Hi Renay, it can be incredibly frustrating when your child continues to wet at night despite your best efforts to help them stop; please be reassured this is perfectly normal nighttime behaviour for a child of three. Nighttime wetting typically happens when children are asleep and are not in conscious control over their bladder, making it more difficult to train a child to become dry at night. The most common cause of nighttime wetting is a neurological-developmental delay. Young children whose nervous systems are still forming may not be able to know when their bladder is full. Consequently, they do not wake up in time to go to the toilet. The fact that she is able to make it through some nights without wetting is a very encouraging sign that her body is developing toward a point where it will be able to store the amount of urine her body is producing overnight. Until then you can certainly continue using either nappies or DryNites – these will neither prolong her nighttime wetting nor will they help her to become continent. Some parent prefer to wait until their child has achieved at least 14 consecutive dry nights before removing their child’s nighttime nappy. In the meantime you can encourage healthy bladder development by ensuring she drinks water regularly throughout the day and fully empties her bladder just before bedtime. Time and lots of patience are the best ways to manage bedwetting among young children, remembering that most children stop wetting the bed by the time they turn 6 years of age.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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