Ask Dr Cathrine
Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett is an experienced Child Development expert. As a mother of three young children, understanding children’s development and promoting positive approaches to parenting has become both a passion and a full-time career. You have the opportunity to ask your questions now.
These questions might be similar to 'My 10 yo son told me that he can not feel it when he wet the bad. Should I take him to a doctor? Can stress make my son we his bed?'
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My son was toilet trained but since the birth of my daughter he has started to wet his pants and his bed. His urine smells really bad. Is he lazy or doing it for attention? Or maybe it is something to do with his health?
When a child starts to wet the bed again or experiences daytime incontinence after being dry for months we usually look for either a medical or emo...
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My 9 year old girl has recently started wetting the bed. I talked to her about DryNites and she hated that idea.
Your daughter is experiencing what we commonly refer to as secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE) – this occurs when a child has maintained nighttime c...
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My 3yo son was toilet trained at night before he hurt his foot and went into hospital. Since being home he has wet the bed every night. Can you explain this at all?
Even though your son had been dry for a few months at night it is not unusual for children to regress in their development when faced with a stress...
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My son has wet the bed for the past 15 months. Prior to that he was dry at night for about one and half years. Can you offer any suggestions?
This type of bedwetting is referred to as secondary enuresis – this occurs when children begin to wet the bed again after experiencing at least 6 m...
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My son was toilet trained at hight from 4.5YO. After an enjoyable family holiday he began to wet his bed at night. His wetting is hit and miss. What can I do to help him overcome this?
If my Math is right he was dry at night for a period less than 6 months so he would still be considered to be experiencing primary enuresis. It is ...
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Son refusing to wear pull ups after arrival of baby sister
The arrival of a new baby into the house can be quite a stressful experience for young children. Some children feel that they are somehow being rep...
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Would you recommend DryNites for my 3 year old?
It is not unusual for parents to feel a little frustrated when their child is quick to toilet train yet continues to wet at night. Unfortunately wh...
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5 year old son wets bed after moving house
firstly, it is important to point out that there is a difference in children who have never been dry at night (called primary enuresis) and childre...
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Why has my 5 year old only recently started wetting the bed?
your son’s type of bedwetting would be considered secondary enuresis (SE) – this is less common and has different underlying causes. When children ...
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Son was fine at the start of school, but now there are accidents
it is very common to fluctuate between wet and dry nights as children move toward nighttime continence – thankfully as time goes on the periods whe...
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My five year old and I are being pressured by the grandmothers. Help!
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation and ignorance about bedwetting and although as well meaning as it may be much of the advice given to...
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Seven year old son wets the bed, we've visited the hospital and tried the alarms. What next?
it can be extremely frustrating when a bedwetting treatment does not seem to work for your child. While the conditioning alarms currently have the ...
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Boy just turned 4, and wets at night. Worried that he isn't learning to control his wetting.
It is perfectly normal for your son to be still wetting the bed at age 4. The most common cause of bedwetting is a delay in maturation of the nervo...
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My five year old is wetting the bed after his grandfather died
Your son is experiencing what we refer to as Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis (SNE) – this occurs when children have been completely dry at night for a...
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6yo still bed wetting at night - is it time to see a doctor about this?
Firstly, let me reassure you that what is happening is perfectly normal - almost 1 in 5 children your daughter’s age wake-up wet on a regular basis...
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my daughter is 7 and still wets the bed. I have tried stopping drinks before bed- what else can I do?
firstly, let me apologise for the delay in getting back to you I have had an overwhelming number of questions to answer over the past two weeks. Ch...
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My daughter occasionally wets the bed at night, but the main problem is she has a really bad habit of "holding on" and then has accident(s). What can we do?
firstly, let me say that she is still very young so I wouldn’t be concerned about the occasional wet bed – this is something that will come to an e...
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Grandmother dying has retriggered wet nights.
Hi – this must be very frustrating for both you and your daughter. It is not unusual for a stressful event such as the death of loved one to cause ...
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My now 4yr old son was fully toiet trained at just over 2yrs old. He wet the first night, he didn't want to wear nappies by his own demand, I just supported him, and after one night of wetting, he was dry for about 4mths, then he had to undergo surgery.
Stress is certainly a contributing factor when it comes to nocturnal enuresis, and one of the main causes of stress in young children is illness or...
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My nearly 6yo still wets the bed every night. what can I do? She's so embarrassed about it.
When children experience daytime incontinence after 4 years of age you need to consult with a GP to check if there is an underlying medical conditi...
