Bedwetting
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What are the symptoms of bedwetting?
Most children who wet the bed at night don't have any other symptoms. But as your child gets older, bedwetting may make them distressed and anxious.

Almost 9 in 10 children who wet the bed only do so at night.1 If your child is also wetting themselves during the day, there is probably a more serious medical reason for their bedwetting.

If your child is older and wets the bed, they may:

  • Feel anxious and embarrassed about joining in certain activities, such as sleepovers2
  • Get bullied or teased by their brothers and sisters
  • Feel bad about themselves.
The work and stress of caring for a child who wets the bed can also make parents anxious.

You can take your child to your doctor if they are bedwetting. The doctor will:

  • Ask you some questions about your child's symptoms
  • Usually examine your child
  • Order a urine test to find out if there is some cause for your child's symptoms.
Sometimes your child may have more tests to check for rare bladder problems. Your child might have an ultrasound scan of their kidneys and urinary tract (the part of your body that carries the urine from your kidneys through your bladder and out of your body). But this is only done if your child is wetting themselves during the day or they haven't gotten better after trying different treatments.



Sources for the information on this page:
  1. Forsythe WI, Butler R. 50 years of enuretic alarms; a review of the literature. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1991; 64: 879-885.
  2. Glazener CM, Evans JH, Peto RE. Complex behavioural and educational interventions for nocturnal enuresis in children (Cochrane review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2007. Wiley, Chichester, UK.
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.