728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Bedwetting › Wetting the Bed

Wetting the Bed

More Common Than You Might Think

By Laura Lyster-Mensh and Lyn Mettler

Pages:  1  2  3  

Past the age of 6, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) estimates that more than five million children experience bedwetting. And by the time they are in preschool, half will still wet their beds, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics.

Kathy*, a mother in Utah, was surprised to find out how many students in her son's preschool class were still wearing absorbent products at night. One day while several moms were helping out in the class, the kids were asked what they wanted to give their moms for Mother's Day, and her son replied, "Dry GoodNites® [Underpants]!" Later, several of the moms expressed to Kathy that their kids were in absorbent products as well.

"I was shocked that so many preschoolers were still in GoodNites® [Underpants], and it made me feel much better about my own son's wetting at night," says Kathy. "I then talked to my pediatrician, and she said it was totally common for preschoolers to be in disposable underpants at night, and we wouldn't worry about it at all until my son was over 7." And that's exactly the recommendation of the NKF: They suggest seeing a doctor if bedwetting continues by the age of 6 or 7.

As children get older the rates of bedwetting decrease, but even in middle school, kids are still wetting the bed. Would you be surprised to know that one or more of the kids in your child's sixth grade class are still experiencing bedwetting?

By the time the teen years roll around, however, the numbers have dropped dramatically – but still about 1 to 2 percent of 15-year-olds are dealing with wet beds, according to the NKF.


Pages:  1  2  3  


Want to see more?