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My son is 7.5yo. He sleeps very well, which means he doesn't wake up to do his wees. How can I help him to stop wetting the bed? Please help
dealing with constant wet sheets can be incredibly frustrating – I find just keeping up with the standard daily load is difficult enough let alone ...
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My 6.5 yo has never had more tham 3 dry nights in a row. I have tried the alarm and I consulted my doctor. I feel very alone and not sure what to do next.
Even though it is the child who wets the bed, I often find it’s the parents who need the most support. Coping with bedwetting can be overwhelming f...
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My 6yo is disheartened when his younger siblings have dry nappies which is quite often. Please do not say that he will grow out of it as it is affecting his self esteem.
If your child’s bedwetting starts to impact on their self-confidence or self-esteem then it is time to think about treatment – regardless of how ol...
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I have heard about the use of hypnosis or some way of stimulating neural pathways. I am wondering if there are any other things that you would recommend?
Increasingly parents are turning to alternative treatments in an attempt to help their child stay dry at night – the success of these is really dep...
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Can having ear infections or sickness make a child re-wet his pants and bed at nite?
It is not unusual for children to experience a regression in their development if they have experienced an ongoing illness – particularly if this o...
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My son was toilet trained at the start of school this year. Recently he has started having a few wee accidents and wetting his bed. Is this normal to take two steps forward one back? How long does this take?
It is very common to fluctuate between wet and dry nights as children move toward nighttime continence – thankfully as time goes on the periods whe...
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what kind of food or drinks should my 6yo son avoid
if you think food sensitivities are contributing to his night wetting he may benefit from eliminating foods such as citrus and dairy from his diet....
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My 6yo son is still wetting- should I be going to see a doctor now?
Many doctors recommend holding off until children are at least 6-years of age before seeking treatment due to the high spontaneous cure rate up unt...
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6yo still bed wetting- should we try an alarm? My doctor said they didn't recommend trying anything till after 7 years but not sure why
doctors typically recommend holding off on treatment until children turn 7 years of age due to the high spontaneous cure rate up until then. Also t...
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I was a bedwetter, and my 6yo son is too. Do you have any suggestions on how I can assist the process in any way?
Given the strong genetic link it is not unusual for parents who wet the bed to have children who also wet the bed. Often one of the best predictors...
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My daughter is 10 and is still wetting the bed almost every night. Should we be taking her to the doctor?
Unfortunately when it comes to bedwetting many parents and children suffer in silence, too embarrassed to discuss their situation with anyone while...
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I am 14 and still wet the bed. I have tried the alarm mats but the lack of sleep affected my grades. I'm now having problems with burning with peeing.
this must be very frustrating for you. Firstly, I would recommend that you make an appointment with your GP to discuss your daytime urination as it...
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My 12 yr old daughter has just started wetting the bed again. Wondering if it could be related to puberty?
this must be very distressing for both you and your daughter. It is not unusual for a child who has experienced some difficulty achieving nighttime...
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My daughter is 15 and still wets the bed is something wrong she's been on all the tablets and nothing worked. What should I do?
when bedwetting continues over many years it becomes increasingly frustrating for both the parents and the child. It must feel at times that this w...
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My daughter is 8 yrs old , its embarrassing for her, so she doesn't get to sleep at her friends place.
unfortunately not all children outgrow bedwetting – with some requiring more than just the basic measures we can implement at home. If you are conc...
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Have been told I can get tablets for my daughter, Why hasn't my doctor prescribed them for my daughter?
Children wet the bed for a number of reasons, some do so because they produce double the amount of urine overnight, others do so as they are unable...
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My niece is 11years old and has had bladder problems since she started school aged 5. She has been using a catheter for about a year, which has helped a little but she still gets infections and has been on all different antibiotics.
it sounds like your niece’s urinary incontinence is due to underlying medical causes, something I am unable to comment on. I would recommend your s...
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I have a 15 year old daughter who has an 'over-active sensitive bladder'. Have tried everything, including operations. She wets the bed on average 3-4 times a night. Would you have any other ideas?
This must be very distressing for your daughter and your family. As I am not a surgeon I am unable to comment on the efficacy of surgical intervent...
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My teenage sister is wetting the bed.
there are a number of treatments available for teenagers who wet the bed – the long-term success of these depends to a large extent on the frequenc...
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Still concerned about my son, he has a very weak bladder
I generally recommend that if children experience frequent accidents during the day after age 5 or they start wetting the bed again after a period ...
