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Dr Catherine
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Boy
8-15 years

My grandson lives with us and he has used Drynights successfully. However he is now 60 kg & we need a larger product. Do you have a suggestion? He was taking Minrin wafers however, he still wet the bed, so we ceased the medication once the script was completed. We did however go away for the weekend & he didn’t wet the bed at all. Whereas at home we have a wet bed all the time despite wearing two pull-ups. Could it be that he is too large?

It is not unusual for parents to comment that their child (or in your case grandson!) does not seem to wet the bed when they away on holidays - this may be because children sleep less soundly when away and are therefore able to rouse in response to a full bladder! If you are finding the larger size DryNites are no longer providing a proper fit you can look into using an absorbent pant designed for use with adults. These are typically sold through local Chemists or can be purchased online. Medication is typically viewed as a short-term fix until children's naturally occurring ADH levels rectify themselves - however if this is not the underlying cause of yours grandsons wetting then it is unlikely to help him to achieve permanent nighttime continence. You could certainly look into introducing an alarm, however it would be important that you speak with a continence advisor first. Conditioning alarms work by helping your grandson learn to recognise the need to pass urine and either wake-up and go to the toilet or learn to hold on until morning. They come in two main forms. One is a body alarm with a small sensor that can be worn inside his DryNites. The second type of alarm is a bell and pad alarm that is placed like a mat over the bottom bed sheet of his bed. It may take a few weeks until he begins to respond to the alarm and can take up to 3 months to achieve continence. All the best! Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine