This Pediatric Urology Daily Doodle illustrates the “3 Secrets of Life” to maintaining a healthy and happy bladder.

The first secret – drinking plenty of fluids. Water is best. How much? Enough to create clear and colourless urine, so it looks just like water. The BC Children’s Hospital Urology Department created a pamphlet on good bladder habits (link below) which suggests that children should drink the same number of cups of water as their age. For example, a 6 year old child should drink 6 cups of water a day. After the age of 9, they should drink 8-10 cups daily.

The second secret – peeing. Frequent urination clears out any bacteria that might be building up in the bladder. How often? Children should urinate every 2-3 hours.

The third secret of life is – pooping. Eating a balanced diet with lots of fiber to promote soft stools. What’s regular? Children should have roughly 1-2 soft stools a day.

So there you have it, the three secrets of life: drinking, peeing and pooping.

References:

1. BC Children’s Hospital Urology Department. “Staying Dry. Good Bladder Habits for your Child”. April 2004. http://www.cw.bc.ca/library/pdf/pamphlets/Good%20Bladder%20Habits_377_Apr04.pdf

“3 Secrets of Life” Daily Doodle by Michiko Maruyama. Inspired by my Pediatric Urology elective at the University of Alberta with Dr. Kiddoo and Dr. Metcalfe.

December 2014.