The first thing to keep in mind is that bedwetting is quite common among 5-year-old children with about 17% continuing to wet the bed at night – at least two-thirds of these are boys. At this early stage the most common form of treatment is time, with many of these children outgrowing bedwetting on their own. Waking your son at night to take him to the toilet should only be done if it does not result in disrupted sleep patterns for you and him. And as you can see, this approach does not teach children to wake-up on their own and go to the toilet. Your attitude and support are the most important factors in helping him manage his bedwetting – make sure he understands that this is not his fault and that he has your full support in trying to help him to stop. There are things you can do which encourage a healthy bladder like drinking 6 glasses of water per day as well as eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid sugary drinks and food colouring as this can increase urine production Make sure he fully empties his bladder each time he goes to the toilet, avoid those ‘just in case’ visits as this only teaches the bladder to empty more often. Most professionals are reluctant to treat children under the age of 6 years due to the high spontaneous cure rate before then – until then you could try using DryNites – they will definitely reduce the frustration and stress associated with waking up to wet sheets every morning.

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