Also called: Also called: Enuresis, Potty training
Is your child ready to use a potty? The more important question may be, are you? Children are usually ready around ages 18-24 months. They often signal that they are ready by letting you know when their diapers need changing. You should be prepared to commit to three months of daily encouragement. Successful trips to the potty should be rewarded. Missteps shouldn't get as much attention. Training requires patience. If it is not successful, it may mean your child is not ready.
Many children wet the bed until they are 5 or even older. A child's bladder might be too small. Or the amount of urine produced overnight can be more than the bladder can hold. Some children sleep too deeply or take longer to learn bladder control. Children should not be punished for wetting the bed. They don't do it on purpose, and most outgrow it. Until then, bed-wetting alarms, bladder training and medicines might help.
- Toilet Teaching Your Child(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/toilet_teaching.html
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What I Need to Know about My Child's Bedwetting
(National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/bedwetting_ez/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/bedwetting_ez/index.htm
- Bed-Wetting(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/bed-wetting/DS00611/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Potty Training: How to Get the Job Done(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/potty-training/CC00060/METHOD=print
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Surviving Toilet Training(Children's Bureau) - http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/supporting/resources/toilettraining.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/supporting/resources/sobreviviendo.cfm
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Urinary Incontinence in Children(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/uichildren/
- Directions for Your Child When Using a Bed-Wetting Alarm(National Kidney Foundation) - http://www.kidney.org/patients/bw/BWalarm.cfm
- Medications to Treat Bed-Wetting(National Kidney Foundation) - http://www.kidney.org/patients/bw/BWmeds.cfm
- Products for Children with Enuresis and Daytime Urinary Incontinence(National Kidney Foundation) - http://www.kidney.org/patients/bw/BWproducts.cfm
- Encopresis (Soiling)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/encopresis.html
- Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis(National Kidney Foundation) - http://www.kidney.org/patients/bw/BWbedwetSecondary.cfm
- How to Explain Bed-Wetting to Your Child(National Kidney Foundation) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.kidney.org/patients/bw/BWkidneyboy.cfm
- Skin Rashes Due to Bed-Wetting(National Kidney Foundation) - http://www.kidney.org/patients/bw/BWrash.cfm
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Encopresis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Encopresis%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Enuresis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Enuresis%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Real world use of an Internet intervention for pediatric encopresis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18653440&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Continence assessment. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18500137&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Toilet training of healthy young toddlers: a randomized trial between... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18454042&tool=MedlinePlus
- Toilet Training -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=toilet+training[mh]+AND+(infant[mh]+OR+child[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+3+Years&tool=MedlinePlus
- Bedwetting -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=enuresis[majr]+AND+child[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Soiling in children -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=encopresis[mh]+AND+child[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+3+Years&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Academy of Pediatrics - http://www.aap.org/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
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National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/
- National Kidney Foundation - http://www.kidney.org/
- Bedwetting(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/bladder/enuresis.html
- Bedwetting: Glossary for Kids(National Kidney Foundation) - http://www.kidney.org/patients/bw/BWkidsglossary.cfm
- Questions Kids Ask(National Kidney Foundation) - http://newtech.kidney.org/patients/bw/BW_faq.cfm?id=kids
- Bedwetting (Nocturnal Enuresis)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/urinary/enuresis.html
- Adult Bed-Wetting: A Concern?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/adult-bed-wetting/AN00688/METHOD=print
- Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Toilet Training is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/