Day wetting is used to describe when wetting occurs after the child has been toilet trained.
It is important to rule out a urinary tract infection as a cause for the day wetting, especially if the child goes to pass urine frequently. Voiding more than 8 times per day is termed frequency.
Children who have difficulty in “holding on” and getting to the toilet on time are considered to have urgency (or an overactive bladder).
Constipation is another condition that should be assessed, as a full bowel can press against the bladder and may cause urine to leak.
Other causes can include trapping of urine, which results in leakage a few moments after the child has been to the toilet to pass urine.
Vaginal entrapment of urine is most often treated by instructing the girl to sit with her thighs apart when she is on the toilet. Urine entrapment in boys may occur if urine becomes trapped within the foreskin.
Other causes of day wetting can include anatomical abnormalities. These can occur in the urinary tract or the nerves that supply these areas.
It is important for the child to be assessed by a health care professional with expertise in the assessment and treatment of bladder and bowel issues in children. Day wetting is rarely associated with emotional, behavioural, or psychological causes. The child is not able to control the day wetting and punishment will not help.