Bedwetting: When Will the Child Stop?

For most children, upon attainment of age five, control over the bladder is achieved.  For some children, however, the control is not perfected which may, oftentimes, lead to enuresis, also known as bedwetting.  For parents, a child's continued wetting of the bed is a frustration and may create discord within the family.   Understanding the development of the bladder, the causes of enuresis and methods for treating or preventing the condition, will improve the environment of the home with each passing morning. 

Enuresis is the medical term referring to the condition of bedwetting.  For children, bedwetting often is completely remedied when the child reaches age five as it is at that age that most children have full adult bladders and can sense the urge to urinate when the bladder is full.  Through child development, as early as the age of one, the child's bladder begins to enlarge.  By age four, the child should be able to voluntarily control bladder and bowel movements.  So, what if a child has continued to wet in the bed beyond age four?