"Will the bedwetting ever stop?"
Wondering how to stop your child bedwetting? You’re not alone! We've definitely wondered at what age bedwetting stops before and understand how frustrating it is to remake the bed or wake children up in the middle of the night to help them get to the bathroom in time.
Between 5 to 7 million children in the US wet the bed. Bedwetting happens when children who are old enough to control their bladders pee the bed while they’re asleep.
Some children take longer to potty train than others, and some take longer to grow out of bedwetting. Either way, it can be worrisome if your child is still wetting the bed past the age you expected it to stop. Surely you’re due for a break soon, right?
Every child is different, but here are some common ages that bedwetting stops or slows down, and we’ve shared a few tips for managing it until then.
Children 4 & Under
Typically, a child is potty-trained between ages 2 and 4. But, before the age of 4, most children don’t yet have full control of their bladders.
So even if your child is mostly potty trained, they may still wet their clothes during the day or their bed at night. This is common and not normally a sign of any pressing medical issues.
Children Aged 5 to 7
This is a definitive time for children's bladder development. Typically, children are potty trained by age 5, but that doesn't mean this is the age that bedwetting stops entirely.
Experts estimate that between 15 and 20% of children will wet the bed occasionally between the ages of 5 to 7. In other words, if your child is 7 or under, it's common for them to wet the bed from time to time.
To break this down even more, around 20% of children aged 5 will experience bedwetting, and 5 to 10% of 7-year-olds will experience it.
However, if your child is 7 or older and they're wetting the bed two to three times a week for at least 3 months, or if they had been previously dry for at least 6 months and then suddenly developed bedwetting again, you should speak to their doctor about causes and solutions.
Children Aged 8 to 12 & Older
If your child is 8 and up, and they’re still wetting the bed, you might be at your wit’s end and questioning at what age does bedwetting stop? We get it.
By this age, most children will have stopped wetting the bed without any treatment. But, your child might be one of the 6 to 8% of 8-year-olds that continue to wet the bed at night.
If that’s the case, make sure you take them to their doctor. There might be some underlying issues – usually stress-related or medical – that your doctor can help diagnose and treat.
As children get older, bedwetting tapers off so that by ages 10 and up, only around 2% of children will still wet the bed. This means that there’s a good chance your child will stop wetting the bed by the time they’re 10! By the late teens, the estimated rate of bedwetting is between 1% and 3%.
There are a lot of strategies that you can try as you wait for your child to overcome bedwetting.
So, When Does Bedwetting Stop?
Every child is different and every year, the number of children who wet the bed declines without medical treatment. But, it’s still important to bring your child to their doctor if they’re older than 7 and wetting the bed frequently.
We also want to point out that bedwetting is often genetic, so if either parent wet the bed past age 5, there's a 40% chance your child will inherit this trait as well. Thanks, DNA!
It's also worth mentioning, bedwetting is 2 to 3 times more common in boys than in girls.
A lot of the time, children who wet the bed are sound sleepers, in which case it can be helpful to set an alarm to wake them once during the night to relieve their bladder. Or, if you prefer not to disturb them while they're sleeping, use a bedwetting mat to absorb the urine and keep them and their bed dry.
We know it can be hard to keep your cool while handling bedwetting - that's why there's PeapodMats!