Bed-Wetting Symptoms
Bed-wetting refers to involuntary urination during sleep in children over the age of 5. Bed-wetting may occur at any point during the night but usually occurs during the first few hours of sleep.
Occasional bed-wetting for children over the age of 5 is not uncommon but if it happens more often than 2-3 times per month, parents should consult their pediatrician.
Most people (80%) who wet their beds, wet only at night. They tend to have no other bed-wetting symptoms other than wetting the bed at night.
Other bed-wetting symptoms could suggest psychological causes or problems with the nervous system or kidneys and should alert the family or health care provider that this may be more than routine bed-wetting.
- Frequency, urgency, or burning on urination
- Straining, dribbling, or other unusual symptoms with urination
- Wetting during the day
- Cloudy or pinkish urine, or blood stains on underpants or pajamas
- Constipation
- Soiling, being unable to control bowel movements (fecal incontinence or encopresis)
Frequency of urination is different for children than for adults.
- "Frequency" as a symptom of bed-wetting should be judged in terms of what is normal for that particular child.
- While many adults urinate only 3 or 4 times a day, children urinate much more frequently, in some cases as often as 10-12 times each day.
