Ask Dr Cathrine
Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett is an experienced Child Development expert. As a mother of three young children, understanding children’s development and promoting positive approaches to parenting has become both a passion and a full-time career. You have the opportunity to ask your questions now.
These questions might be similar to 'Lifting children while asleep to go to the toilet.'
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My son has been a victim of abuse by a younger child (11). Myself and his carers believe this may be the cause of bed wetting for him.
I’m very sorry to hear that your son has been the victim of abuse this must be very upsetting for you. Abuse is a known cause of secondary nocturna...
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My son has a developmental delay. He has good bladder/ bowel control, but won't let it out when sitting on toilet/ potty. The older he gets the harder it seems to be.
Firstly let me apologies for the delay in getting back to you we have had an overwhelming response to the “ask the expert” feature and I have been ...
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Four year old having issues with toilet training
Toilet training can be a little trickier for some children and while one child may get the hang of it in as little as a week, for others it takes a...
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Are DryNites more absorbent than regular nappies?
DryNites and Huggies nappies have not been compared on levels of absorbency as they are designed for and marketed to different age groups. Huggies ...
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Nine year old son wets at home, normally while watching tv or playing outside. He always wets his bed. What steps should I take?
It is not uncommon for parents to respond to bedwetting by either punishing their child or ignoring the problem with the hope that it will go away....
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My daughter is still wetting her pants. She will be 3 next month. What should I do? Is this normal?
As you’ve already found out, each child is different when it comes to toilet training. While one child may pick it up in a matter of weeks, others ...
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my daughter is 3.3yrs old and i want to get her off nappies at night and while she naps during the day- how do I go about it?
I completely understand your desire to help your child achieve nighttime dryness before the birth of your second child. Unfortunately while childre...
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Is there any skills I could use to help my 4 & 6 to stop wetting the bed of a night?
Given the strong family history it is quite common for more than one child in the family to experience bedwetting. Perhaps either you or your husba...
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how can i get my child to stop wetting the bed?
There are a number of treatments available to help children attain nighttime dryness – the suitability of these depends on each individual so it is...
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My 3yo daughter will be dry most of the time, and then will wet the bed 2 to 3 nights in a row. How long do you think this may go on for?
firstly, let me apologise for the delay in getting back to you I have had an overwhelming number of questions to answer over the past two weeks. Wh...
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My daughter occasionally wets the bed at night, but the main problem is she has a really bad habit of "holding on" and then has accident(s). What can we do?
firstly, let me say that she is still very young so I wouldn’t be concerned about the occasional wet bed – this is something that will come to an e...
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3 year old goes to the toilet before bed, but still wets the bed
It is perfectly normal for your 3-year-old daughter to be wetting at night. In fact many professionals do not even consider bedwetting to be an iss...
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My 3 year old is not telling us when she wets her bed and pants
Gaining control over your bladder is a gradual process – typically children gain control during the day first then gradually achieve nighttime cont...
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Need some advice for my 6 year old daughter.
Unfortunately there seems to be no quick fixes or simple solutions when it comes to bedwetting with the most common resolution being time. While un...
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My daughter who is almost 6 and has just got through encopresis
Unfortunately there seems to be no quick fixes or simple solutions when it comes to bedwetting with the most common resolution being time. While un...
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My daughter is 6 next month and her nappy is still soaked in the morning.
Developing bladder control can take a little longer for some children with about 15% of children still wetting the bed by the time they start schoo...
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After being toilet trained, my four year old has been wetting the bed for a year
It is perfectly normal for your daughter to be wetting the bed at age 4. While it is true that some children do achieve nighttime dryness within a ...
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My 4 year old son doesn't wet when wearing DryNites, only when wearing undies. How do I train him?
The reduction in the number of times children wet the bed is a very good indication that they are well on their way to achieving nighttime continen...
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7 year old boy wets the bed every night
Children wet the bed for a number of reasons, some do so because they produce double the amount of urine overnight, others do so as they are unable...
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Help, five year old likes to wet his bed because its warm!
It is completely normal for parents to feel tense or frustrated and at a loss when it comes to dealing with bedwetting – you are not alone! It help...
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5 year old still wets bed, even having peed before bed
there are lots of other mothers out there asking the very same question. Many of us feel that once our child has achieved daytime control nighttime...
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Both my children are bedwetters. Is it because my life is based around sports and late night trainings and my kids are with me at all times. Could that be the problem.?
