Bladder control and lines

[SoonerSarah]

We are possibly going to be at Disney between Christmas and New Years. My youngest will be 7 then and she has various issues with one being that she has an extremely small bladder and has poor control over her bladder. We do our best on trips with limiting fluids, however we can't predict how she will do. Sometimes she can go up to 4 hours without having to urinate and other times she will be having to urinate every 5-10 minutes. We will obviously have her go to the bathroom before we get on rides, but I'm assuming that if she has to go while we are in line, we will have to exit and just get back at the end of the line, correct?
Does anyone have any other tips that might make this easier other than limiting fluids and going before we get in line?

 

[ErinTwinmom]

Have you talked to her doctor, know one of my brothers took a pill for bladder control.

 

[smidgy]

if you were in line near me, all you would need to do was tell the people around you that one of you is taking your daughter to the bathroom and you will return.
I would also try to tell a cm... MOST people don't have a problem with you leaving a line you were ALREADY in to use the bathroom, and then RETURNIng to the line.
I admit I Do have a problem with half of a family getting in line while the other half goes to the bathroom and "catches up". you can't REJOIN a line you were never in in the first place
as long as you all get in line together to begin with, I have no problem with people temporarily leaving the line and returning. really, no kid can have fun on the ride and enjoy it when all they are wishing for is for it to be over so they can pee

 

[DisneyOma]

We are possibly going to be at Disney between Christmas and New Years. My youngest will be 7 then and she has various issues with one being that she has an extremely small bladder and has poor control over her bladder. We do our best on trips with limiting fluids, however we can't predict how she will do. Sometimes she can go up to 4 hours without having to urinate and other times she will be having to urinate every 5-10 minutes. We will obviously have her go to the bathroom before we get on rides, but I'm assuming that if she has to go while we are in line, we will have to exit and just get back at the end of the line, correct?
Does anyone have any other tips that might make this easier other than limiting fluids and going before we get in line?

It's Florida, so it might not be best to limit fluids in the heat. Has she ever tried kegel exercises? They would strengthen muscles to help her not have an accident. Also, try a depends liner in her underwear?

 

[kamik86]

Honestly if I was in your situation I would be less worried about the lines (you CAN leave if you have to, inconvenient but your not stuck) I would be worried about cases in which you actually get stuck. I'm not sure I have been on a single trip in which I never got stuck in one of these situations:

• Ride issue (for us we have had this on pirates, ellen's energy adventure (which is 40 min normally), splash mountain, Mickey's fun wheel (disneyland)...
• Transportation issue - the monorail is pretty well known for stopping for 10 to 15 min with you stuck on the track. Occasionally much longer waits. Bus rides that should have been 15 min being 30 or more due to a traffic accident etc.

Then again you probably ahve this situation happen at home too. Traffic happens everywhere, at 7 she would be going to school so maybe you handle this the same way you handle if she gets stuck in traffic on the bus to school.

 

[PlutoPony]

Another thing to keep in mind is that restroom lines are often long, even more so at the time you are going. Needing to go NOW could be difficult to facilitate.

 

[gap2368]

I think the bast thing you can do is just use the bathroom before going in. if she needs to go while in line tell the people behind you that she need to use the bathroom and then go and come right back but do not let someone in line while you take her to the bathroom and think you can meet the person in line you all need to be in line together at first

I would if you have not talk to her dr there are meds that can help

you need to know how long some rides are as some are very long 45 minutes and some show are long too with no way to get out
also have a great trip

 

[lanejudy]

DD has bladder issues that result in urgency plus kidney issues that mean we encourage more fluids not limit it, especially in the heat of Florida. Our tips at WDW:

• Never pass a restroom without stopping to "try."
• Never get in line without going first.
• Be aware of the length of the attraction, not just the line, as some are much longer than others and there may be no way to exit once started; You'll have to decide whether she can handle those situations or if you simply need to skip longer attractions.
• Be aware there could always be a break-down or other issue that slows or stops the ride for anywhere from a brief minute to much longer.
• Don't limit fluid intake in the heat and humidity of Florida; dehydration is a very real concern.
• If you must leave a queue, speak to the CM near the entrance to explain your situation; sometimes we've been allowed back through the FP line instead of waiting the full standby again.

I'm not sure if you are trying to deal with this on your own or if she is seeing a urologist. My daughter's urologist had her on a strict every 2 hour schedule and she had to sit for 3 full minutes. We used a timer. It has helped tremendously. We didn't realize that apparently she was only "going" enough to relieve that urgent pressure feeling, but not fully draining her bladder. Sitting for that long encourages her to take her time and fully do her business without rushing back out of the bathroom to resume whatever activity. It has taken some time, but DD is doing much better with this now. It may not be the right solution for you, but worth asking the doctor about it. Our URO indicated it is a very common issue with young elementary school age kids.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[tiggergal15]

My DDc8 has this issue...we are going to be at Disney in June . we have talked about senerios and the need for increased liquids. My DD was so upset she might "go" in her pants she wanted to cancel.
We came up with several ideas including wearing absorbant undergarments into the parks. At the resorts not. This was her idea and she has done this on long trips before when bathrooms were in short supply( like on the plane).
This might not be for you and your daughter. But works for my DD. To be honest it really gives her peace of mind and she has never actually used/ went in them. But I really think the peace of mind for both of us makes a better vacation.
She doesn't use them at home or school just sits longer as pp mentioned which has really helped.

 

[aaarcher86]

Cans he wear a pull up? She might scoff at it, but I think there's some Disney designs out there that you could kind of play up. She obviously knows she has potty issues. I'd try to explain it's just a precaution.

