The ERIC Helpline Podcast: for families with children affected by bowel and bladder conditions

In a special episode, Former England Rugby Captain Lewis Moody, who lives with ulcerative colitis, meets 15-year-old Jake. Jake has suffered with bowel problems since birth. Long hospital stays meant he missed childhood experiences and struggled in school. ERIC helped his family throughout their journey to ileostomy surgery, and beyond. He’s now using his experiences to help others as part of ERIC's Christmas Appeal this year. Read more about Jake's story and support our appeal here: https://eric.org.uk/eric-christmas-appeal-2025-jakes-story/

Developmental Psychologist Dr Kate McGarry and ERIC's Head of Family Services Sarah answer your questions about laxatives and how they are used to treat childhood constipation.

In a shorter extract from our last episode, Developmental Psychologist Dr Kate McGarry and ERIC's Head of Family Services Sarah discuss the mindset behind poo withholding and what's going on inside a child's brain when they're refusing to poo on the potty or toilet.

In the second of a two-part series, Developmental Psychologist Dr Kate McGarry joins ERIC's Head of Family Services Sarah to discuss why some children hold onto their poo and how to guide them into healthy toileting habits.

What is toilet anxiety and how can you help your child overcome it? ERIC Nurse Sunni and Head of Family Services Sarah discuss the issue and how to encourage healthy toileting habits. For more information, visit our website: https://eric.org.uk/information/toilet-anxiety/ .

In a very special episode, TV star Mollie Pearce, who lives with a stoma, meets 8-year-old Katie, who recently had a colostomy stoma formed. Painful bowel problems meant Katie spent lots of her early years in hospital, missing school and childhood experiences. After receiving support from ERIC, and having her stoma formed, her life has been transformed for the better. Here, she shares her journey and explains why everyone should support ERIC. Read more about Katie's story and support our appeal here: https://eric.org.uk/eric-summer-appeal/

ERIC's Head of Family Services Sarah and Helpline Advisor Hollie discuss how to potty train children with additional needs and answer some of the most common questions.

ERIC's Head of Family Services Sarah answers your questions and offers information on how to support children who experience bedwetting. This episode is kindly sponsored by Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

ERIC Nurse Sunni and Helpline Advisor Louise answer your questions and offer information on how to potty train your child, as well as looking at some of the common issues that occur when you begin potty training for the first time.

In the first of a two-part series, Sarah, Head of Family Services, and Helpline Advisor Louise, answer your questions and offer information on how to support children who are withholding their poo and encourage them to poo on the potty or toilet.

Joe was born with a bladder condition. And further surgery as a child affected how his bowel worked. He has faced many challenges growing up and wants to share how he navigated his way through life at school, to being a teenager, and then a student at university. Joe shares the things he has learned along the way, how he has had to accept his disability and how it has become part of who he is as a person.

In a follow up to episode 8, ERIC Nurse Brenda Cheer explains what parents and carers need to do if their child's bladder problem hasn't been resolved by working on the four steps to a healthy bladder that were explained in Part 1. They cover what parents and carers should do if bladder problems still persist.

A joint podcast hosted by ERIC, The Children's Bowel and Bladder Charity and Bladder and Bowel UK. Alina from ERIC and Davina, a Children's Specialist Nurse for Bladder and Bowel UK chat to Alex, the parent of a six year old boy who wets the bed. They discuss why it's so important to seek help from a healthcare professional if children continue to be wet at night after the age of 5 and what treatments are available.

Brenda, ERIC Nurse and Paediatric Specialist Continence Nurse talks to Alina about a 7 year old child who has started wetting during the day. They explore the reasons behind wetting accidents like these and how families can help their children to manage their bladder.

Alina talks to Fiona Boorman a Paediatric Bladder & Bowel Specialist Nurse with 40 years' experience and a passion for helping children with additional needs to toilet train. Fiona started working with disabled children at 12, when she was a volunteer in a children’s home and later in a Scope Grammar School. This led her to a career in nursing children, initially at Great Ormond Street, London. 10 years as a Special School Nurse got her hooked on continence. She realised that too many children were not given the opportunity to achieve this fundamental skill but with the desire, joined-up working and some crazy ideas, she could make it work for most. Fiona went on to undertake both Adult and Paediatric Continence modules.

In a follow up to Episode 3 on chronic constipation and disimpaction, Alina talks to Brenda, the ERIC nurse to ask the more detailed questions we get about this subject to our helpline. Explanations by Brenda include: knowing whether a child needs to be cleared out, how macrogol laxative actually work, liaising with your doctor and what happens next after disimpaction.

Alina talks to Melissa Yapp a speech pathologist and special education teacher in New South Wales, Australia. Based on her wide experience of working in schools, Melissa gives practical advice to help parents raise their child's bowel or bladder problem with the class teacher.

Alina gives advice about what to do when your potty-trained child starts nursery or pre-school and things start to go wrong.

Alina talks to Natalie, one of ERIC's Helpline Advisors about disimpaction - a common treatment for chronic constipation. She explains when this treatment is recommended, how it should be approached and what signs parents & carers need to look out for so they know it is working.

Tips and advice from Alina, one of ERIC's Helpline advisors, about how to encourage children out of nappies and get them using the potty or toilet.