Hi Maria – It is not uncommon for parents of children who wet the bed to comment on how heavy a sleeper their child is. Children who are particularly deep sleepers fail to wake in response to the message sent by their bladder to their brain saying it is full and requires emptying. Their bladder then attempts to either store the urine or it empties while your son 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. In the meantime we need to think about how best to manage his bedwetting so that it has minimal impact on both you and him. The way parents approach their child’s bedwetting may have a greater impact on their child’s self-esteem than the bedwetting itself – so it is important that your son does not feel forced or pressured in anyway. In saying this it is also a very big ask to expect you to have to deal with constant wet sheets! Have you tried discussing the reasons why he doesn’t want to wear the DryNites? Many children often associate these with nappies so it is important to point out the differences, explaining that even some children in high school wear them at night. You could encourage his independence by allowing him to put them on and off by himself, disposing of them in the morning when he wakes. You could also discuss some of the challenges of not wearing DryNites so that he understands your perspective. If you approach this as a problem that you hope to solve together – as a team – it will give him back the level of control he is most likely seeking.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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