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...
Many parents of children who wet the bed comment how deeply their child sleeps - while this plays a role in children’s bedwetting it is not a prima...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you I have had a large volume of questions to answer over the past two weeks. ...
unfortunately not all children outgrow bedwetting – with some requiring more than just the basic measures we can implement at home. If you are conc...
This must be very distressing for your daughter and your family. As I am not a surgeon I am unable to comment on the efficacy of surgical intervent...
first and foremost let me reassure you that what is happening is perfectly normal, in fact about 17% of 5-year-olds wet the bed at least twice a we...
Firstly, I would recommend you make an appointment with your doctor just to rule out any physical cause to his bedwetting and to discuss treatment ...
Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to make a child wake-up on their own, this is why we do not recommend that parents lift or wake their chil...
I generally recommend that if children experience frequent accidents during the day after age 5 or they start wetting the bed again after a period ...
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...
a lots of patience and understanding are needed in the management of bedwetting and thatâs not just for your son but for you too! A small bladder...
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...
Medications are typically used for short-term needs like sleepovers and school camps and don’t continue to be effective once you stop taking the me...
A popular method for treating bedwetting is the use of a conditioning alarm – this currently has the best success rate with approximately 75% of ch...
Firstly, let me reassure you that what is happening is perfectly normal – both in terms of her bedwetting as well as her occasional daytime acciden...
Conditioning alarms seem to be the best option in treating bedwetting in children with about 75% experiencing permanent dryness after their use. Th...
When children experience daytime incontinence after 4 years of age you need to consult with a GP to check if there is an underlying medical conditi...
Hi Susan - bladder training is typically recommended for children who have a small bladder capacity – this is often evidenced by children bedwettin...
Hi Julia – bladder-stretching exercises are fine so long as it does not lead to daytime accidents. There are a number of causes of children’s bedw...
Hi Janette - It was once believed that ‘holding on’ was important for increasing bladder capacity, however practitioners no longer recommend holdin...
While children can be taught to control their bladder during the day, nighttime continence is a completely different story. The first and most impo...
Unlike toilet training where readiness is linked to key language, cognitive and social indicators, nighttime continence is less well understood. Tw...
Hi Julie – one of the best indicators that a child is moving toward achieving nighttime continence is a reduction in the number of times he wakes-u...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Unfortunately – unlike toilet training, nighttime continence is not something that can be taught. While you may be able to reduce the number of wet...
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 ...
DryNites and Huggies nappies have not been compared on levels of absorbency as they are designed for and marketed to different age groups. Huggies ...
It is quite common for children to experience the occasional accident during the day for a couple of years after being toilet trained. Young childr...
Hi Aly – nighttime wetting is considered to be completely normal until the age of 7 years – particularly when it comes to boys. Most parents and c...
Hi Sonya – the first thing to check is that they are fitting correctly as improper fit can contribute to leakage. From personal experience I found...
Dear Parent, Unfortunately this is really beyond my area of expertise. If this behaviour continues, I would strongly recommend that you speak with...
Hi Naomi, nappies with tabs can certainly be more easily removed by children than absorbent pants. You could try him in DryNItes at night. If you...
Hi Kate, firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding to your question. The first thing to check is that his nappy is fitting correctly as imp...
Hi Melanie, firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding to your question. The first thing to check is that his nappy is fitting correctly as ...
Hi C.M. - The first thing you need to do is check that her nappy is fitting correctly as improper fit can contribute to leakage. From personal ex...
Supporting children through the bedwetting process can be very challenging, especially when you are trying to negotiate two sets of rules. While n...
the decision to pursue treatment is really up to you and your son. About 15% of 8-year-old children who wet the bed will achieve nighttime continen...
doctors typically recommend holding off on treatment until children turn 7 years of age due to the high spontaneous cure rate up until then. Also t...
the most important thing to understand is that this is rarely a medical or psychological problem - many children continue to wet the bed at night f...
This is fairly typical – the majority of children who wet the bed at night are unaware it is happening and will continue sleeping even when wet. On...
When bedwetting goes on for a number of years it is perfectly normal for parents to feel helpless and overwhelmed. Children typically wet the bed a...
Bedwetting has been found to run in families so it is not unusual to find a number of siblings in the same household wetting the bed. I’m sure if y...
Most children who wet the bed tend to do so in the first couple of hours after they have gone to sleep at night, when they are in a very deep sleep...
dealing with constant wet sheets can be incredibly frustrating – I find just keeping up with the standard daily load is difficult enough let alone ...
Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you I have had a large volume of questions to answer over the past two weeks. Firstly, ...
