It is quite common for 4-year-old boys to wet the bed and if managed correctly will have no lasting impact on their self-esteem or wellbeing. As children move toward permanent nighttime continence they will often swing between periods of dryness followed by a few days or weeks when they wake-up wet. Unfortunately it is very difficult to train a child to become dry at night. Lifting children to the toilet during the night is no longer suggested, as this does not teach children to become dry on their own and typically results in a disrupted sleep for both you and him. If you are waking him because you are worried about him leaking through his Pull-Ups you could try using DryNItes – these are much more absorbent are designed for nighttime use. You can also try to minimize the amount of urine he produces overnight by taking him to the toilet just before he goes to sleep and making sure he does not drink or eat foods high in caffeine in the evening. Bedwetting has also been linked with citrus and dairy so you may want to avoid these in the evenings. There are a number of different bedwetting treatments currently available, if you find he continues to wet the bed once he starts school or it becomes an issue for you or him, I would strongly recommend that you meet with a doctor to discuss your options. Children are acutely aware of others’ feelings towards their bedwetting, so it is important that both you and your husband are in agreement over how you decide to best manage the situation.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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