Understandably, the older children get the greater potential their bedwetting will impact negatively on their self-esteem. This has a lot to do with the stigma that surrounds bedwetting, with many ill-informed people seeing it as something only babies or toddlers do or worst still a belief that somehow children who wet the bed are less capable than others. It is important that your son understands that this is something which is beyond his control – for some reason (and even doctors still do not fully understand the multiple causes of bedwetting) his body just has not developed to a point where he can wake in response to a full bladder or hold on until morning. He may be reassured to know that he is not alone – there would be at least one other person in his year at school who also wets the bed. Help take the focus off his bedwetting by highlighting all those things in his life he is good at – use every opportunity to praise him for his successes no matter how small. Try not to allow his bedwetting to interfere with social opportunities like sleepovers (he may feel more at ease if they occur at your house where he is in a familiar environment) – talk with him about how to best manage this – there are some tips on the DryNites website you may find helpful. Unfortunately the conditioning alarm does not work with all children. Success is increased when children and families are well supported by a continence consultant – you also need to choose the right type of alarm for your child and be taught how to use this properly. Some parents have reported better outcomes when combining this with other forms of treatment such as hypnotherapy. If you have not done so already I would recommend speaking with a continence specialist – ask your doctor to refer you to someone in your area or contact the Continence Foundation of Australia (1800 33 00 66).

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