What Age Should Bedwetting Stop?

Feb 4

When potty training a child, you may ask yourself “what age should bedwetting stop?”. This is a common question many parents/caregivers ask themselves. The changing of the sheets, kid’s clothes and frequent disruption of sleep can have most people questioning how much longer!

Understanding bedwetting

Although bedwetting (aka enuresis) can be common, that doesn’t mean it is normal. Some studies say bedwetting affects 5-7 million children in the US but it is something that can be addressed!

Most children are potty trained somewhere between the ages of 3-5 years old. Typically, when a child is dry during the day, they should be dry at night within 10 months. However, 10% of 6 year olds are still bedwetting and some studies show that teenagers with enuresis are 1-3%! This is a huge number when you consider we are talking about millions of children.

Many parents are often given the advice to “wait it out” or they will “out grow” it. Although this can be the case with some children, it is actually not the case for most! Some parents may also think that bedwetting is behavioral but that is rarely the case.

Also, the psychological and emotional effects bedwetting can cause may not be worth the wait! Often kids that wet the bed deal with anger, frustration and embarrassment and may miss out on social events such as sleepovers or overnight camps.

Underlying causes

Figuring out why a child is bed wetting is part of the evaluation process in pelvic floor therapy. If we can understand what is causing the issue, we can figure out how to best treat it! Some common causes of bedwetting include:

Weak or overactive pelvic floor muscles
Overactive bladder
Constipation
Bladder irritants
Obstructive sleep apnea
Other diagnoses

Does My Child Have Weak Pelvic Floor Muscles?

If children have weak pelvic floor muscles, the bladder may release urine when it is filling. Some signs a child may have weak pelvic floor muscles:

Decreased core strength
Poor posture
Poor muscle coordination
Difficulty starting or stopping the flow of urine
Post-void dribble (leaking in underwear after standing)
Straining during bowel movements

Strategies for Addressing Bedwetting At Home

Be sure your child is fully emptying their bladder before bed. This can include a “double void” or having the child stand up and then sit back down to ensure everything is out. If your child stands to pee, have them try sitting to make sure they are fully emptying.

Although you never want to severely limit fluids from your child before bed, it may be helpful to time most of their fluids earlier in the day and less in the evening. Ideally, you want to wean drinking for around 2 hours before bed. Obviously, if they are thirsty, sips are ok!

Managing your child’s constipation can help to reduce or eliminate bedwetting. When the rectum is full of poop, it can decrease the capacity of the bladder which can cause leaking. You can read about more ways to manage your child’s constipation here.

Pelvic floor therapy can help!

Addressing your child’s bedwetting can help improve their confidence and quality of life! Waiting doesn’t always guarantee that your child will outgrow it and it delays the process. And, if we're dealing with underlying chronic constipation, it can potentially be a long process!

If you want to see if your child may benefit from my care, you can call: