children will have a “false start” for potty training, where they show interest but don't turn out to be ready after all, she says.
encourage girls to wipe their bottom from front to back – this helps to minimise the chances of bacteria entering the urethra. make sure your child is well hydrated and goes to the toilet regularly – not urinating regularly and "holding in" urine can make it easier for bacteria to infect the urinary tract.
Urine is produced from the kidneys at around 60mls per hour therefore a three year old should be able to stay dry for up to two hours. The ability to “hold on” increases with age. The expected number of voids per day is between six and eight.
Symptoms of Urinary Retention in Children
Signs that a child is unable to urinate or not emptying their bladder completely may include: A weak stream or dribbling of urine. Inability to initiate urination. Stomach pain.
They learn to do this early in life by overriding the normal tendency of the sphincter to relax; they forcibly contract their sphincter instead and prevent urine from escaping. This forced contraction to hold urine back is a normal reaction and not particularly harmful.
Rest assured, your toddler will not only let you know he has to potty, but will do so on his own—all without having to take him every 45 minutes.
Holding your urine for too long can weaken the bladder muscles over time. This can lead to problems such as incontinence and not being able to fully empty your bladder. Holding your urine for extremely long periods of time can also cause urinary tract infections due to bacteria build-up.
A young child or infant should urinate at least every 6 hours. An older child should urinate at least 3 times every 24 hours. Call your doctor immediately if your child is dehydrated.
“Usually I recommend that you empty your bladder every three hours, whether you have the urge to go or not,” says Nazia Bandukwala, D.O., a urologist at Piedmont. “It's important to do that so you're not retaining too much urine in your bladder.”
So while your little one is set up on the potty, try letting them blow bubbles or blow through a straw into a glass of milk or water. Not only does getting to do this fun activity entice your child to try, but it also relaxes them AND helps them pass the pee and poop!
Your newborn pees all day and night because his bladder is very small, even a small accumulation of pee can cause his body to expel it as a reflex action. However, as your baby grows, his bladder capacity will increase, and his body will start to produce a hormone that prevents him from peeing at night.