Take a map with all the restrooms circled so you know where they are. I wouldn't limit fluids in the florida heat, but I'd stop every hour at the most and try to use the restroom and I'd try before every line/activity. It's time consuming, but worth it.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

if you were in line near me, all you would need to do was tell the people around you that one of you is taking your daughter to the bathroom and you will return.
I would also try to tell a cm

1) YES.
2) As long as people see you in-line, they "normally" do not object when you return ahead of them.
3) If you stay out of the line and try to "line cut" later, you will have guests and CM speaking to you.

 

[Thing 1]

I think your issue is going to be compounded by the week your are going. It is the busiest week of the year and there will be lines and waits for everything. Buses, food, even if your drive yourself, traffic can be horrific. I honestly think it would be kinder to her to allow her to wear a pull up if she is willing. There will be situations where you may be an hour away from an accessible bathroom. For rides, use FP and be at the park at opening to avoid the longest of lines. If she has to go in line, I would let one parent take her, letting the first CM you see know what your doing and return to the place in line if possible. Sometimes this can be harder than you think. I might would consider trying to get a disability pass to allow her to do more of her waiting outside of the line and closer to the bathroom.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Leaving the line to use the restroom and returning is probably not practical, due to the way the lines are set up. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to find the person holding your place in line, as they wind in and out of building and through narrow walkways.

 

[book_junkie]

The app on phones will also show you most of the bathrooms near you as long as you have the location engaged with it as well. It's helped a number of times with my hisband's Crohn's as sometimes the nearest one isn't the most obvious one.

 

[SoonerSarah]

We take her to school and it is maybe a 5 minute drive. She does have to travel 6 hours to see doctors and we take a child's potty with us or have her pee in the grass. Most places we go, she doesn't have a big wait and if we are somewhere that we are having to wait for a toilet, we manage for the 5 or 10 minutes it takes to get one. She does have accidents and it isn't pretty, she does not want to be viewed as a baby and is very hard on herself.

I do not know how a pull up would go. She might be ok with it, she might not.

We live in Texas and while it is not as humid here, we will be there in late December and I don't anticipate it being an issue. She doesn't handle hot Temps well and it could induce seizures, so we don't withhold fluids, we simply don't allow her to guzzle if we know she won't be able to use the restroom for 1 hour.

We have not gone to a Urologist yet, she has had renal and voiding ultrasounds done by her Pediatrician (he is the head of pediatrics for a university and specializes in kids with special needs). We both agreed that that the time she was not able to comprehend a bladder training regime and we felt like we were managing it well enough with various measures we had taken to forgo medications for the time being.

 

[SoonerSarah]

We will most likely use our own car for the most part because of the transportation issue. I had not thought about that at all, so I'm glad it was brought up.

 

[lanejudy]

She does have accidents and it isn't pretty, she does not want to be viewed as a baby and is very hard on herself.

I do not know how a pull up would go. She might be ok with it, she might not.

I understand. Instead of a pull-up, would a Poise pad help prevent embarassment? My DD used those following a surgery that left her with some additional urgency and incontinence issues for a bit; she was 9 and able to use the panty liners as a stop-gap while she hustled off to a restroom. I also suggest carrying a couple extra outfits in gallon ziploc bags each day as a just in case; the ziploc will keep the clean outfit from getting anything on it in your day bag plus it will serve as an easy way to transport soiled clothing back to your resort.

Since your trip isn't until December, you have quite a bit of time yet to figure out what works for you. I suggest involving her PED, asking for suggestions, ask if he feels it's time for a URO consult. My DD has seen a pediatric urologist since she was an infant, but incontinence issues weren't really dealt with until she was about your DD's age and even then we have avoided the medications so far. There may be options for her.

Good luck!

 

[SueM in MN]

Time has flown!
I remember the first time you come here asking for trip advice and now she's 7. Doesn't seem like it could be that long.

Other posters have given good advice already - I've got a couple of other suggestions/resources to go along with what others posted.
This is a bed wetting site, but has a lot of good information about incontinence/bladder issues in general. Think page is to kind of let kids know they are not alone.
http://bedwettingstore.com/learning-center-preserving-self-esteem.html

If you do timed voiding, they have watches the child can wear to help them feel in charge of their timing.
http://bedwettingstore.com/watch-comparison-chart.html

They also have nice cloth underwear and it may help her to see that it comes in sizes for girls much older than her - definitely not for babies.
http://bedwettingstore.com/girls-washable-absorbent-briefs.html

Good nights have disposable products in 'big kid' sizes that many kids with incontinence/urgency issues use for daily use. They also have some really nice cloth briefs for kids which have disposable inserts.
https://www.goodnites.com/?WT.mc_id....srch=1&ReferralCode=GOO-GENENU-PA-OGI-201532

Those kinds of products can help a lot with anxiety - which does have an impact on some of the 'frequency' issues for many people.

 

[Morningsun70]

I don't have any direct experience with this, but I do have an idea. If I personally had an incontinence accident I would be super embarrassed because it's so evident for everyone to see. Sarongs and loose skirts are pretty stylish. Maybe you could consider bringing something like this along so that if an accident happens there's a handy "wrap skirt" to put on over clothes to camouflage the incident as you make your way to the bathroom or first aid to change clothes and get cleaned up.

 

[mommysaurus]

Honestly, I would try very hard to talk up the pull ups. My 8 year old wears goodnights (Same company as pull ups) to bed and they are meant for big kids. They are slimmer and have older designs, not "baby" designs like pull ups. It took a bit of talking them up for my son to agree to them but bottom line they are much less embarrassing than having an accident, at least to him. Good luck!