Bedwetting

Bed-wetting — also called nighttime incontinence or nocturnal enuresis — is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which staying dry at night can be reasonably expected. Soggy sheets and pajamas — and an embarrassed child — are a familiar scene in many homes. But don’t despair. Bed-wetting isn’t a sign of toilet training gone bad. It’s often just a normal part of a child’s development. Generally, bed-wetting before age 7 isn’t a concern. At this age, your child may still be developing nighttime bladder control.

Symptoms:

Most kids are fully toilet trained by age 5, but there’s really no target date for developing complete bladder control. Between the ages of 5 and 7, bed-wetting remains a problem for some children. After 7 years of age, a small number of children still wet the bed.

Causes of bedwetting:

Physical and psychological conditions can lead to some people having bedwetting. Common causes of children and adults having bedwetting include:

A hormone imbalance.

Urinary tract infection

Excessive sleep

Delayed bladder maturation

Genetic factors

Lack of co-ordination between bladder and brain.

Excessive intake of fluids during evening or night.

Risk factors

Bed-wetting can affect anyone, but it’s twice as common in boys as in girls. Several factors have been associated with an increased risk of bed-wetting, including:

• Stress and anxiety. Stressful events — such as becoming a big brother or sister, starting a new school, or sleeping away from home — may trigger bed-wetting.
• Family history. If one or both of a child’s parents wet the bed as children, their child has a significant chance of wetting the bed, too.
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Bed-wetting is more common in children who have ADHD.

Complication of bedwetting:

Loss of opportunities for social activities

Rashes on child’s bottom.