Five year old daughter is a sound sleeper and can't wake up to go to the toilet

My daughter is five and a half and wears pull ups. Every morning when she wakes up her pull ups are completely full. We encourage her to go to the toilet before bed and also suggest that she go to the toilet during the night. She is a sound sleeper and never wakes up to visit the toilet. When we have tried underpants at night it has ended in tears. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Girls bedwetting (4-10 y) · Asked by Ros over 3 years ago

Dr Cathrine Answered:

many parents of children who wet the bed have commented on how deeply their child sleeps. Despite this a number of controlled studies have shown that while deep sleeping can play a role in bed wetting it is not the primary cause. While it is good practice to encourage her to fully empty her bladder before she goes to bed I would hold-off on waking her during the night as this will not cure her bedwetting and will only lead to disrupted sleep both for you and her. It is surprisingly common for 5-year-old children to still wet the bed with about 15-20% continuing to do so – many of these children will outgrow this on their own without the need for treatment. If however her bedwetting is beginning to bother her (or you) or she continues to wet the bed by the time she turns 6 it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your GP to have a complete medical assessment and discuss possible treatment options. In the meantime you can encourage healthy bladder habits by ensuring she drinks plenty of water throughout the day, as well limiting sweet and caffeine rich food and drink. I would try using DryNites instead of Pull-Ups – Pull-Ups are really only intended for daytime use – DryNites are designed to be used by older children and hold larger quantities of urine.

Tags: 5, deep, sleep, help, advice

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