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 'Hi, my 4 year old son hasn't started to wet the bed at night he just hasn't toilet trained for the night time as yet. I have been using pull ups at night as he has grown out of the range of Huggies nappies but the pull ups simply arnt doing the job either'
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My 4 year old son doesn't wet when wearing DryNites, only when wearing undies. How do I train him?
The reduction in the number of times children wet the bed is a very good indication that they are well on their way to achieving nighttime continen...
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7 year old boy wets the bed every night
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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Help, five year old likes to wet his bed because its warm!
It is completely normal for parents to feel tense or frustrated and at a loss when it comes to dealing with bedwetting – you are not alone! It help...
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5 year old still wets bed, even having peed before bed
there are lots of other mothers out there asking the very same question. Many of us feel that once our child has achieved daytime control nighttime...
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Both my children are bedwetters. Is it because my life is based around sports and late night trainings and my kids are with me at all times. Could that be the problem.?
It is not unusual for bedwetting to run in families with studies showing an underlying genetic link. There is still a great deal of debate surround...
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5 year old daughter is on and off with wet and dry nights
It is not unusual for your daughter to be wetting the bed at age 5 with about 15% of children still doing so by the time they start school. Typical...
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Drynites better than pull ups at night
Hi Lisa – the time between achieving daytime control and nighttime continence can vary from child to child. While some children will become dry at...
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Question from a first time mum- what do I do to stop my daughter from going at night?
There is so much to get your head around as a first time mum! Firstly, let me reassure you that it is perfectly normal for your daughter to still b...
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My son has been a victim of abuse by a younger child (11). Myself and his carers believe this may be the cause of bed wetting for him.
I’m very sorry to hear that your son has been the victim of abuse this must be very upsetting for you. Abuse is a known cause of secondary nocturna...
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My son has a developmental delay. He has good bladder/ bowel control, but won't let it out when sitting on toilet/ potty. The older he gets the harder it seems to be.
Firstly let me apologies for the delay in getting back to you we have had an overwhelming response to the “ask the expert” feature and I have been ...
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Four year old having issues with toilet training
Toilet training can be a little trickier for some children and while one child may get the hang of it in as little as a week, for others it takes a...
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Are DryNites more absorbent than regular nappies?
DryNites and Huggies nappies have not been compared on levels of absorbency as they are designed for and marketed to different age groups. Huggies ...
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Nine year old son wets at home, normally while watching tv or playing outside. He always wets his bed. What steps should I take?
It is not uncommon for parents to respond to bedwetting by either punishing their child or ignoring the problem with the hope that it will go away....
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My daughter is still wetting her pants. She will be 3 next month. What should I do? Is this normal?
As you’ve already found out, each child is different when it comes to toilet training. While one child may pick it up in a matter of weeks, others ...
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my daughter is 3.3yrs old and i want to get her off nappies at night and while she naps during the day- how do I go about it?
I completely understand your desire to help your child achieve nighttime dryness before the birth of your second child. Unfortunately while childre...
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Is there any skills I could use to help my 4 & 6 to stop wetting the bed of a night?
Given the strong family history it is quite common for more than one child in the family to experience bedwetting. Perhaps either you or your husba...
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how can i get my child to stop wetting the bed?
There are a number of treatments available to help children attain nighttime dryness – the suitability of these depends on each individual so it is...
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My 3yo daughter will be dry most of the time, and then will wet the bed 2 to 3 nights in a row. How long do you think this may go on for?
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. Wh...
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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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3 year old goes to the toilet before bed, but still wets the bed
It is perfectly normal for your 3-year-old daughter to be wetting at night. In fact many professionals do not even consider bedwetting to be an iss...
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My 3 year old is not telling us when she wets her bed and pants
Gaining control over your bladder is a gradual process – typically children gain control during the day first then gradually achieve nighttime cont...
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Need some advice for my 6 year old daughter.
Unfortunately there seems to be no quick fixes or simple solutions when it comes to bedwetting with the most common resolution being time. While un...
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My daughter who is almost 6 and has just got through encopresis
Unfortunately there seems to be no quick fixes or simple solutions when it comes to bedwetting with the most common resolution being time. While un...
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My daughter is 6 next month and her nappy is still soaked in the morning.
Developing bladder control can take a little longer for some children with about 15% of children still wetting the bed by the time they start schoo...
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After being toilet trained, my four year old has been wetting the bed for a year
It is perfectly normal for your daughter to be wetting the bed at age 4. While it is true that some children do achieve nighttime dryness within a ...
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My son wears DryNites every night. He never wakes up dry. What should I be doing to help him?
When it comes to coping with your child’s bedwetting it often helps to know how normal it actually is. Approximately 17% of 5-year-old children con...
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4yo daughter - should I put her in nappies or drynites for bed time?
It is quite common for children to experience the occasional accident during the day for a couple of years after being toilet trained. Young childr...
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My son is 5 years old and still wets the bed.
Hi Aly – nighttime wetting is considered to be completely normal until the age of 7 years – particularly when it comes to boys. Most parents and c...
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My son is 16mths he is 16 kgs and tall,we use Huggies at night but he continues to wet through?What else could we use?
Hi Sonya – the first thing to check is that they are fitting correctly as improper fit can contribute to leakage. From personal experience I found...
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every time my son goes to put on a drynite he gets an erection, how can he stop this ??
Dear Parent, Unfortunately this is really beyond my area of expertise. If this behaviour continues, I would strongly recommend that you speak with...
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how can i stop my three year old from wetting the bed
Hi Naomi, nappies with tabs can certainly be more easily removed by children than absorbent pants. You could try him in DryNItes at night. If you...
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Hi my son is only 2 and sleeps from 7pm to 6 am and overfills his nappy every night. he hates being woken up to be changed, but cries when his sheets get wet. we dont like to limit his fluid intake as we live in the tropics, and his last drink is at 6pm.
Hi Kate, firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding to your question. The first thing to check is that his nappy is fitting correctly as imp...
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my toddler soaks through the nappy at night onto his clothes
Hi Melanie, firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding to your question. The first thing to check is that his nappy is fitting correctly as ...
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Hi there, help! are daughter (21mths)has just started probably three weeks ago to wet the bed everynight through her nappies and it is even at the stage now when we go out she is going through her nappy too! last night out at dinner we went through three
Hi C.M. - The first thing you need to do is check that her nappy is fitting correctly as improper fit can contribute to leakage. From personal ex...
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my daughter s 3 yrs of age and is not toilet trained yet, but she is behind other childrren because she has a severe heart condition, she doesnt want to use the toilet alot, what can i do
Hi Shona - It is very common for a child with additional support needs to take a little longer to attain bladder and bowel control. In order for ...
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Dr Catherine, My Son Jack is 2 yrs old is it too early to start toilet training and if not how do I begin this process.
Hi Kathy - the key to successful toilet training is timing. In order for Jack to succeed, he needs to be physically, emotionally and mentally rea...