Hi Jenayah – while it’s great that your daughter is not upset by the fact that she wets at night, I see how frustrating this must be for you given you are the one who needs to deal with constant wet sheets and the multiple loads of washing. One of the concerns of bedwetting is the potential negative impact it can have on children’s self-esteem so we want to think about how best to manage the situation without making your daughter feel ashamed or guilty. The fact that it doesn’t bother her indicates you have been incredibly sensitive and patient in your management thus far. Waking her will not help her to learn to wake on her own again so it is generally best to avoid this form of management. If you do decide to continue taking her to the toilet at night, try varying the times that you do this as you want to avoid conditioning her bladder into needing to empty at the same time each night. While we could certainly look into introducing an alarm to help her to stop, I’m a little hesitant to recommend this given her lack of concern over the situation. Conditioning alarms require significant commitment on behalf of both the parent and child, which is why they are not always successful when used with younger children. Have you tried discussing the reasons why she doesn’t want to wear DryNites? Many children often associate these with nappies so it is important to point out the differences, explaining that even some children in high school wear them at night. You could encourage her independence by allowing her to put them on and off by herself (just like undies), then disposing of them in the morning when she wakes. You could also discuss some of the challenges of not wearing DryNites so that she understands your perspective. All the best!

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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