Virtually all bedwetting is caused by hidden constipation. Here, Dr. Hodges explains how it’s missed—and why typical treatments don’t solve the problem.

Dr. Hodges answers common questions about bedwetting, encopresis, constipation, Ex-Lax tapering, bladder meds, and when to push for an x-ray.

I know “fake news” is a cliché, but seriously, the kindergartners-in-diapers “trend” is bogus and tiresome to read about. Meanwhile, journalists are ignoring important stories pertaining to childhood toileting dysfunction.

Few topics spark more controversy than potty training, a developmental milestone that, in the age of social media, has become a competitive sport. Now the UK government has weighed in with a campaign asserting it’s “best” for children to ditch diapers between 18 and 30 months of age. The campaign, while well-meaning, spells bad news for kids and, ironically, good news for the diaper industry.

Children with encopresis, nighttime wetting, and/or daytime enuresis absolutely can overcome these conditions and the chronic constipation that is the root cause.

Over the last half-century, the psychiatry profession has done plenty of harm to children with enuresis (bedwetting and daytime wetting) by linking this condition to emotional problems or abuse.

Potty-training struggles at age 2 or 3 are a giant red flag for chronic constipation and should not be dismissed ("no worries, she'll outgrow it") or treated as a psychological issue.

Few conditions are as misunderstood and mismanaged as nocturnal enuresis, aka bedwetting. Parents are told their child will “outgrow it,” that bedwetting is a “normal part of childhood development” and doesn’t warrant treatment until age 7, 10, or older. Common explanations run the gamut: an underdeveloped bladder, deep sleep, hormone imbalance, a bladder that “hasn’t caught up with the brain,” emotional stress or anxiety. All those explanations are wrong.

How can you potty train to prevent constipation? What if your 17-year-old is still bedwetting? How do you wean your child off enemas without having accidents return?

My older child has struggled so much with enuresis and encopresis that I would do anything to avoid all that misery with my youngest. What advice do you have to potty training to prevent constipation?