BLADDER DEVELOPMENT

Babies’ bladders are unstable and, as a result, empty frequently with residual urine.

• New born babies’ bladders hold about 30mls urine, increasing by 30mls each year.
• Between a child’s second and third year, their bladders mature, developing a mature filling and emptying cycle.

 

A child’s average bladder capacity can be worked out using this equation: (age + 1) x 30 = average voided volume. Therefore the bladder capacity for a three year-old is: (3 + 1) x 30 = 120mls.

• Urine is produced from the kidneys at around 60mls per hour. Therefore a three-year-old should be able to stay dry for up to two hours.
• The ability to ‘hold on’ increases with age.
• The expected number of voids per day is between six and eight.

 

My daughter is still occasionally wetting the bed at night, she is 5 years old. Is this normal?

Many children are still wetting the bed at this age. Some children take longer than others to achieve dry nights, but this can all be within normal development.

The school nurse can offer help and advice, please see our contact details to make an appointment at one of our health and wellbeing clinics if you are worried. For more information access www.eric.org.uk