By about what age have most organ systems matured enough to provide bowel and bladder control?

By about what age have most organ systems matured enough to provide bowel and bladder control?

• A. By age 3
• B. By age 5
• C. By age 4
• D. By age 2

Answer: (A)

Toilet control relies on the maturation of both the nervous system and the muscles that regulate the bladder and bowels, plus the child’s ability to recognize the urge and act on it. By about age 3, these systems have typically developed enough to support daytime bowel and bladder control. The bladder can store urine long enough for a child to reach a toilet, the external sphincters coordinate for voluntary release, and the child can communicate the need to go and follow simple instructions. Nighttime dryness usually trails this milestone and often improves several years later, around ages 5 to 7. So, three years is the most consistent general point at which most organ systems support bowel and bladder control during the day.

Toilet control relies on the maturation of both the nervous system and the muscles that regulate the bladder and bowels, plus the child’s ability to recognize the urge and act on it. By about age 3, these systems have typically developed enough to support daytime bowel and bladder control. The bladder can store urine long enough for a child to reach a toilet, the external sphincters coordinate for voluntary release, and the child can communicate the need to go and follow simple instructions. Nighttime dryness usually trails this milestone and often improves several years later, around ages 5 to 7. So, three years is the most consistent general point at which most organ systems support bowel and bladder control during the day.