Kaya Drive: Understanding bedwetting

Bedwetting, also known as nighttime incontinence or nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination while asleep. After the age where potty training has been successful and staying dry throughout the night is expected.

Most children sleep through the night without ‘wet accidents’ and some wake up to use the bathroom at night if needed. There are however children who have the odd bedwetting occasion and not only is it embarrassing for the child but it can be equally frustrating as a parent.

On Wednesday, Kaya Drive with Sizwe Dhlomo posed the question, “At what age did you stop wetting the bed?”

While every child is different, experts stress that bedwetting is not a sign of toilet training gone bad. Often, it’s just a normal part of childhood development.

Children are still developing bladder control and as a rule of thumb, bedwetting before the age of 7 isn’t a concern.

Breaking down bedwetting

The first thing to remember when you have a child who wets the bed is patience. Reprimanding a child for having a wet accident isn’t going to help matters.

As much as bedwetting is a normal part of childhood development, it could be a sign of underlying medical or emotional problems such as:

Urinary tract infection
Diabetes
Sleep apnea
Neurological problems
Structural or anatomical abnormality
Emotional problems

Bedwetting isn’t something that occurs in children alone, with 1 to 2 out of 100 teenagers also experiencing nighttime incontinence. A popular baby diaper brand has a “dry nite” pyjama pants range for children and teenagers between the ages of 8 to 15 years for both boys and girls.

If however, you’re concerned about your child’s bedwetting, consult a doctor for options on how to cope or overcome it.

Also read: Alcohol and age: Why it takes longer to recover as you get old

Written by: Natasha

Bedwetting Kaya Drive with Sizwe Dhlomo