Even though it is the child who wets the bed, I often find it’s the parents who need the most support. Coping with bedwetting can be overwhelming f...
it can be extremely frustrating when a bedwetting treatment does not seem to work for your child. While the conditioning alarms currently have the ...
you would find most children your daughter’s age would still be wetting the bed at night with many professionals not even viewing nighttime wetting...
Many parents of children who wet the bed have commented to me on how deeply their child sleeps and while it definitely plays a role in bedwetting i...
many parents of children who wet the bed have commented on how deeply their child sleeps. Despite this a number of controlled studies have shown th...
it is not unusual for children to be wetting the bed at age 5 with about 15% of children still doing so by the time they start school. Children dev...
One possible cause of children’s bedwetting is thought to be a deep sleeping pattern. In these instances children often sleep so deeply that they a...
Hi Britney – nice to hear from you again! Leakage often results from improper fit, which can occur if your DryNites are too small. Check that the...
Hi Tania, if you haven’t done so already I would recommend that you make an appointment to see your GP. While it is not unusual for children you...
Hi Karolyn, this must be incredibly distressing for you all. Certainly when it comes to the more traditional measures, conditioning alarms continue...
Hi Jimmy, while it is certainly true that some children outgrow bedwetting, this is not the case for everyone. The good news is that there are a n...
Hi Michelle, you do not mention in your question how long your son had been dry at night for. If it has been for a period of 6 months or more then...
Hi S.B – your daughter is suffering from secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE) a term used to describe the condition where a child has maintained prop...
Hi M.J., it doesn’t sound like your son has a problem with bedwetting given he is able to wake-up in response to a full-bladder and has a dry nappy...
This must be incredibly distressing for you all. Certainly when it comes to the more traditional measures, conditioning alarms continue to experien...
Hi Kathleen - It is quite common for parents of children who wet the bed to comment on how heavy a sleeper their child is. Children who are particu...
Hi Anna, while it is perfectly normal for 5-year-old children to be still wetting the bed at night, given she had been dry for an extended period i...
This is certainly a challenging situation. Alarms are generally the most effective means of treating bedwetting, although it is true that they do ...
Hi Kath – one of the common misconceptions surrounding bedwetting is that children somehow have control over the situation and if presented with ad...
Hi Jodie – one of the most frustrating things for parents of children who wet the bed is that we don’t always understand why it is happening. W...
While children have conscious control over their bladder during the day this is not necessarily the case at nighttime which is why many children co...
Hi Faith – when bedwetting continues into the teenage years it can begin to impact on a child’s self-esteem and social relationships. One of the m...
Hi Kerry – divorce can be incredibly stressful for all involved, especially young children. It is not uncommon for children to experience toiletin...
Hi Christine, as frustrating as this behaviour may be please be reassured that it is perfectly normal and has very little to do with anything you o...
Hi Hilary, the time between achieving daytime continence and nighttime control is different for every child. While some achieve this in a matter o...
Hi Renay, it can be incredibly frustrating when your child continues to wet at night despite your best efforts to help them stop; please be reassur...
Hi Kelly, when bedwetting starts to impact on a child’s self-esteem then it is time to think about treatment regardless of how old they are! Fir...
Hi Jack – first let me say what a wonderful thing you are doing. I have a number of colleagues who foster children and I understand how challe...
It is very common for children as they move toward achieving permanent nighttime continence to oscillate between periods of dryness and times when ...
It is not uncommon for children your son’s age to still be wetting the bed on a regular basis; bedwetting is far more common among boys than gi...
Waking or lifting children to the toilet during the night is typically seen as a practical approach to managing children’s bedwetting in the short-...
Hi Toni – the time it takes between achieving daytime continence and being dry at night is quite variable, some children are lucky to do this in ...
About six percent of children continue to wet the bed at night by age 7 years – so you are not alone! While many children do outgrow the problem,...
Hi Simone - The incidence of bedwetting in children with ADHD is about two to three times higher than for other children. Children with ADHD are al...
Hi Danielle, it can be very frustrating when treatments do not result in the desired outcome! Nasal sprays are generally seen as a form of manageme...
It’s great that you’ve been able to identify a pattern to your daughter’s nighttime wetting. From what you have written it appears that you daught...
Hi Jacqueline, it is not particularly unusual for boys your son’s age to be still wetting the bed at night on a regular basis. However, given th...
Hi Vanessa (and Jye) – I am so sorry to hear that your son was made to feel responsible for his bedwetting. As I am sure you are fully aware, chil...
Hi Steven – as embarrassing as this may seem you are not alone. There are thousands of people, including teenagers and adults, who wet the bed at ...