It is not unusual for bedwetting to run in families with studies showing an underlying genetic link. There is still a great deal of debate surround...
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5 year old daughter is on and off with wet and dry nights
It is not unusual for your daughter to be wetting the bed at age 5 with about 15% of children still doing so by the time they start school. Typical...
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Son is now 9 and still wetting the bed. Have tried diaries and limiting drinks. Do you suggest an alarm?
lots of patience and understanding are needed in the management of bedwetting and that’s not just for your son but for you too! A small bladder cap...
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5 year old son is such a deep sleeper, he doesn't wake up
The first thing to keep in mind is that bedwetting is quite common among 5-year-old children with about 10-15% waking up wet at least once a week o...
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Are we creating bad habits with our 5 year old boy?
waking your son at night to take them to the toilet may help in reducing the number of wet beds, however this should only be done if it does not re...
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Will my 6 year old ever stop wetting his pants at night?
bedwetting is much more common than you think. About 10% of children wet the bed at age 6 and most of these are boys. As with many other areas of d...
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Should my son learn the hard way about wetting the bed and not wearing his drynites?
there is some debate surrounding the use of rewards for achieving nighttime dryness. One of the main reasons a reward system doesn't work is that t...
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Should I wake my son to go to the toilet at night?
Lifting or waking children is generally not recommended as it results in broken sleep and while it may lead to a dry bed in the morning it will not...
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7yr old son wets at night and getting worse
bedwetting can be a source of great embarrassment and if allowed to can significantly interfere with your son’s social life. It is not unusual for ...
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Should my son learn the hard way about wetting the bed and not wearing his drynites?
there is some debate surrounding the use of rewards for achieving nighttime dryness. One of the main reasons a reward system doesn’t work is that t...
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4 1/2 yo girl still wets bed - can you suggest any strategies?
firstly let me reassure you that this is perfectly normal behaviour, with at least 1 in 5 children age between 4 and 5 still wetting the bed on a r...
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I have a 7yo daughter who still wets her bed. Do you have any suggestions?
it is not unusual for your daughter to be wetting the bed at night – with about 10% of 7-year-old children continuing to do so. Most children her a...
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My daughter is nearly 6yo. How do we increase bladder function so it triggers the brain? Do you have any other ideas?
Conditioning alarms seem to be the best option in treating bedwetting in children with about 75% experiencing permanent dryness after their use. Th...
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my daughter is 7 and still wets the bed. I have tried stopping drinks before bed- what else can I do?
firstly, let me apologise for the delay in getting back to you I have had an overwhelming number of questions to answer over the past two weeks. Ch...
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3 year old was waking up to go to toilet, but for two months has now wet the bed
It is perfectly normal for a 3-year-old to be still wetting the bed at night – as children move toward achieving nighttime continence they often ex...
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my daughter is 7 and still wets the bed. I have tried stopping drinks before bed- what else can I do?
Feelings of helplessness and frustration are common among parents with children who wet the bed – you are not alone! Given her age I would recommen...
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How do you teach your child to hold it until they wake up?
Unfortunately – unlike toilet training, nighttime continence is not something that can be taught. While you may be able to reduce the number of wet...
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My son is 4.5 and still bed wet at night time sometimes. We use the pull-ups at night time. Up until last week, most mornings he woke up dry. But this week, the pull up is completely full so the bed gets wet as well. I am not sure what could be the rea
It is quite common for 4-year-old boys to wet the bed and if managed correctly will have no lasting impact on their self-esteem or wellbeing. As...
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my daughter has started to wet the bed
Hi Erin - there are a number of causes of bedwetting, and while urinary tract infections may contribute to a small number of cases, other possible ...
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Is waking the child during the night ok?
Waking or lifting a child to go to the toilet certainly seems like a good way to reduce the number of wet beds, it does not however help train th...
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MY 4 YEAR OLD WETS THE BED WHAT DO I DO
Hi Jennifer, waking or lifting children to the toilet during the night is typically seen as a practical approach to managing children's bedwetting ...
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I lift my son to the toilet each night, probably 2hrs after putting him to bed and he does a pee, should I be doing this?
Hi Mel, while waking or lifting a child to go to the toilet might seem like a good way to reduce the number of wet beds, it does not help train the...
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I don't understand the comment in the recent email about not lifting children when asleep to take them to the toilet helps to develop a healthy bladder. What is it about lifting them?
Once upon a time parents used to be encouraged to carry their child to the toilet during the night to help avoid a wet bed. While waking or lifting...