Bedwetting

Childhood Skin Problems Slideshow

• Bedwetting Overview
• Bedwetting Causes
• Bedwetting Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Bedwetting Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Medications
• Surgery
• Other Therapy
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• Support Groups and Counseling
• For More Information
• Web Links
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

Bedwetting Overview

Bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis, refers to the passage of urine during sleep. Enuresis is the medical term for wetting, whether in the clothing during the day or in bed at night. Another name for enuresis is incontinence.

For infants and young children, urination is involuntary, meaning they have no control over it. Wetting is normal for them. Most children achieve some degree of bladder control by 4 years of age. Daytime control is usually achieved first while nighttime control comes later.

The age at which bladder control is expected varies considerably.

• Some parents expect dryness at a very early age, while others not until much later.
  
  
• Factors that affect the age at which wetting is considered a problem include the following:
  
  
• The child's sex
  
  
• The child's development and maturity
  
  
• The child's overall physical and emotional health
  
  
• The culture and attitudes of the child, parents, and caregivers

It is assumed that very young children will wet the bed. Therefore, the term "bedwetting" is usually reserved for children (and adults) who are beyond the age at which nighttime bladder control is expected.

• At age 5, 15-20% of children still wet the bed.
  
  
• Dryness can be expected in most 7-year-old children.
  
  
• Most children simply outgrow bedwetting.
  
  
• The child who wets the bed needs parental support and reassurance.
  
  
• Most of these children will eventually be able to stay dry; they stop bedwetting at a rate of about 15% per year.
  

• Parents must realize that enuresis is involuntary.
  
  
• About 5-7 million children in the United States wet the bed.
  
  
• Bedwetting occurs in both sexes about equally, although some studies have shown it to be more common in boys than girls.
  
  
• About 40% of 3-year-old children and 15-20% of 5-year-old children wet the bed frequently.
  
  
• Although the problem can continue to adulthood, it is by far most common in school-aged children. About 1% of adults have a persistent bedwetting problem.
  
  
• While we refer to "children" here, it is with the understanding that much of this information also applies to adults with a bedwetting problem.

• While children with this embarrassing problem and their parents once had few choices except waiting to "grow out of it," there are now treatments that work for many children.
  
  
• Several devices, treatments, and techniques have been developed to help these children stay dry at night.