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.
73 Answers found for 'stop bedwetting'
-
HI, My son is 14.5 and is wetting the bed with the dry nites on. He is upset by this as now we have to get him into adult pants and this is extremly upsetting for him. We have tried the bladder control, alarm, drinking lots of water during the day, medica
Hi Karolyn, this must be incredibly distressing for you all. Certainly when it comes to the more traditional measures, conditioning alarms continue...
-
I have a 5yr old that wets the bed each and everynight. Sometimes even a few times a night. I take her to the toilet 2 or 3 times after she has gone to bed but doesn't seem to help. We have stopped fluid intake after a certain time. We found that putting
Hi Tania, if you haven’t done so already I would recommend that you make an appointment to see your GP. While it is not unusual for children you...
-
When will I stop bedwetting?
Hi Jimmy, while it is certainly true that some children outgrow bedwetting, this is not the case for everyone. The good news is that there are a n...
-
My son 4 next mouth has just started wetting in his DryNights again, what can I do? should I look at a star chart or something to help him become dry again?
Hi Michelle, you do not mention in your question how long your son had been dry at night for. If it has been for a period of 6 months or more then...
-
my 6 year old wets the bed.everynight sometimes 2 times a night. she did stop for 6 months 2 years ago .now its been 1 and a half years of bed wetting everynight. we have tried alarms, chore charts, even waking her. but to no avail.she has no infections .
Hi S.B – your daughter is suffering from secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE) a term used to describe the condition where a child has maintained prop...
-
Im trying to teach my 2 1/2 year old to get up and go to the toilet by himself in the night.. I need some helpful hints on how to encourage him to get up and do it by himself instead of waking me up?
Hi M.J., it doesn’t sound like your son has a problem with bedwetting given he is able to wake-up in response to a full-bladder and has a dry nappy...
-
I have an almost 9yr old boy who has been bedwetting since forever and every night. We have tried the bed wetting alarms, minrin nasal spray and Endep tablets and he is still soaking every morning. He has had a ultrasound and nothing is wrong, he is get
This must be incredibly distressing for you all. Certainly when it comes to the more traditional measures, conditioning alarms continue to experien...
-
My 5 (nearly 6) year old son wets the bed every night. He doesn't wake up and seems to see nothing wrong with lying in bed wet.
Hi Kathleen - It is quite common for parents of children who wet the bed to comment on how heavy a sleeper their child is. Children who are particu...
-
Hi I have a 5 year old daughter who stopped wetting the bed for a couple of months but then became ill and had a couple of accidents so I put a dry-nite back on her. Now it is 3 months later and she has completely regressed. Each night she wets herself, t
Hi Anna, while it is perfectly normal for 5-year-old children to be still wetting the bed at night, given she had been dry for an extended period i...
-
Ask a question now...my 8 yr old son wets every night.he wets through his dry nights pants and saturates all the linen as well. He has tried bladder training and can hold 350ml. he has tried chiropractic care, and an alarm system which sounded like a smok
This is certainly a challenging situation. Alarms are generally the most effective means of treating bedwetting, although it is true that they do ...
-
Ask a question now...Hi My daughter has just turned 6 and wets the bed every night( she wears Drynites). She has never really not wet the bed!
Hi Kath – one of the common misconceptions surrounding bedwetting is that children somehow have control over the situation and if presented with ad...
-
Hi. I have a 7 yr old boy who has worn dri nites to bed since he got out of nappies and usually wets through those. I have tried everything I have been advised to do. He has been on Minirin Melt Wafers for 3 1/2 months with little to no change. The most i
Hi Jodie – one of the most frustrating things for parents of children who wet the bed is that we don’t always understand why it is happening. W...
-
my sons are 3 and 4 years old and they are both toilet trained. The still however everynight wet the bed. They know to go to the toilet and i leave a light on for them but they still keep doing it? How do i get them to use the toilet?
While children have conscious control over their bladder during the day this is not necessarily the case at nighttime which is why many children co...
