Urination - bed wetting

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Female urinary tract

Male urinary tract

Bed wetting (or enuresis) is when children wet the bed more than twice per month after age 5 or 6.

Enuresis - bedwetting

Children develop complete control over their bladder at different ages. Nighttime dryness is usually the last stage of toilet learning.

Most children who haven't achieved bladder control have at least one parent or first-degree relative who also had a problem with bed wetting. Knowing this often helps the child feel less stressed about the situation.

Around 7% of children still wet their beds at age 5, only 3% do so by age 10, and 2% by age 15. Only 1 out of 100 children who wet their bed continue to have a problem in adulthood.

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Children who were dry for at least 6 months and then started wetting again have secondary enuresis. There are many reasons why children wet the bed after being fully toilet trained. These include:

• Diabetes
• Psychological problems or medical disorders, such as a urinary tract infection
• Urinary tract abnormalities

Review Date: 01/29/2010
Reviewed By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).