Definition of Urination - bed wetting:

Bed wetting is nighttime urinary incontinence in children over age 5 or 6.

Considerations:

Bed wetting is divided into two categories. Primary nocturnal (nighttime) urinary incontinence is when a child has never achieved full bladder control (never been fully toilet trained). Secondary nocturnal urinary incontinence is when a child starts bed wetting again after having achieved bladder control.

Most children who haven't achieved bladder control have at least one parent or first degree relative who also had a problem with bed wetting. Knowing this often helps the child feel less stressed about the situation.

Roughly 20% of children still wet their beds at age 5, only 5% do so by age 10, and 2% by age 15. Only 1 out of 100 children who wet their bed continues to have a problem in adulthood.

Common Causes:

Primary bed wetting is usually simply due to a delay in the maturation of the part of the nervous system that controls bladder function. Secondary bed wetting may be due to either psychological problems or medical disorders, such as a urinary tract infection, urinary tract abnormalities, or diabetes.