-
is it normal that my 13 year old daughter still wets the bed? if so is there anything I can do to help her?
Hi Faith – when bedwetting continues into the teenage years it can begin to impact on a child’s self-esteem and social relationships. One of the m...
-
hi my name is kerrry i have 3 kids 2 boys and 1 girl my first boy fred is 3 and has started to wet the bed and my second boy bob has started to get up in the night and poo on the floor in the bed room he is 2 and is clean and has been for a few months. me
Hi Kerry – divorce can be incredibly stressful for all involved, especially young children. It is not uncommon for children to experience toiletin...
-
hi, my son his 4 years old and his been trained during the day since he was 2 but nothing seems to work at nights. we tried training him for 2 weeks during the night and that was waking him up at 11pm and the 5:30 am and still he would manage to wet the b
Hi Christine, as frustrating as this behaviour may be please be reassured that it is perfectly normal and has very little to do with anything you o...
-
Ask a question now...transition from nappy at bedtime to no nappy at all??
Hi Hilary, the time between achieving daytime continence and nighttime control is different for every child. While some achieve this in a matter o...
-
Hi, my daughter is 3 yrs and 3 months and we have been night training for 2 months now. In this two months she has had 10 dry nights. Is this common or should we try going back to nappies? We are both getting frustrated. Renay.
Hi Renay, it can be incredibly frustrating when your child continues to wet at night despite your best efforts to help them stop; please be reassur...
-
my 5 year old keeps wetting the bed , we have tried to take the nappy off him but i found my self changing the sheets to many times in the middle of the night . he wakes up in the morning wet right threw , and he is so embrassed he hides his cloths and na
Hi Kelly, when bedwetting starts to impact on a child’s self-esteem then it is time to think about treatment regardless of how old they are! Fir...
-
hi Catherine, our girl (fosterchild) wich is 7 has been wetting the bed from day one since we got her. she is been with us for 18 months now and first thing we did was take her off the ditropan as that is what they gave her but did not do a thing for her
Hi Jack – first let me say what a wonderful thing you are doing. I have a number of colleagues who foster children and I understand how challe...
-
My son is 6 yrs old he is being wearing dry nights and most of the time he is dry I just recently took of the Dry nigths and let him sleepy in his pjs and he is weting the bad every night what sholud I do?
It is very common for children as they move toward achieving permanent nighttime continence to oscillate between periods of dryness and times when ...
-
my son is 7 and wets the bed most nights. he wears pull ups but he wees so much he wets the bed anyway. im so worried, is it time to take him to the doctors?
It is not uncommon for children your son’s age to still be wetting the bed on a regular basis; bedwetting is far more common among boys than gi...
-
Ask a question now... I have son 5yrs 7 months...i took his nappy nearly 2 months and since then he wet the bed 2 times. At night, i wake him to wee when i was awake to toilet
Waking or lifting children to the toilet during the night is typically seen as a practical approach to managing children’s bedwetting in the short-...
-
My 7 year old daughter wets the bed every night. I put her in a Huggies Nappy and have solved the problem that way. But she is to old for this please help
About six percent of children continue to wet the bed at night by age 7 years – so you are not alone! While many children do outgrow the problem,...
-
I need some advise for my 5 yr old daughter
Hi Toni – the time it takes between achieving daytime continence and being dry at night is quite variable, some children are lucky to do this in ...
-
My 6 year old daughter has ADHD and wakes up wet each morning. I understand it may be harder for her to have dry nights but will the antidiuretic hormone still be produced by the time she gets to 8? Should I be getting help for her now?
Hi Simone - The incidence of bedwetting in children with ADHD is about two to three times higher than for other children. Children with ADHD are al...
-
Hi there, my 7 year old son wets the bed twice a night, we did see hes doctor about it and see gave him nasel spray, which worked for a while but has stopped working for him and the other thing is he is a deep sleeper too.. Thanks Danielle
Hi Danielle, it can be very frustrating when treatments do not result in the desired outcome! Nasal sprays are generally seen as a form of manageme...