Hi Christine – managing children’s bedwetting can be incredibly challenging and this is partly due to the fact that we do not always know what is c...
Hi Edmund, while parents used to be encouraged to wake their child throughout the night to help avoid a wet bed, this is no longer recommended as...
Your best move is to contact the Continence Association of Australia (1800 330 066) who will be able to recommend a medical professional in your ar...
Hi M. B. – given your daughter’s desire to move toward greater independence it would certainly be worthwhile making an appointment for her to see y...
Hi Helen – children generally become dry at night when their body has matured to the point where it can store the amount of urine their kidneys p...
Hi Antoinette, firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding … The most successful form of bedwetting treatment is the conditioning or bedwet...
Hi M.O – due to the underlying genetic cause, it is not unusual to find a number of children in the one family who wet the bed at night. Knowing t...
Hi Michelle, your son’s wetting would be considered secondary nocturnal enuresis, which describes the condition where a child returns to nightt...
It can be incredibly upsetting for children when they start wetting the bed again after being dry for an extended period. Firstly, you need to r...
Hi Dominic, while it is certainly possible that your son will outgrow bedwetting on his own, the chances of children doing this reduce, as they get...
Hi Jane – as frustrating as this is, it really is a very encouraging sign that your son is moving toward achieving nighttime continence. While som...
It is perfectly normal for a 5-year-old boy to be still wetting at night, with about 1 in 5 children continuing to do so at age 6. While the maj...
Bedwetting does run in families so it is not unusual to find a number of children in the one family experiencing nighttime wetting. When genetics ...
Hi Kristi, it can be incredibly frustrating when there appears to be no clear reason why children continue to wet at night. While the majority of...
Hi C. R. – bedwetting is often one of those things that no-one likes to talk about, with many parents feeling embarrassed and therefore suffer in s...
Hi K. S. – there are so many mixed messages out there; no wonder parents are confused when it comes to managing children’s bedwetting. I think the...
Hi Kersty, there is a lot of debate and discussion surrounding the causes of bedwetting. The one thing we do no is that not all children wet the b...
Hi Carey, it is very common for parents to comment on their child wavering between periods of being dry then returning to bedwetting again. The go...
Hi Michelle – managing children’s bedwetting can be incredibly tricky, partly because we often do not understand the underlying cause and partly be...
Hi D.T. - there are a number of causes to bedwetting and genetics certainly has a role to play. We typically say that if one parent wet the bed as...
DryNites fit like an underpant and can be worn comfortably under pyjamas or boxer shorts at night – some individuals choose to wear underpants over...
It is not unusual for teenagers to experience a return to bedwetting at times of stress or emotional upheaval. Although this may seem incredibly e...
Unfortunately I do not reside in Auckland. I would recommend that you contact the New Zealand Psychological Society (http://www.psychology.org.nz)...
Hi D.S – given your age and weight you need to look into purchasing a product designed for adults – it is important that these fit properly around ...
If you have outgrown the largest DryNites I would recommend that you look into some of the incontinence products designed for adults – you can pu...
It is not unusual for chldren who have been diagnosed with a small bladder capacity to experience nocturnal enuresis. This form of incontinence of...
Hi Chantell, it is perfectly normal for your son to be still wetting the bed at night so there is absolutely no cause for concern. Many children, ...
Regular urination throughout the day can be a result of a number of different factors. The fact that he also wets through his DryNites at night m...
Hi – there are a number of treatments available to help your daughter to become dry at night. While conditioning alarms experience the best outcom...
Hi Lisa, while it is certainly true that many children outgrow bedwetting on their own, this is not the case for everyone. The important thing to ...
Hi Rachael, firstly I would recommend trying DryNites rather than Pull-Ups, these are specifically designed for nighttime use and are much more abs...
Hi Sarah – unfortunately unlike daytime continence the road to achieving nighttime continence is less direct, with many a speed bump! Unlike toile...
Hi Natasha, parents of children who wet the bed often comment on how ‘heavy a sleeper’ their child is. Researchers have shown that while deep sleep...
Hi T.L – symptoms of Neuronal Intestinal Dysplasia (NID) can include constipation, abnormal sleeping patterns as well as incontinence of the bladde...
This must very challenging for you. In a very small percentage of cases bedwetting can extend right through to our adult years. The fact that y...
Hi Nikole – it can be incredibly frustrating when you continue to wet the bed at night despite a strong motivation to stop. It is unlikely that yo...
Hi David – while I’m not aware of any research directly linking testosterone with bedwetting in boys, there may be an indirect link in that increas...
