Hi Dr Catherine, I'm Rebecca....my daughter will be 4 next week. She's been fully trained during the day with no accidents since the beginning of the year. She started kinder in January and loves it - no accidents. She's been in undies at night also since January, but we do pop her on the toilet a couple of hours after bed, then she goes through without wetting. Three weeks ago she started accidents during the day, and wetting the bed at night (most nights now) within 2 hours of sleep despite having gone to the toilet before bed. We have recently sold our house and will be moving in another 2 weeks - she is excited, but could this be a trigger, even though positive? There are no other stress factors we can identify. She was tested for UTI last week - negative. Help!
Hi Rebecca – Stress can certainly be a contributory factor when it comes to secondary bedwetting. Young children can suffer a certain level of stress when they experience significant changes in their lives. These changes are not necessarily negative but can certainly result in increased anxiety or stress. Common psychological stressors for young children include things like starting preschool, family disharmony or moving house (which can also be very stressful for adults!). The good news is that if stress is the cause, children’s bedwetting typically stops once children feel secure and reassured. In the meantime it is important to provide her with as much stability in her life as possible, children draw a great deal of comfort from the familiar. Given she has recently started preschool it may also be worthwhile checking her for tapeworms (a common occurrence amongst preschoolers) as it is not uncommon for children to experience a return to wetting if suffering from tapeworms. All the best!
Regards,
Dr Cathrine
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