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Dr Catherine
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Girl
8-15 years

My 8 year old daughter gets woken up three times a night but is still wetting in between. She has occasional dry nights when we get her up three to four times. She has type 1 diabetes and sometimes has to drink juice in the night, but not always. She is often wet even in nights that she hasn’t had juice. She does sleep very deeply but she’s distressed about continuing to wet the bed and we’re not sure what the problem is or how to help her.

While you may be able to reduce the number of wet beds by lifting your daughter onto the toilet during the night – this method won’t help her to independently wake and empty her bladder on her own. As her body matures she will learn to respond to the sensation that her bladder is full and wake on her own. Some children’s nervous systems just take a little longer to mature – and there is a slightly higher incidence of bedwetting among children with juvenile diabetes. Given her age and the distress this is causing her I would recommend speaking with her pediatrician regarding the use of a conditioning alarm. The success of these programs depend on a number of factors: children need to be motivated to become dry (which she clearly is); success is increased when children and families are well supported by a continence consultant; and you need to choose the right type of alarm for your child and be taught how to use this properly (again by a consultant). I find many parents prefer a personal alarm that can be worn on the body as it allows children to continue wearing their DryNites. All the best, Dr Cathrine