What causes daytime wetting?

What causes daytime wetting?

Daytime wetting can be caused by any of the following:

• The child ignores the urge to urinate. As a result, the bladder becomes too full, causing urine leakage.
• The child has an overactive (frequently squeezes) bladder and cannot get to the toilet in time.
• The child has an underactive bladder and does not have the urge to use the bathroom.
• The child may be suffering from dysfunctional elimination syndrome, in which the bladder muscles and nerves are not working together. The muscles may tighten, stopping the flow of urine when there is still urine in the bladder.
• Some neurologic and developmental conditions can cause poor bladder control.
• The child is suffering from constipation and the full bowel is pressing on the bladder.
• The child is suffering from a urinary tract infection.

Children are often mistakenly blamed for being lazy or seeking attention when they have daytime wetting episodes. However, this is not usually the case and other causes should be explored.