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 continue to wet the bed on a regular basis – with boys two to three times more likely to have not achieved nighttime continence than girls. Many of these children will outgrow bedwetting on their own as their body matures and their nervous system becomes better able to respond to a full bladder at night. Until then there are a few things you can try. Don’t be troubled over his lack of concern, most young boys are not particularly bothered by the fact that they still wet at night – we only really need to start worrying when it does become an issue for children as that’s when it poses a potential threat to their self-esteem. There are some foods and drinks that can irritate the bladder or cause the kidneys to produce more urine overnight – dairy products, chocolate and artificial colourings have been linked with bedwetting, you also need to cut down on sweetened and fizzy drinks and increase the amount of water he drinks throughout the day – do not limit fluids at nighttime although sometimes it is wise to start cutting down how much he drinks after 5 pm. Make sure he doesn’t become overtired as this will only make it more difficult for him to wake and respond to a full bladder. You can foster independence by encouraging him to dispose of his DryNites in the morning – reward or praise him when he does this. If he continues to wet the bed by this time next year I would recommend scheduling an appointment with your GP just to make sure there is no medical cause – he will also be old enough and probably more motivated to try treatment.

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