Hi Toni – the time it takes between achieving daytime continence and being dry at night is quite variable, some children are lucky to do this in a matter of weeks, for others it may take months or years. There are a number of causes to bedwetting. A small number of children wet the bed because they do not produce enough of the anti-diuretic hormone ADH. If nighttime ADH levels are low, children produce the same amount of urine at night as throughout the day. If this is the cause, children will continue to wet the bed at night until their body begins to produce more of this hormone. The nasal spray is like a synthetic version of ADH, which is designed to inhibit the amount of urine produced by the kidneys overnight. While some children do stop wetting the bed after its use, a common problem with this form of treatment is that once children stop the medication the bedwetting often resumes. This form of treatment has met with more success when used in conjunction with a bedwetting alarm so that may be a better way to go. In the meantime you can encourage healthy bladder habits by making sure she drinks water regularly throughout the day (tapering off in the evening), make sure she empties her bladder fully before going to bed and avoid food and drinks that are higher in caffeine (like chocolate) as these tend to stimulate the kidneys to produce larger amounts of urine than normal.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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