If you have a kid who wets the bed, you may be wondering if theres an underlying psychological issue. Why do kids wet the bed? Is it because they have some hidden trauma affecting their bladder control? Heres what you should know about bed-wetting and how to support a child who cant seem to wake up dry.

Its very common for kids to pee in their beds at night. According to Mayo Clinic, Bed-wetting also called nighttime incontinence or nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which staying dry at night can be reasonably expected. Dont be alarmed. In fact, at any given time, about 5 million children (in the US alone) have problems with bed-wetting. Not surprisingly, there are many potential reasons some kids cant stay dry overnight.

Here are some possible factors:

At age five, approximately 15% of kids tend to wet the bed according to the Nationwide Childrens Organization. Boys are two times more likely to have bed-wetting problems than girls. As kids grow older, most have fewer instances of waking up wet. By the time they reach age 14, only 1-2% of kids still struggle with nighttime bladder control.

Waking up wet can be traumatic for any kid, so resist the urge to scold your little one for wetting the bed again. They arent doing it on purpose and need your support and understanding. Reassure them that they havent done anything wrong and help them understand that many children wake up wet in the night. Soothe them instead of punishing them and remind yourself that their body may not yet have the physical maturity required to remain dry through the night.

You can also try the following to support your child through this challenging stage of life. You can take many steps to help them, depending on the underlying issue. If youre looking at their water intake or drinking habits, consider:

If your childs bedwetting is suspected to be tied to their behavior, you can:

If youre exhausted by constantly waking in the night and cleaning up wet bedding, take comfort in knowing most kids grow out of this behavior by the time they reach age seven. If your child doesnt grow out of it by then, or shows other symptoms of an underlying problem, it may be time to talk to your doctor.

The American Family Physician Organization says administering bed-wetting medication from your pediatrician should be your last resort, Medicines arent a cure for bed-wetting. The medicines work in two ways. One kind of medicine helps the bladder hold more urine, and the other kind helps the kidneys make less urine. The medicines may have side effects.

Take your child to the pediatrician if you notice that her nighttime urinating is accompanied by other behaviors or problems, such as pain while peeing, sudden bed-wetting after months of staying dry, swelling in the ankles and feet or snoring loudly at night. There may be a treatable medical condition at the root of the cause.

Wetting the bed is something many kids and parents go through. The key is to face the challenge together, with plenty of support, encouragement, and patience until the phase passes.

Want to know more about when kids stop wetting the bed?

Bed-wetting in kids: Why it happens and what to doBedwetting: 5 Common Reasons Why Children Wet the BedWhy Does My Child Wet the Bed?Bed-wetting

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Why Do Kids Wet the Bed? What Parents Need to Know - Parentology

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