Hi Nelly, nappy rash typically results from skin contact with a wet or dirty nappy. Mositure plus friction resulting from his DryNites moving against his skin can cause irritation and inflammation. If his DryNite is particularly full or if he has particularly sensitive skin he may be more prone to developing a rash. In terms of managing his nappy rash – I would use some form of barrier cream. I found paw paw cream good for treating nappy rash with my own children. Make sure he washes himself properly in the morning to remove all traces of urine. Avoid using irritants such as soap as this will only irritate his rash even more. If the rash continues or gets worse you should have him checked by your GP to determine whether he is prone to eczema, which may be causing him to develop the nappy rash. Given his age it is not unusual that he is yet to develop bladder control at night with many boys not achieving nighttime continence to around 7 years of age. Children who are particularly deep sleepers fail to wake in response to the message sent by the bladder to the brain saying it is full and requires emptying. The bladder then attempts to either store the urine or it empties while your child sleeps. The good news is that most children your sons age do outgrow bedwetting on their own as their body matures and becomes better able at storing urine or they learn to wake-up. Any type of formal treatment is not typically recommend before age 6 due to the high spontaneous cure rate until then. You can certainly try and increase his bladder capacity by encouraging him to drink water regularly throughout the day (about 1 to 1.5 litres at his age). It is fine to taper off in the evenings but do not restrict water completely as this can lead to constipation.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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