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5 year old son still wetting the bed after using alarms and everything!
feelings of frustration and desperation are common among parents of children who wet the bed – particularly if they are like you and have to deal w...
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5 year old son shows no sign of stopping bed wetting
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...
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Four year old boy, too early for alarms?
typically we recommend that parents wait until their child has turned 6 years of age before they consider bedwetting treatments. The reason for doi...
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My four year old son wets the bed several times a night
While it is perfectly normal for your son to be still wetting the bed at age 4 - the decision of whether or not to see a doctor is ultimately up to...
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7 year old boy still wetting bed. Is it time for a continence specialist?
while it may not be medically necessary to treat bedwetting after the age of 6 years – some children due to social and emotional reasons benefit fr...
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5 out of 7 nights my boys have accidents. Help!
if you are concerned that the bedwetting has been going on too long or there seems to be significant amounts of urine produced overnight then you n...
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Should my five year old visit the doctor?
It is not unusual for children to experience accidents during the day for a number of years after they have been toilet trained – this typically oc...
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8 year old getting worse, time for alarms?
I completely understand your frustration. The tricky thing about bedwetting is that there are so many possible causes that it can be difficult to t...
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Any suggestions to convince teenage boys to use Drynites?
Due to the strong family history it is not unusual for a number of siblings to experience bedwetting. Current statistics suggest about 8 in 10 chil...
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I am sixteen and have type 1 diabetes. I know it shouldn't be causing the bedwetting but I'm frustrated.
This must be really frustrating for you. If your diabetes is being effectively managed it should not be the cause of your bedwetting. There are a n...
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My 9 year old son wets the bed most nights, can you recommend an alarm we could use with the pants and sensor?
There are a number of bell and pad alarms currently on the market - some of these allow you to use a recording (which can be your voice) instead of...
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My son is 10 years old and still wetting the bed. I have used the alarm for quite a few months, but this has not worked.
I would recommend that you get a referral to meet with a continence advisor who can help tailor at treatment that best suits your son’s individual ...
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My son age 12 is wetting since birth, please advice how to control as he will be going to high school next year.
as frustrating as this may be let me reassure you that you are not alone – it’s highly likely that there’s at least one other mother of a child in ...
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Son 9, saturates his Drynites pants everynight.
a lots of patience and understanding are needed in the management of bedwetting and thatâs not just for your son but for you too! A small bladder...
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I have a 14 year old son who has continually wet the bed over the years. Minirin not helping much.
probably the most suitable treatment would be a conditioning alarm – these currently experience the best outcomes with about a 75% cure rate. A sen...
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Why do children wet the bed? How old are the when they stop? Concerned about my son as he is going on camps.
Children wet the bed for a number of reasons, some do so because they produce double the amount of urine overnight, others do so as they are unable...
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How should my son manage his bed wetting at school camp?
Bedwetting has a genetic link so it is not usual to find a number of children in the same family wetting the bed – siblings typically outgrow bedwe...
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9 year old son has seen doctors and paediatricians but he's normal. So how can we help him stop wetting the bed?
Most children who wet the bed have no underlying medical condition and many of these are able to outgrow it on their own. However if your child’s b...
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My 11 year old son used minirin in the past, but no effect now. Could his severe anxiety be overriding the effects?
We would still consider your son to be experiencing primary enuresis, even though he did experience a short period of dryness. While there are alwa...
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My son is 8 and his bedwetting is getting worse. Is there any medical intervention?
a delay in achieving nighttime continence is typically due to a delay in maturation of your child’s nervous system. There are two main reasons he c...
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I have a 4yo girl, and her urine has quite a potent smell. Could this be a UTI?
The first course of action when children start wetting the bed at night or experience incontinence during the day after a period of dryness is to t...
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6yo girl dry until 4, and then wet the bed every night since. Is this something we should be seeking medical treatment for?
this type of bedwetting is called secondary enuresis (SE) – this occurs when children have developed control over their bladder during the night fo...
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Son not waking up. Time for bed alarms?
the decision to pursue treatment is really up to you and your son. About 15% of 8-year-old children who wet the bed will achieve nighttime continen...
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ryan bedwetting
One possible cause of children’s bedwetting is thought to be a deep sleeping pattern. In these instances children often sleep so deeply that they a...
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My 12 yo son has Down Syndrome and still not toilet trained.
We are much more likely to see persistent bedwetting as well as daytime incontinence in children with delayed development. I'm not surprised he has...
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3yo boy, toilet trained but always poos in his undies! Is he just being lazy or does he just not get it?
