Continence (Incontinence)

A Sensitive Approach to Help Kids of All Ages

When kids can’t control their urination (urine/pee) or bowel movements (feces/poop) it’s called "incontinence." Incontinence can happen to children at any age — even teens — and for many reasons. This can be overwhelming for everyone in the family. For kids, it can cause anxiety, depression and social problems like bullying. That’s why we offer special clinics where care teams work together to pinpoint the cause, and to help kids of all ages achieve or regain continence — and confidence.

Types of Conditions Related to Incontinence We Treat

At Nemours, we provide services for kids of all ages who are experiencing issues like:

urinary incontinence (can’t control pee)
fecal incontinence (can’t control bowel movements or poop)
failure to toilet (potty) train
chronic constipation
problems with urinary frequency and urgency (having to pee suddenly and often, overactive bladder)
voiding dysfunction (incomplete bladder emptying)
recurring (ongoing) urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Incontinence Services We Offer

To help kids with continence (gaining control of their bladder and/or bowels), we offer a variety of diagnostic and treatment services. These may vary depending on your child’s situation or the location you visit and may include:

behavioral health (if there’s no medical reason for the incontinence, or to manage the social impacts)
biofeedback and interactive games (part of behavior therapy that teaches your child to relax and listen to their body’s internal signals)
gastroenterology (digestive specialists who help with fecal incontinence or constipation that doesn’t respond to the usual treatments)
medical imaging (to see if there are any conditions causing your child’s incontinence)
urodynamics studies (tests that show how well the bladder and urethra are storing and releasing urine)
urology surgery (if there’s a surgical reason for your child’s urinary incontinence)
voiding cystourethrogram or VCUG (an X-ray exam that checks the bladder and the flow of pee)

Why Choose Us for Continence (Incontinence)

At Nemours, our care team members created these coordinated programs so they could help children with the physical, social and emotional issues related to incontinence. In addition to specialized training, many have been part of our bladder or continence clinic teams for more than a decade.

Regional Highlights of Our Continence (Incontinence) Care

Services, programs, facilities and teams differ at each location. Call for details.

Delaware Valley/Greater Philadelphia

Our Bladder Clinic located at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (Wilmington, Del.) helps kids with urinary incontinence. We also offer outpatient appointments at select Nemours duPont Pediatrics locations, including our advanced, fully equipped pediatric outpatient surgery centers at Nemours duPont Pediatrics, Bryn Mawr and Nemours duPont Pediatrics, Deptford. Your child can be referred to a Nemours gastroenterologist (digestive health specialist) to help with fecal incontinence and constipation if needed.

Central Florida

Our Continence Center is available at Nemours Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Lakeland, where our coordinated program helps kids with both fecal and urinary incontinence.

Northeast Florida

Our Continence Clinic is located at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville, where our coordinated program helps kids with both fecal and urinary incontinence. It was also one of the first in North Florida to use biofeedback.

Northwest Florida

We offer incontinence care at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Pensacola as well as consults and follow-ups at select satellite locations.