My 5-year-old son was doing so well during the days and just having accidents at night, but just recently he has been wetting his pants during the day also, without warning. He does not even tell us that he has to go so we can try to get to a washroom. I have asked the doctor and all he said was that it is a stage that he will go through and that all kids do. However, my 4-year-old daughter has been dry night and day for almost three years now. Do you have any suggestions for what I can do?
Answer
Your doctor may be correct: About 15 percent of children with daytime wetting will resolve the wetting each year. Unfortunately, daytime wetting in a school age child is very traumatic.
It sounds like your son may have an overactive bladder, which is why he's having wetting both day and night. Often the daytime wetting can be treated, and if it is resolved, the nighttime wetting goes away as well. You may want to consider evaluation by a pediatric urologist for treatment of his daytime wetting at this age.
Christopher Cooper
Director of Pediatric Urology Children's Hospital of Iowa
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