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Bed Wetting in Children
By Matthew C. Monteiro, M.D.
Bed wetting, or nighttime enuresis, is a common childhood problem seen twice as often in boys compared to girls. For most children, bed wetting will resolve on its own and there is no underlying medical cause. At five years of age, 15% of children wet the bed, but by age 15 only 1-2% of children wet the bed. For children who have been dry at night consistently over time and then develop bed wetting, the most common cause is stress (divorce of parents, new siblings, and death of a family member). Rarely, bed wetting can be due to medical causes such as diabetes, repeated bladder infections, sleep disorders and hormonal abnormalities.
It's important to understand that bed wetting can be embarrassing, especially for older children. There are several behavioral techniques to reduce bed wetting. Start by limiting fluid intake after dinner. Sticker or reward charts for staying dry are often helpful in younger children. If bed wetting is predictable at certain hours, gently waking your child at night and taking them to the bathroom can train children to wake when the urge strikes. After bed wetting at night, encourage children to go to the bathroom. Specialized bed wetting alarms that sense the first few drops of urine are very effective at reducing bed wetting. When these behavioral techniques don't work, there are medication options to control problem bed wetting in older children.
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