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 plays a part – one of the best indicators of when children are going to stop wetting is the age at which your family member achieved continence. In saying this, it is certainly worthwhile having both boys checked by their GP just to rule out any other possible underlying cause. The decision of whether or not to pursue treatment is ultimately up to you and your family, you can wait it out knowing that they will eventually outgrow this on their own, or you can try and achieve dryness much earlier through the use of some type of formal intervention. The conditioning alarm is the most effective means of treating bedwetting. Most doctors do not recommend introducing this before the age of 7 due to the high spontaneous cure rate up until then. Treatment can take up to 6 months to be effective, so you need to be patient. The major cause of failure is inappropriate use or a lack of support, so it is very important that you do not try and begin treatment until you have consulted with a continence advisor.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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