While bedwetting can be incredibly frustrating and worrying for parents – please be reassured that it is perfectly normal for 4-year-old boys to still wet the bed at night. Waking or lifting a child to go to the toilet might seem like a good way to reduce the number of wet beds, it does not however help train the bladder nor does it teach children to learn to wake on their own. Lifting can also result in disturbed sleep patterns for both you and your son. A very deep sleep pattern has been linked to children’s bedwetting as this makes it difficult for children to respond to signals sent from their bladder to their brain that their bladder is full and needs to be emptied. Children who have achieved nighttime continence are either able to wake-up independently in response to a full-bladder or have developed the bladder capacity to store urine until morning. Lifting or waking at night means children do not get the chance to get used to these signals nor does the bladder have the opportunity to stretch and develop. Wearing absorbent pants like DryNites can be a great way to manage his bedwetting as they reduce the stress associated with waking up wet and ensures both you and your son get a good night sleep. You indicate in your question that your son may have returned to bedwetting after a period of dryness, if this is the case I would recommend that you have him checked by your GP just to rule out any possible underlying medical cause for his wetting.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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