This type of bedwetting is referred to as secondary enuresis – this occurs when children begin to wet the bed again after experiencing at least 6 months of dry nights. When considering treatment the first thing to think about is what may be causing him to wet at night – he was dry now he is wet – what’s changed? Secondary enuresis is typically associated with either a build-up of stress in children’s lives or has a medical cause. Urinary tract infections are the most common medical cause although there are additional factors such as food allergies, or sleep apnea that can result in a return to bedwetting – these are rare but worth ruling out. The four most common stressors triggering bedwetting in children are the birth of a new sibling, starting school, being hospitalized or seeing a parent in hospital and family conflict. Think back to when he started wetting the bed again – what was happening in his life? Starting school or preschool can be exhausting for some children particularly if they have a lot going on in their lives – sometimes shifting their bedtime forward half an hour can help resolve bedwetting. Often children will stop wetting at night when whatever is causing the stress has been resolved. Sometimes it can be difficult to elicit the exact cause of the problem – however if you do feel that his bedwetting is indeed the result of emotional upset then a referral to a professional such as a child psychologist may be required.

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