• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

About Bladder Control in Children

December 10, 2010 by ds_65371 Leave a Comment

While nearly all adults can control when and where they relieve themselves, developing this bladder control proves difficult for many children. If your child struggles to control his urination, an assortment of factors could be to blame. Deal with this potentially embarrassing issue head on by considering the potential reasons behind this potty-related disorder and assisting your child in overcoming this bathroom battle.

Childhood Bladder Functioning

As an adult, the process of filling and emptying your bladder is systematic and controllable. For children, this is not the case. Before potty training, a baby’s bladder functions automatically. Each time his tiny bladder reaches a certain fullness level, it empties. As the child ages, he develops the ability to sense when his bladder is reaching its limits and control the release of the fluid that it houses.

Prevalence of Bladder Control Difficulties

Incontinence in children is hardly a rare occurrence. The younger a child is, the most likely he is to suffer from bladder control difficulties. As the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse reports, 10 percent of 5-year-olds suffer from bladder control issues. This percentage drops significantly to 5 percent by the age of 10 and down to an almost nonexistent 1 percent by the age of 18.

Bed Wetting

Bed wetting is the most common childhood bladder control challenge. Many children struggle to control nighttime urination, even after they have mastered daytime bladder control. This difficulty can be due to an assortment of factors, including overproduction of urine at night, deep sleep patterns that prevent the child from recognizing the signs of a full bladder and even, in some instances, anxiety. The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse reports that there seems to be a hereditary link, as many children of childhood bed wetters become bed wetters themselves.

Overactive Bladder

For some children, the need to go to the bathroom seems almost constant. This is due to a condition called overactive bladder. Some children suffer from overactive bladder because the muscles surrounding their urethras do not function properly. Others experience this condition as the result of a urinary tract infection. Still others can pin the cause of this condition on pollakiuria, a condition that impacts the bladder and is believed to be caused by stress, reports WebMD.

Parents Role in Promoting Bladder Control

Many parents of children who struggle with bladder control find the battle against incontinence difficult to wage. While you certainly want to ensure that your child develops the bladder control necessary to make it to the bathroom in time, you do not want to punish a child who lacks this control, as this failure is often due to medical conditions outside of your child’s control. If your child is not the bladder control wiz-kid you wish she were, focus on celebrating her successes. Also, if bladder control continues to be an issue, speak to her pediatrician and ensure that she gets the medical attention she needs for this potentially serious problem.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ds_65371

Erin Schreiner is a freelance writer and teacher who holds a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University. She has been actively freelancing since 2008. Schreiner previously worked for a London-based freelance firm. Her work appears on eHow, Trails.com and RedEnvelope. She currently teaches writing to middle school students in Ohio and works on her writing craft regularly.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

10 Things Nobody Will Tell You About Having A Baby

After reading "20 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Had Kids," I … [Read More...] about 10 Things Nobody Will Tell You About Having A Baby

Must Have

ToniBox

Meet Toniebox – A Loveable Storytime Friend For Your Kids

If you are looking for something to occupy your children … [Read More...] about Meet Toniebox – A Loveable Storytime Friend For Your Kids

Did you know?

Different Kinds of Textures for Children

Different Kinds of Textures for Children

Negative Effects of Single Parent Homes

The Negative Effects of Single Parent Homes on Children

How to Break Your Water at Home When Pregnant

How to Break Your Water at Home When Pregnant

abdominal discomfort during first trimester of pregnancy

Abdominal Discomfort During First Trimester of Pregnancy

What Can I Use as an Egg Substitute When Baking Corn Bread

What Can I Use as an Egg Substitute When Baking Corn Bread?

fade hair color quickly

How to Fade Hair Color Quickly

Causes of Lethargy in Toddlers

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2021 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.