Hi Edmund, while parents used to be encouraged to wake their child throughout the night to help avoid a wet bed, this is no longer recommended as an effective means of managing children’s bedwetting. This is because waking a child does not help train the bladder nor does it teach them to learn to wake on their own. Children who have achieved nighttime continence are either able to wake-up independently in response to a full-bladder or have developed the bladder capacity to store urine until morning. Waking a child at night means children do not get the chance to get used to these signals nor does the bladder have the opportunity to stretch and develop. Other treatments such as enuresis alarms are typically more effective than waking. There are two main types of alarms. One is a body alarm with a small sensor that can be worn inside your son’s pyjamas – many parents prefer these as children can continue to wear their DryNites throughout the training process. The second type of alarm is a bell and pad alarm that is placed like a mat over the bottom sheet. This is connected to an alarm box placed at the end of the bed. Some alarms have different settings that allow you to vary the sound – sometimes a louder alarm will raise a particularly deep sleeper. Before purchasing an alarm it is important that you speak with a continence specialist who will be able to advise you which one is best for your son. Good luck!

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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