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 or your son are doing or not doing. Nighttime wetting typically happens when children are asleep and are not in conscious control over their bladder, making it more difficult to train a child to become dry at night. So while it may seem that he is wetting out of laziness, this is highly unlikely. The most common cause of nighttime wetting is a neurological-developmental delay. Young children whose nervous systems are still forming may not be able to know when their bladder is full. Consequently, they do not wake up in time to go to the toilet. While once upon a time parents used to be encouraged to carry their child to the toilet during the night to help avoid a wet bed, we now know that this does not help train the bladder nor does it teach children to learn to wake on their own. You can encourage healthy bladder development by ensuring he drinks water regularly throughout the day and fully empties his bladder just before bedtime. Time and lots of patience are the best ways to manage bedwetting among young children, remembering that most children stop wetting the bed by the time they turn 6 years of age. In the meantime reassure him that you understand that it is not his fault. I would also try using DryNites instead of nappies, as these are much better suited to older children. If you do find his bedwetting begins to interfere with his self-esteem then you should speak with you GP about introducing some form of treatment to help him to stop.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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