Healthy habits that help with toilet learning

A healthy bladder and bowel are essential for your child’s readiness to learn toilet skills.

Check if your child’s bladder is healthy

Most adults and children empty their bladder (wee) 4 to 7 times during a day.

If your child cries, seems distressed or looks uncomfortable when they pass urine (wee), it may be a good idea to see your doctor. This may be a sign that something needs checking, like an infection.

The most common type of bladder infection is called the urinary tract infection (UTI). For more information on UTI in children visit Kids Health Info.

Helping your child have a healthy bladder

Drinking enough fluids helps your child’s bladder work well and makes it easier for them to feel when it’s full. It also helps keep faeces (poos) soft and regular. Encourage your child to drink regularly throughout the day.

Here’s a general guide for how much fluid children need:

Source: eatforhealth.gov.au

Note:
If your child has special dietary needs or trouble eating or drinking, always follow advice from your doctor, dietitian or feeding specialist (speech pathologist with a feeding specialty). You can search for specialists near you in our Service provider directory.

What to try if your child doesn’t like drinking fluids

• encourage water as your child’s main drink. Milk also contributes to fluid intake
• notice what your child likes – do they prefer cold, warm or room-temperature drinks?
• offer a big drink at every meal and snack. Also keep a water bottle nearby for your child to take extra sips during the day as they need. Regular big drinks (not just sips) throughout the day will help to fill their bladder, so your child can notice its fullness more easily
• try a see-through water bottle with coloured lines down the side to show how much they’ve had to drink
• make drinking fun – use a curly straw, a special cup or colourful ice cubes
• add flavour to water with a squeeze of lemon or orange or add frozen fruit pieces
• make a smoothie together – it’s a fun way to get fluids and nutrients
• sit and drink with your child. When they see you doing it, they’re more likely to join in.

Check if your child’s bowel is healthy

Most children pass faeces (poo) regularly – usually from 3 times a day to 3 times a week. What matters most is that the faeces (poo) is soft, smooth and easy to pass.

Hard dry poos which are difficult and painful for children to pass is called constipation.
Watery or sloppy poos, called diarrhoea, can irritate their skin and cause discomfort or leakage.
Softer faeces (poo) may leak around the hard poo, making it seem like diarrhoea, even when constipation is the cause.

These experiences can make children feel worried or uncomfortable with passing faeces (poo), which may lead them to avoid the toilet.

You can use the Children’s bowel (poo) diary to check your child’s bowel health.

If you’re worried about your child’s bowel habits, it’s best to talk to a doctor or child health nurse.

For more information on constipation, visit Kids Health Info.

Helping your child have a healthy bowel

What your child eats and drinks can affect how well their bowels work.

Eating fibre from whole foods (unprocessed) and drinking enough fluids every day can help keep faeces (poos) healthy.

Fibre is the part of plant foods that is not broken down completely by the body. Fibre is found in:

• fruits and vegetables
• wholegrain breads, cereals and crackers
• legumes like beans, peas and lentils.

Here’s a general guide for how much fibre children need:

Source: eatforhealth.gov.au

Ways to add fibre to your child’s diet

• offer fresh fruit and raw vegetables as snacks
• make fruit kebabs
• add grated or soft vegetables to pasta sauce, burgers and casseroles
• serve vegetables or crackers with a tasty dip or sauce like avocado, hummus or with nut butters
• make vegetable-packed soups (blend if needed)
• bake with wholemeal flour and fruit (like muffins, slices)
• choose wholegrain cereals, breads and crackers
• try vegetable or legume-based pasta and brown rice
• add beans, peas or lentils to meals like stir-fries, mince dishes, casseroles, taco mix or soups
• offer fruits and vegetables in different colours, tastes and textures so your child is more likely to find something they’re interested in trying.

Increase fibre gradually and encourage them to drink water.

Food examples to meet daily fibre needs

These tables show everyday foods with an approximate fibre content to help guide healthy eating.

For personalised advise, please speak with a paediatric dietician.

Ages 1 to 3 years: 14 grams of fibre per day

Source: eatforhealth.gov.au

Ages 4 to 8 years: 18 grams of fibre per day

Source: eatforhealth.gov.au

Ages 9 to 13 years: 24 grams (boys) and 20 grams (girls) of fibre per day

Source: eatforhealth.gov.au

Ages 14 to 18 years: 28 grams (boys) and 22 grams (girls) of fibre per day

Note: Feeding challenges and toilet learning

What children eat and drink plays an important role in how their bladder and bowels work. This means feeding challenges can sometimes make toilet learning more difficult.

Some children may have trouble with eating or drinking. This could include:

• special dietary needs
• difficulty chewing or swallowing
• only wanting to eat a small range of foods.

These challenges can affect things like constipation, poo consistency, and how often your child needs to use the toilet.

If this sounds like your child, it’s a good idea to talk to a:

• doctor
• paediatric dietitian
• feeding specialist (speech pathologist with feeding expertise).

These specialists can give advice tailored to your child’s needs and help support both feeding and toilet learning. Search for a specialist near you: Find a service provider.

The benefits of movement and play for healthy toileting

Physical activity in children supports healthy growth and development. Being active helps build their strength, coordination and movement skills, all of which support toilet learning. Physical activity also helps food move through the bowel, keeping poos regular and healthy.

Encourage your child to be active for at least 60 minutes each day (see Recommendations for children and young people). This can be moderate to vigorous activity – movement and play that makes the heart beat faster – and it can be done in shorter sessions over the day.

Examples include

• walking
• running
• jumping
• climbing
• playing games
• participating in sport.

Note: Physical activity can be adapted to suit your child’s individual abilities. A paediatric physiotherapist or occupational therapist can help support movement and activity goals.