-
Hi, my 9 year old girl was night time trained at 3 years of age, but since then, she's been having random bouts of wetting at night, worse when it gets colder, when she's gone to bed earlier than normal and when she's unwell. She doesn't have any stresso
It’s great that you’ve been able to identify a pattern to your daughter’s nighttime wetting. From what you have written it appears that you daught...
-
my son is 5 since he got out of nappies at the age of 2 he was dry for the hole year till he was about 3 then every since then he has been wetting the bed every night i have made him stop drinking at least 2 hours before he goes to bed and have been wakin
Hi Jacqueline, it is not particularly unusual for boys your son’s age to be still wetting the bed at night on a regular basis. However, given th...
-
..My son is turning 11 this year and really has never been out of dry nights. He has been on movicol, he has had an ultrasound on his bladder,(normal size) he's been told by doctors he is lazy and we have been told to eat healthy and do a journal and sti
Hi Vanessa (and Jye) – I am so sorry to hear that your son was made to feel responsible for his bedwetting. As I am sure you are fully aware, chil...
-
Advice for 9 year old boy who wets the bed around 4 times a week.
Hi Christine – managing children’s bedwetting can be incredibly challenging and this is partly due to the fact that we do not always know what is c...
-
hi cathrine im a 14 year old boy. i sometimes wet the bed. i would be embarrsed if i told mum or dad. what should i do. please help me
Hi Steven – as embarrassing as this may seem you are not alone. There are thousands of people, including teenagers and adults, who wet the bed at ...
-
My child of almost 12yrs still wets his bed , how can i help him stop this habit ?
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...
-
Could you please recommend practitioners in Sydney who may be of assistance with bed wetting? We have seen a paediatrician however they have suggested medication which we want to do as a final straw.
Your best move is to contact the Continence Association of Australia (1800 330 066) who will be able to recommend a medical professional in your ar...
-
my daughter is 6 and wets every night we put her on the toilet before we go to bed but even then she still wakes wet in the morning, we used to use night knickers but earlier in the year she said she didn't want to wear them anymore & I've been washing sh
Hi M. B. – given your daughter’s desire to move toward greater independence it would certainly be worthwhile making an appointment for her to see y...
-
My son is turning 6 in December and wets the bed everynight. He wears a pullup/night nappy but he wets so much it leaks through. What should I be doing to get him to have a dry night?
Hi Helen – children generally become dry at night when their body has matured to the point where it can store the amount of urine their kidneys p...
-
what exactly needs to be done to help bedwetters except using doctors medication
Hi Antoinette, firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding … The most successful form of bedwetting treatment is the conditioning or bedwet...
-
Both my girls 9 and 6 wet every night. Both side of the family have a bed wetting history most stopped by 10. My partners younger brother was 16 how ever when he stopped. We have tried waking them to go to the toilet but they are such heavy sleepers that
Hi M.O – due to the underlying genetic cause, it is not unusual to find a number of children in the one family who wet the bed at night. Knowing t...
-
My 5year old son was dry at night up till Jan this year (after having a 3 week holiday with his father) has been now wetting the bed all most every night since he got back, I have found that it is because he is to lazy to get out of bed and go to the loo
Hi Michelle, your son’s wetting would be considered secondary nocturnal enuresis, which describes the condition where a child returns to nightt...
-
Four and 1/2 year old girl has been night trained for over a year. The last four nights she has wet the bed.
It can be incredibly upsetting for children when they start wetting the bed again after being dry for an extended period. Firstly, you need to r...
-
Our 8 year boy is still incontinent even with using Minirin Melts. Can you suggest anything else or do you think that he will grow out of it? Thanking you, Dominic S
Hi Dominic, while it is certainly possible that your son will outgrow bedwetting on his own, the chances of children doing this reduce, as they get...
-
Hi there, our son is 4 (nearly 5), and stays dry overnight when he wears DryNights, but as soon as we take them off, he wets the bed.
