Age and bladder control

👶 Newborns
The bladder of the newborn can contain 60-30 cc of urine, compared to 600-250 cc in children over the age of eight.

👶 Infants – up to one year
An infant up to one year of age urinates about 16-12 times in 24 hours automatically or as a reflexive action. The reflex mechanism in the brain is activated due to an increase in the pressure created inside the bladder.

This pressure is called “Intra-Bladder Pressure” (or Intravesical Pressure). This pressure activates the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Due to the pressure, the child relaxes the sphincter muscles of the bladder and releases urine involuntarily. In this action among infants, there is no involvement of the cognitive system of the brain.

👩‍🦱 Ages 1-2
Between the ages of one and two, the toddler develops a feeling, or rather a consciousness of feeling what a full bladder is, and this is due to the development of a sensory system in the bladder wall that transmits signals when the muscle fibers are stretched.

👩‍🦱 Age 3
At the age of three, the child is usually able to hold back for a short period of time by using the anus and sacrum area and the sphincter muscles of the anus and bladder. In this situation and at this age day control is effective and most children at the age of three no longer wet during waking hours.

👩‍🦱 Age 4
At the age of four, the child is able to urinate on request even in a situation where the bladder is not full, i.e., when the stimulation of the reflex arch is not present. Voluntary urination is due to the control of the diaphragm muscles in the abdominal wall and thereby causing an increase in intra-bladder pressure and the onset of urination.

When the child wants to hold back, he performs the opposite action. The child contracts the bladder sphincter muscles. The contraction causes the bladder walls to stretch and consequently to increase the volume of the bladder. Increasing the volume lowers the intra-bladder pressure and the child no longer feels the need to empty.

This act of restraint by contracting the sphincter muscle is done by cognitive control from the cerebral cortex. At this point, when cognitive control is already effective, most children also have nocturnal control.

🙋 Ages 6-7
At the age of six to seven years, children can completely empty on request, even when the bladder is almost empty. Normally, a school-age child empties the bladder four to six times a day.

>> Visit our FAQ section for more information about bedwetting treatment
>> To learn more about our plans and pricing click here