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?