Q: Hello doc, I really need your help with this. My 3 year-old still pees on her cloths during the day. She never used to do this before and this got me wondering if she needs a medical help. It got very annoying that I had to beat her every time she does it but it didn’t help solve the problem. Please I need your advice on this.

A: I can understand your frustration but please don’t beat your baby. Though a lot of children are potty trained by this time, it is not unnatural to have them ‘backslide’ 😀 And the more you make an issue out of it by screaming, yelling, smacking etc, the worse it gets!

First off for a girl-child, the issues of hygiene may lead to infection (urinary tract infection) which causes them to void urine before they can get to the toilet. It is never too early to teach your baby to wipe from the front to the back or to do it yourself if you’re cleaning her up. She will learn from your example.

Then, your child could also be ‘seeking some attention’ if there have been changes in her world as she knew it: a new baby brother/sister, move to a new house etc

Constipation and being so engrossed in play and forgetting to urinate have also been implicated. Poor posture while urinating can lead to the trapping of some urine in the vagina and its later ‘leakage’.

So, if your family is going through any change, please talk your daughter through it. We sometimes think that they are too young to understand. The main thing she really needs to hear is that it will all be okay and that she is very much a central part of your life.

You do need to take her to the hospital though, just to rule out an infection. Better safe than sorry. Whether she has an infection or not, please institute better toilet hygiene practices and advice on the proper posture for urination. For ladies, this posture is sitting on the edge of the toilet seat with legs apart but supported by seat and leaning slightly forward. And before you say it, I know…this posture can definitely not be achieved in a public toilet when you’re trying to touch as few surfaces as possible 😀

Having more fruits and veggies in food can help prevent constipation and thus takes care of one risk factor 😉

Have a good night everyone 😀