Hi Charlene, the time it takes between achieving daytime control and nighttime continence is quite variable. Some children achieve this in a matter of weeks, others take months and for some it takes years. Most children who continue to wet the bed at night do so because their bodies are yet to mature to a point where they are able to store the amount of urine their kidneys produce overnight or they learn to wake in response to a full bladder. A small number of children wet the bed because they do not produce enough of the anti-diuretic hormone ADH. If nighttime ADH levels are low, children produce the same amount of urine at night as throughout the day. If this is the cause, children will continue to wet the bed at night until their body begins to produce more of this hormone. It is reassuring to know that the majority of children your son’s age will outgrow bedwetting on their own. In the meantime you can continue using absorbent pants at night – given his age I would recommend using DryNites over nappies as these will be more appealing and provide a better fit. You can help him to develop healthy bladder habits by encouraging him to drink water regularly throughout the day (tapering off in the evening), make sure he empties his bladder fully before going to bed and avoid food and drinks that are high in caffeine as these tend to stimulate the kidneys to produce larger amounts of urine than normal.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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