Expert Answers

Dr Catherine
< Back to Expert Answers
Girl
2-4 years

Hi Dr Catherine, I have a question about my almost 4 year old girl and her wetting of a night. If she is in a nappy or pull up she remains dry and wont wet, so we know that she is capable of being dry. But as soon and she wears undies to bed she wets 2 - 3 times a night. We are just after some other ideas to try. Do you think it could be the difference in pressure she is feeling from her pullup to her undies causing this? Any ideas would greatly appreciated. Thanks Amanda

As frustrating as this may be please be reassured that this is perfectly normal. As children move toward achieving permanent nighttime continence it is common for them to waiver between periods of dryness then return to wetting again. It is not unusual for children to start wetting again at times of sickness or if they become overtired as this makes it more difficult for them to wake in response to a full bladder. I am a little puzzled however as to why this is only occurring when she is wearing underpants? Is your pre-bed routine any different on the nights she wears underpants? The decision of whether or not to return to using DryNites is really up to you. Why there has been some debate surrounding the use of absorbent pants – there really is no convincing research to show that these prolong the bedwetting process.Kind Regards,