- Knowledgebase: Information on Specific Illnesses
- Here you will find discussions of specific illnesses and their management.
- 36. My 4 yr old son still wets the bed. What to do? - Top
- Bladder control is a developmental skill and when this control occurs varies from child to child. Daytime control comes before nighttime control and boys are slower in this development than girls. Approximately 25% of children still do not have complete control at age 4 to 5 years. With all this in mind, your son is not abnormal for still having bedwetting and should not be pressured. I generally recommend that parents use positive reinforcement with praise when they do have dry nights. Late evening fluids and caffeine (a diuretic) should be reduced or eliminated and they should go to the bathroom before bed. Wearing a diaper at night does not give children permission to not have bladder control. The decision for wearing diapers is strictly a practical one to reduce laundry from the wet bed sheets.
I generally recommend age 5 years as a time to initiate evaluation of bedwetting and consider options of treatment, but if it is a major conflict for the family they should consult with their children physician sooner.
- Updated: March 22, 2001
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