It’s always lovely to hear from another parent! It is certainly true that many a daytime accident occurs as a result of children holding on for too long or refusing to stop the activity they are involved in order to go to the toilet. Sometimes this behaviour also occurs in response to the child trying to exert their independence, a friendly reminder to Mum and Dad that they (being the child) is in control of the situation. This is a developmental stage that will pass with time so long as it does not become a significant issue and turn into a battle of wills. In saying this, given the fact that he still wets during his daytime nap it may be worthwhile just having him checked by your GP just to rule out any possible underlying physical cause like a small bladder capacity or overactive bladder. If his daytime wetting is behavioural then the best thing to do is to return to those strategies you used when first toilet training. Praise his successes, while ignoring accidents. Talk about all those behavioural cues he needs to be aware of which tell him that he needs to go and empty his bladder. Remind him that whatever he’s doing will still be there when he gets back and in fact he will be able to return to it quicker than if he had to go and change his clothes due to wetting them. Remember you want to encourage and reward his independence so that ultimately he can make it to the toilet on his own.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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