Understanding Childhood Urinary Incontinence: Causes & When to Worry

Urinary incontinency, or accidental loss of urine, in preschoolers is normal until the age of 5, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearing House or NIDDK. There are many reasons for a child to have urinary incontinence.

Normal for Preschoolers

• A preschooler is usually considered between the ages of 3 and 5. It is normal for children this age to still have "accidents" where they wet their pants during the day or wet their bed at night. Parents should be patient when a preschooler has an episode of urinary incontinence.

Bladder Control

• Urine is stored in the bladder, and is controlled by nerves, muscles and messages from the brain. A baby's bladder empties automatically when they get full, the nerves and muscles do not have any control yet. As a child gets older, he gains more control over these mechanisms.

Hormones

• Night-time urinary incontinence could be caused by a low amount of the hormone ADH that slows down the production of urine, according to the NIDDK. If the bladder is small or fills up too quickly your child could wet the bed.

Anxiety

• Anxiety is a common cause of urinary incontinence in preschoolers, according to the NIDDK. The child might become frightened or anxious and lose control of their bladder.

Distractions

• A child may have urinary incontinence episodes when they do not want to stop activities to relieve themselves. Preschoolers will usually continue playing.

Structural Abnormality

• Very rarely is urinary incontinence due to a structural abnormality such as a blocked urethra.