Tracking bed-wetting and soiling in small children can help diagnose enuresis and encopresis.
Enuresis (bed-wetting) is an inability to control urination in children. Encopresis is involuntary fecal soiling by an individual who has already been toilet trained. The age at which children develop bladder control and control over their bowels can vary, so it is not always possible to correctly diagnose enuresis or encopresis. If you think your child may have enuresis or encopresis and are considering seeking medial advice from your family doctor, it's important to start keeping a record of their toilet habits by taking some regular measurements.
Instructions
1. Take a blank piece of paper and split it into three vertical columns. At the very top, record the date you are going to perform the test. At the top of the first column write, "Time of day." At the top of column two write, "Amount drunk." At the top of column three write, "Length of time for urination."
2. Fill the diary in by recording the times the child drinks, how much the child drinks in ounces (by measuring the amount in a kitchen measuring cup) and, if possible, how much urine is passed during each toilet visit or during the night.
3. Manage the amount of fluid the child consumes during the day. Ensure the child drinks small quantities frequently and very little is consumed in the run up to bedtime. Record the progress the child makes over a period of three or four weeks.
4. Record the times and dates your child visits the toilet to defecate.
5. Note the consistency of the fecal matter---whether it is particularly hard, soft, wet or dry, and record the size of what you see including large, average or small.
6. Consider the child's response to the toilet experience, including whether the experience has caused the child any discomfort, difficulty or pain.
7. Make a note of what the child eats each day, as this can reveal links between foods eaten and encopresis.
Tags: child drinks, enuresis encopresis, column write, diagnose enuresis, diagnose enuresis encopresis