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Dr Catherine
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Boy
8-15 years

What do I do? My 12 year old boy wets every night. He is almost too big for pull ups. He’s in high school and he can’t attend school camps or sleep overs.. I cannot even say that he has ever had a dry night.

While many children are able to outgrow bedwetting on their own, others like your son benefit from some form of treatment. You do not mention in your question whether you have tried any forms of treatment for your son? Conditioning alarms are currently the safest and most effective means of treating bedwetting although these take time and commitment and can take up to 6 months to be effective so it is important not to give up if at first it does not appear to be working. There are a number of different styles available so it is best to meet with a continence advisor first to discuss your individual needs. It is important that you do not try and go it alone as the more support and guidance you receive during the treatment phase the greater the likelihood of success. Can I also suggest you discuss the use of medication with your GP - medications, while typically seen as a form of management, can be very effective in the short-term and would allow your son to attend sleepovers and school camps. It is really important that as parents we try and prevent children's bedwetting from negatively impacting their social lives as this can affect their self-esteem and self-confidence. Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine