P A R E N T I N G
CHILDHOOD BEDWETTING
At some point, most children will wet the bed during their sleep - this is entirely normal and they will usually grow out of it. This is a quick guide to bedwetting and what you can do to help.
If your child is wetting the bed during sleep, it will be extremely embarrassing for them, especially if they have other siblings making fun of them. Children have no control over their bedwetting, so the number one priority is to make sure your child knows that it is not their fault and something that you will treat together. If there are any siblings with too much to say about it, then they should also be made aware that they must not do this, as it is very hurtful.
HOW COMMON IS BEDWETTING? The medical name for bedwetting is nocturnal enuresis, which specifically means wetting the bed at night, during sleep. The condition is very common in children and roughly speaking, it affects the following numbers of children: ✔ 15% of 5 year olds ✔ 5% of 10 year olds
✔ 2% of 15 year olds ✔ 1% of adults Paediatricians don’t tend to consider bedwetting a problem until children are around 7 years of age, which is an optimum age to look at treatment options if the bedwetting is becoming a frequent occurrence or a distressing issue. At some stage almost all children grow out of night time bedwetting, but some children will also experience poor bladder control during the day.
TYPES OF BEDWETTING Bedwetting is usually categorised in one of two types: ✔ Primary Enuresis - this means children who have never had dry nights for more than a few months at a time
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✔ Secondary Enuresis - this refers to children who have been completely dry for more than 6 months but start wetting the bed again
CAUSES OF BEDWETTING Bedwetting does not have one single known cause but the following may be factors: ✔ A pattern of bedwetting running in families ✔ A child cannot control the bedwetting because the waking up aspect of their bladder control reflex is not fully developed ✔ A child’s bladder your child’s bladder is still growing and cannot yet cannot hold the amount of urine they produce overnight ✔ A child’s bladder may be overactive (which also gives them an urgency to get to the
