Parents who have a child experiencing bedwetting can feel confused, frustrated and even isolated. It’s not a topic a lot of people talk about, and without open conversation you can be left wondering “Why do kids wet the bed?” If your family is dealing with nighttime wetting, know that you’re not alone. In fact, 5 million American children wake up each day not knowing if their bed will be wet or dry. Learning the most common reasons can help you and your child understand that it’s not their fault.
Although bedwetting is more common among younger children, it something kids of all ages deal with:
Bedwetting is not a serious medical condition, but it can be very difficult to live with. Wetting the bed may interfere with a child’s socialization and can lead to significant stress within the family at a time when kids should be enjoying childhood. Because parents are often uninformed about the problem, children may be shamed or punished for being wet at night. Nighttime wetting is most often a developmental issue that is not their fault. It’s also something the majority of children outgrow in time. However, by exploring and understanding the reasons children wet the bed, you and your child can make the entire process far less daunting and stressful.
- 30% of 3-year-olds
- 40% of 4-year-olds
- 20% of 5-year-olds
- 12% of 6-year-olds
- 5% of 10-year-olds
- 3% of 12-year-olds
Bedwetting is not a serious medical condition, but it can be very difficult to live with. Wetting the bed may interfere with a child’s socialization and can lead to significant stress within the family at a time when kids should be enjoying childhood. Because parents are often uninformed about the problem, children may be shamed or punished for being wet at night. Nighttime wetting is most often a developmental issue that is not their fault. It’s also something the majority of children outgrow in time. However, by exploring and understanding the reasons children wet the bed, you and your child can make the entire process far less daunting and stressful.
Why Do Children Wet The Bed?
Bedwetting usually results from a maturational delay in the way the brain and bladder communicate with each other at night. There are three main factors that contribute to the problem.
- Bladder size. Children who wet the bed usually have a smaller bladder capacity than their peers. This causes them to urinate more frequently during the day and their bladder has less room to “hold” urine at night.
- Hormones. The brain produces a hormone at night that reduces the amount of urine the kidneys make. Some children who wet the bed produce less of this hormone and thereby make more urine while they sleep.
- Deep sleep. Some children have trouble arousing at night. As a result, the brain may not respond when the bladder signals that the child needs to urinate.
Family History
Most parents pay little attention to the frequency or consistency of their children’s bowel movements once they are toilet trained. As a result, constipation is an underrecognized cause of bedwetting. If a child has a lot of stool in their rectum, it can push against the bladder. This can reduce how much urine the bladder can hold and may limit how well the bladder empties when a child urinates. It can also “confuse” the nerve signals that go from the bladder to the brain. This can cause unexpected bladder contractions that lead to daytime urgency and bedwetting.
How to Support a Stressed Child Who’s Wetting the Bed
Wetting the bed runs in families. Most children who wet the bed have at least one parent or another close relative who had the same problem growing up.
Psychological Factors
Although children may start wetting the bed after an episode of emotional stress, psychological problems are not a factor in kids who have wet the bed since early childhood. Examples of stressful situations that can trigger bedwetting include moving to a new home, changing schools or the death of a loved one. The wetting usually resolves when the stress passes.
Medical Disorders
Less than 3% of children with bedwetting have a medical problem that underlies their wetting. Bedwetting has been reported with sleep apnea, sickle cell disease, urinary tract infections, diabetes and neurologic problems. In most cases, these problems cause bedwetting in children who have been previously dry at night.
Bedwetting is a common problem that can greatly affect children and families. It is neither the fault of the child nor the parent and is not usually caused by a serious medical disorder. By just being open about it with your child and managing the process with absorbent products, such as Goodnites® NightTime Underwear or Goodnites® Bed Mats, parents can help keep them dry and free from stress and embarrassment until their bodies work out the issue naturally in time.
Bedwetting is a common problem that can greatly affect children and families. It is neither the fault of the child nor the parent and is not usually caused by a serious medical disorder. By just being open about it with your child and managing the process with absorbent products, such as Goodnites® NightTime Underwear or Goodnites® Bed Mats, parents can help keep them dry and free from stress and embarrassment until their bodies work out the issue naturally in time.
Dr. Bennett is the author of Waking Up Dry: A Guide to Help Children Overcome Bedwetting and Max Archer, Kid Detective: The Case of the Wet Bed.
These articles are not a substitute for medical advice, consult your doctor as needed.