Firstly – I wouldn’t be concerned about his nighttime wetting – he is still very young so it would be unusual for him to be dry every night. Waking...
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My almost 4yo son sleeps through the night and wakes up half drowned. What should I do about it?
the most important thing to understand is that this is rarely a medical or psychological problem - many children continue to wet the bed at night f...
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My daughter aged 11 years has been having nocturnal enuresis.
Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you I have had a large volume of questions to answer over the past two weeks. ...
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I have a 7 1/2 year old daughter who suffers really bad bed wetting every night. I watch her when she is asleep, she does not stir or wake up.
This is fairly typical – the majority of children who wet the bed at night are unaware it is happening and will continue sleeping even when wet. On...
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My daughter is 10yrs, sometimes she is already wet after only being in bed 1 hour.
When bedwetting goes on for a number of years it is perfectly normal for parents to feel helpless and overwhelmed. Children typically wet the bed a...
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I have a 14 year old daughter who still wets the bed. The problem is now she has gotten her period.
Bedwetting has been found to run in families so it is not unusual to find a number of siblings in the same household wetting the bed. I’m sure if y...
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I have tried to toilet train my 5yo boy at night without success. Do you suggest continuing or allowing him to get to that stage himself using DryNites?
It is perfectly normal for you to feel overwhelmed and a little helpless – this is the most common response for parents whose children continue to ...
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Our son can stay dry when he gets less than his usual 12 hours of deep sleep. Is there anything you can think of that we can try to help him stay dry for that full nights sleep?
Most children who wet the bed tend to do so in the first couple of hours after they have gone to sleep at night, when they are in a very deep sleep...
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5yo wet his bed every night. We have tried waking him, an alarm and just letting him wet the bed. What can I do to help him?
Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you I have had a large volume of questions to answer over the past two weeks. Firstly, ...
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Sometimes my 5yo wakes up by himself but instead of going to the toilet he'll just cry / scream hysterically until he wets himself. How can I help him to wake himself up and go to the toilet quietly?
Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to make a child wake-up on their own, this is why we do not recommend that parents lift or wake their chil...
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5 year old son is such a deep sleeper, he doesn't wake up
The first thing to keep in mind is that bedwetting is quite common among 5-year-old children with about 10-15% waking up wet at least once a week o...
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Are we creating bad habits with our 5 year old boy?
waking your son at night to take them to the toilet may help in reducing the number of wet beds, however this should only be done if it does not re...
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Should I wake my son to go to the toilet at night?
Lifting or waking children is generally not recommended as it results in broken sleep and while it may lead to a dry bed in the morning it will not...
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Son is now 9 and still wetting the bed. Have tried diaries and limiting drinks. Do you suggest an alarm?
lots of patience and understanding are needed in the management of bedwetting and that’s not just for your son but for you too! A small bladder cap...
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Seven year old son has tried bed wetting alarms and he just does not wake up. He gets very embarrassed and i do not know what to do.
it can be extremely frustrating when a bedwetting treatment does not seem to work for your child. While the conditioning alarms currently have the ...
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4 year old daughter has milk before bed and then wets the bed. Should I stop with the milk?
you would find most children your daughter’s age would still be wetting the bed at night with many professionals not even viewing nighttime wetting...
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my daughter is 7 and still wets the bed. I have tried stopping drinks before bed- what else can I do?
Feelings of helplessness and frustration are common among parents with children who wet the bed – you are not alone! Given her age I would recommen...
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Will my daughter start waking up at some point to go to the toilet?
Many parents of children who wet the bed have commented to me on how deeply their child sleeps and while it definitely plays a role in bedwetting i...
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Five year old daughter is a sound sleeper and can't wake up to go to the toilet
many parents of children who wet the bed have commented on how deeply their child sleeps. Despite this a number of controlled studies have shown th...
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My daugher has hypothyroidism is nearly 6 and starting school
it is not unusual for children to be wetting the bed at age 5 with about 15% of children still doing so by the time they start school. Children dev...
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My 6yo sleeps soundly and doesn't wake through the night. We do not know what the solution is. Can you help?
Many parents of children who wet the bed comment how deeply their child sleeps - while this plays a role in children’s bedwetting it is not a prima...
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Is there a link between sleep apnea and bed wetting? My 9yo daughter has been diagnosed with poor executive function and some elements of ADHD. I believe may have sleep apnea too.
Hi Sandra, this is a very timely question! There was a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics (July, 2009) conducted by Dr Joseph Barone...