While children can be taught to control their bladder during the day, nighttime continence is a completely different story. The first and most important thing to understand about nocturnal enuresis is that it is not deliberate – this is something children have very little control over. Children develop nighttime continence as their bodies mature and become better able at holding on overnight or waking-up to the sensation of a full bladder. One of the most reliable signs that this is happening is a reduction in the number of nights your daughter wakes-up wet. For some children this can happen soon after they have been toilet trained – for others it takes a little longer. Due to the strong genetic link – if there is a family history of bedwetting this increases the likelihood of your daughter taking longer to achieve nighttime control, so it may be worth asking your husband at what age he was dry at night. Until then you can help her to become dry by making sure she drinks enough throughout the day (this will help her bladder to learn to hold larger quantities of urine), avoid sweetened or caffeinated drinks and encourage her to eat lots of fruit and vegetables – as constipation is a common cause of bedwetting. Some young children may continue to wet the bed because they are too scared to get up and go to the toilet – make sure she has easy access to the toilet and there is a light left on.

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