Hi Margaret, bedwetting does not only impact on the child, it affects the whole family. It is not unusual for parents to feel that somehow the bedwetting is a result of their poor parenting or results from child laziness or a refusal to cooperate – thankfully neither of these are the case. Bedwetting is almost always something a child cannot help but can also be incredibly humiliating and if not managed effectively can do permanent damage to their self-esteem. Given the longevity of the problem, any form of treatment you choose need’s to: (1) help your son to achieve nighttime continence and (2) build his self-esteem. In order to be able to do this effectively you really need to work alongside an experienced continence advisor, ask your GP to refer you or contact the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 for a referral to your local continence service. This is not only important for your son, but it is essential that you too feel supported throughout this challenging time. Alarm treatments are currently your best option when it comes to helping children achieve nighttime continence although they do require a great deal of commitment from both you and your son. Most instances where conditioning alarms have failed are due to incorrect use or insufficient support – so it is essential that you receive proper guidance from an experienced continence advisor before revisiting this treatment. There are a number of alternative treatments available, they are not as well supported by established research evidence however parents and children do attest to their success in treating bedwetting. Two approaches that parents have used include hypnotherapy and chiropractic manipulation. Hypnotherapy is used to train children’s brains to respond to signals that their bladder is full and needs to be emptied – this has also been used in combination with the conditioning alarm. Chiropractic manipulation works on the premise that children wet the bed because their system is poorly aligned. The traditional chiropractic approach to treating children is to adjust the spine, usually in the area of the lumbar spine or sacrum. Only children with a spinal cause respond well to this treatment.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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