Hi Jane – as frustrating as this is, it really is a very encouraging sign that your son is moving toward achieving nighttime continence. While som...
-
How to train a 5 year old to be dry at night?
It is perfectly normal for a 5-year-old boy to be still wetting at night, with about 1 in 5 children continuing to do so at age 6. While the maj...
-
I have two boys aged 8 & 6 that wake up every morning with wet Drynites and most of the time my 8 year old has a wet bed aswell.
Bedwetting does run in families so it is not unusual to find a number of children in the one family experiencing nighttime wetting. When genetics ...
-
My 4.5 year old daughter is still wetting the bed. She has been toilet trained since 2.5, has not any day time accidents since. She is a heavy sleeper, doesnt drink an hour to 2 hours before bed, goes to toilet before bed and wakes up saturated even with
Hi Kristi, it can be incredibly frustrating when there appears to be no clear reason why children continue to wet at night. While the majority of...
-
My GP has advised I do nothing about my 8 year old sons bedwetting for several years yet, saying its not uncommon. Will he naturally become dry at night?
Hi C. R. – bedwetting is often one of those things that no-one likes to talk about, with many parents feeling embarrassed and therefore suffer in s...
-
Want to start night time training my 6 year old girl but don't know the best procedure
Hi K. S. – there are so many mixed messages out there; no wonder parents are confused when it comes to managing children’s bedwetting. I think the...
-
Why should you avoid dairy products at night until the nocturnal enuresis subsides then gradually increase these products back into diet?
Hi Kersty, there is a lot of debate and discussion surrounding the causes of bedwetting. The one thing we do no is that not all children wet the b...
-
Should I wake my child in the night to use the toilet?
Hi Carey, it is very common for parents to comment on their child wavering between periods of being dry then returning to bedwetting again. The go...
-
Have a daughter heading to school in July have taking her out of pull ups n have been waking her before we go to bed n thn 3 hrs later she thn stays dry till morn have had accidents along the way but she nt able to wake herself up do if we don't wake her
Hi Michelle – managing children’s bedwetting can be incredibly tricky, partly because we often do not understand the underlying cause and partly be...
-
My five year old son has not had a dry night! day time is fine. It doesn't bother him. We have tried many things such as Star charts, rewards and getting him to strip and make his bed. We dont tell him off or make it a big deal! Pullups do not work for us
Hi J. G., it is highly unusual for children to be able to control their nighttime wetting in response to requests or external rewards, this is mo...
-
When does bedwetting stop for an 11 year old boy who wets every night?
While it is true that some children outgrow bedwetting on their own, the older your child, the less likely they will be able to become dry on their...
-
Hi, I have a 7yo boy who is bed wetting. What age should I seek medical help.Thank you
Hi Jodie, we usually recommend that a doctor check children once they turn 7 years of age. While rare, it is important to rule out any possible un...
-
Ask a question now.. my 15yr son been havin this bedwettin problem since he was 3 what should i do i even took him to the doc they gave him meds they didn't work any other solution
Hi Natalie, bedwetting can be incredibly distressing for teenagers due to the negative impact this is has on their social life and sense of self....
-
Ask a question my son is nine soon and still wetting the bed every night
Bedwetting can be incredibly challenging to deal with particularly when it continues long beyond the age at when we think it should stop. The first...
-
Hi, my son is nearly 9 years old and wets his bed every night. We have ruled out any physical issues a few years ago and hoped he would grow out of it. He had several treatments with a chiropractor a few years ago who said that we were best to just wait t
Hi Tammy, as bedwetting has an underlying genetic cause, it is not unusual to find a number of children in the one family who wet the bed at nigh...
-
Should we keep our 5 1/2 yr old boy in nappy pants at night or should we let him wet to encourage him to get up and go to the toilet?
Hi Kellie – The first thing you need to do is reassure him that you understand that his nighttime wetting is largely beyond his control. Making t...
-
My son has been bed wetting 4 times per week. It is less with no video games and stimulus but sometimes he does for no reason. He is 8 turning 9. He went on camp and it wasn't good.
