a 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 capacity is one of the known causes of bedwetting and typically with time the bladder stretches and becomes better able to hold larger quantities of urine or children eventually learn to wake to the signs of a full bladder. 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 primary cause. Before discounting alarm-based interventions I would recommend you speak with a Continence Advisor who can explain how conditioning alarms work. While it is true these do not succeed with everyone they do currently experience the highest success with a 75% cure rate. Their success depends on total family commitment and lots of motivation – initially you will need to respond to the alarm and wake your son and you may have to do so more than once in a night. If this isn’t for you there are other treatments available like homeopathy and chiropractics although these are still viewed as largely experimental. In the meantime make sure he continues to drink water during the day – there is no need to limit drinks at night as long as he steers away from sweetened or caffeinated drinks restricting fluids can actually worsen the bedwetting as it reduces the bladder’s ability to expand and store more urine. Some foods like citrus fruits, chocolate or spicy foods have been found to stimulate urine production so it is a good idea to limit how much he eats of these. Bedwetting can also be exacerbated by constipation so make sure he has a diet high in fibre.

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