The time between being daytime trained and achieving nighttime continence is quite variable. Unlike toilet training, which is conscious and delibe...
Hi Kerry, many children prefer to wear DryNites as it gives them confidence they need in order to go to sleep at night and reduces the anxiety asso...
Hi Brooke - while we no longer recommend restricting fluids completely before bedtime it is perfectly fine to reduce the amount he drinks in the ev...
Hi Vicki, in order for your daughter to become dry at night she either needs to learn to wake in response to a full-bladder or her bladder needs to...
Dear H.M., It is not unusual for children to waiver between periods of dryness and return to wetting as they move toward achieving permanent nightt...
Hi Charlene, the time it takes between achieving daytime control and nighttime continence is quite variable. Some children achieve this in a matte...
Hi Louise, given your daughter was dry for over two years it would be a good idea to first have her checked by your GP just to make sure there is n...
In must be incredibly frustrating and disheartening when you feel like you have tried it all and still your son continues to wet at night. While m...
Hi Emily, in the vast majority of cases children are completely unaware that they are wetting or have wet the bed. Unfortunately there are a lot ...
Hi Natasha, you are not alone here with many parents experiencing similar patterns of nighttime wetting with their young children. It is quite c...
Firstly, let me reassure you that it is perfectly normal for children to continue to wet the bed at night up until around age 6 years. I generally ...
As I am sure you are aware, bedwetting has a number of different causes, with low hormone levels being just one possible factor. Without knowing...
Hi Cathy, it is not unusual for children your daughters age to still be wetting the bed at night with around 1 in 7 children continuing to do so by...
Hi B.H., unfortunately there are no simple answers when it comes to understanding children’s bedwetting. The most common causes of bedwetting incl...
Hi A. H., given the frequency of his wetting it is unlikely that he is ready to go to bed without the use of an absorbent pant of some other absorb...
It is not unusual for parents to comment on an increase in bedwetting during the winter months and then find their children stop wetting again ...
Hi S. B. – while you are correct in saying it is perfectly normal for a child your sons age to be still wetting at night if you are at all concerne...
Dear R.M., that is wonderful to hear - thank you so much for sharing that with us! Regards, Dr Cathrine
Hi S.C. – as children move toward achieving permanent nighttime continence it is not unusual for them to waiver between periods of dryness than r...
Given his daytime wetting it is a very wise decision to have him checked by your GP. Your doctor will want to know things like how often he wets t...
One of the most common concerns for children who wet the bed is attending social events like school-camps. Their biggest fear typically revolves ar...
Hi R. P., when bedwetting continues for many years it is completely understandable that children start to believe that it will never stop! Have yo...
Hi Liezle – the frustrating and challenging part of bedwetting is that we often do not know what is causing it to occur – this also presents a numb...
Bedwetting can be incredibly challenging to manage, particularly when it occurs on a regular basis. There are a number of reasons as to why childre...
Hi Razan – bedwetting treatments are generally not recommend for children under 6 years of age, this is largely due to the fact that it is consider...
It is not unusual for children your daughters age to still be wetting the bed at night with around 1 in 7 children continuing to do so by school-ag...
While research certainly shows links between deep sleeping patterns and bedwetting, it is not the primary cause of why it happens in the first plac...
Hi Michelle - Happy New Year to you too! It can be incredibly frustrating for parents when you feel you have done all the right things and your chi...
Hi Aleisha – firstly, please be reassured that it is perfectly normal for a 5-year-old boy to still wet at night. If you are however concerned abo...
Hi Y. S., it can be incredibly frustrating when you feel like you have tried it all and still your child continues to wet the bed at night. The fi...
Given your son’s age and the potential impact his bedwetting can have on his social interactions – now is the time to look into introducing some fo...
Hi Natalie – it is not unusual for parents of children who wet the bed to comment on how deeply their child sleeps. One theory when it comes to be...
We are much more likely to see persistent bedwetting as well as daytime incontinence in children with delayed development. I'm not surprised he has...
Firstly – I wouldn’t be concerned about his nighttime wetting – he is still very young so it would be unusual for him to be dry every night. Waking...
Your daughter is experiencing what we commonly refer to as secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE) – this occurs when a child has maintained nighttime c...
It is perfectly normal for you to feel overwhelmed and a little helpless – this is the most common response for parents whose children continue to ...
The first thing to keep in mind is that bedwetting is quite common among 5-year-old children with about 17% continuing to wet the bed at night – at...
Hi Sandra, this is a very timely question! There was a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics (July, 2009) conducted by Dr Joseph Barone...