Hi Sonia, bedwetting can be incredibly challenging to manage, and even more so when it starts to impact on children’s school and extra-curricula ac...
-
my son (4) hasn't wet the bed in 12 months and we have just moved house and he has started to wet the bed every night. What can I do to get him back to drynites?
Hi Kristy, it is not unusual for children to return to wetting at night at times of high stress – and moving house certainly rates as cuases of str...
-
My son is 6 and has been wetting the bed since the age of 3. This is very much a genetic thing as my mother and I suffered from the same bed wetting condition. As a matter of convieniance we wake him up before we go to be ourselves and it results in a dr
Hi DB, we know that lifting to children in the toilet is really a form of management and does little in the way of helping children to stop and can...
-
Hi my daughter is 7 and still needs Drynites at night because she still wets the bed, she goes to the toilet before bed and doesn't drink that much but still doesn't wake up and wets herself what else can we do?
Hi Michelle - There are a number of reasons why children continue to wet at night. Some do so because their body produces larger than normal amoun...
-
Hi, my daughter is 9 years old and wets almost every night. We have been to a paediatrician and have tried the Malem alarm system and the drinking during the day and measuring volume of urine etc. Nothing is working. Please help Vicky
Hi Vicky, In must be incredibly frustrating and disheartening when you feel like you have tried it all and still your daughter continues to wet at ...
-
My daughter is 10 years old and wets. Her father also wet until about 13. I have been hearing a few things in the media recently about the connection between snoring and bedwetting. I think it was something to do with adenoids? Is there anything is th
Dear S.S., there are a number of factors at play here. Firstly, bedwetting has an underlying genetic component – with children typically outgrowin...
-
why is when i put him pullups he stops but when we take him out of the he starts wetting the bed again ive tryed everything please help me
Hi Elizabeth, it is not unusual for children to waiver between experiencing periods of dry nights then start to wet the bed again as they move towa...
-
My 8 year old wets the bed about once a week, however if he has has a busy week (like when he did swimming lessons every day at school) or stays up past 7.30pm, he will almost always wet the bed. He is not phased in the slightest about his bed wetting whi
It is not unusual for children to experience an increase in wetting at times of illness or stress or when they get overtired - which explains the i...
-
Ask a question now...my nearly 9 year old daughter suffers day and night time enuresis
Hi Anna - It can be incredibly frustrating to feel like you have tried it all and still experienced no success. The first thing to do is separate ...
-
7yr old not even interested in being dry at night
Hi Rowena, it can be incredibly frustrating when you feel like you have tried it all and still your child continues to wet the bed at night. The f...
-
My child is 7 and still wets the bed. Just wondering if I should take him to the doctor about it? Thank you
Hi Charmaine, It is not uncommon for parents to comment on how deeply their child sleeps, with many children completely unaware that they have wet ...
-
My son is 6 and half and wets every night. We have an alarm that worked for a bit but now he just takes it out of his pants to stop it going off then just continues to lay in his own wee. He would rather do that than get up and go to the toilet. Is this p
It is only normal that you would feel frustrated with this situation. While your son’s bedwetting is not deliberate or behavioural, his response...
-
My 8 years old son still wet his bed at night.
Dear Monica, it is not unusual for children to waiver between periods of dryness then return to wetting the bed again as they move toward achieving...
-
6yr old son still in night time nappies.
Hi C. W. – children develop the neurological and emotional capacity to control their bladders at different ages. At age 6, about 10-15% of childre...
-
Need an end to my nearly 13 year old son bedwetting.
Having a teenager who continues to struggle with bedwetting can be incredibly challenging for both you and them. The most important thing in the sh...
-
My daughter has been toilet trained during the day for over a year now, but has never been able to not wet her bed or nappy of a night time. What would you recommend we try to get this part of the toilet training process happening?
Hi Jane, please be reassured it is perfectly normal for your daughter to still be wetting the bed at night with many children continuing to do so u...