Hi R. M., please be reassured it is perfectly normal for your son to still be wetting the bed at night with many children (especially boys) continuing to do so up until school age. The time between achieving daytime continence and nighttime control is different for every child. While some achieve this in a matter of weeks, others take months or years. One of the best indicators that your son is moving toward achieving nighttime continence is an increase in the number of mornings he wakes up dry. There are a number of reasons why children continue to wet at night. Some do so because their body produces larger than normal amounts of urine overnight and their bladder is unable to store it until morning. This usually continues until the amount of urine produced decreases or children learn to wake-up in response to a full bladder. Others do so because they are unable to wake in response to the signals that their bladder sends to their brain telling them to wake-up and go to the toilet. Most children do outgrow bedwetting on their own by the time they turn 6 years, if your son continues to wet the bed once he reaches school-age then you should certainly have him checked by your GP.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

Ask Dr Cathrine a question