Bedwetting, also known as nocturnal enuresis, is an uncontrollable leakage of urine while asleep. Boys are later in becoming dry at night than girls.

Most children have what is known as ‘Primary bedwetting’ – this means that they have never had a period when they have been dry. Contrary to popular belief, primary bedwetting is not a psychological issue.

In most cases, however, there is an underlying medical reason for bedwetting, it is not normal for a child over 5 years old to be wetting the bed on a regular basis this is why you should visit a Urologist or a Pediatrician to discuss your condition.

There are several reasons why your child might wet the bed. Maybe it runs in your family – for example, you as a parent may have wet the bed when you were young.

Your child might be producing too much urine at night. Or maybe he/she needs to go to the toilet a lot because his/her bladder (the stretchy bag that stores urine) sends a signal that it’s full when it’s not. It may be that your child has had too much to drink before he/she went to bed or it might be because he/she is worrying about something. Lastly, it could be that the bladder doesn’t tell the brain to wake up when your child needs to urinate, and he/she doesn’t get up in time to go to the toilet.

Whatever the cause is, you can talk to a Urologist or a Pediatrician about it and they can help your child.

Bedwetting is the biggest nightmare for parents. All the preparation, washing additional laundry, loss of sleep, and worst of all, since it always happens at night, the parents are the ones to lose their good night sleep and wake up to take care of their child. But have you thought about what goes on in your child’s mind? Watch the video to learn more.

It is important to know that your child is not alone with this problem. Bedwetting is not often discussed freely among parents, but it is a common problem and you will certainly not be the only one who is experiencing difficulties.
Bedwetting is more common than you think. For example, in Europe, over 5 million children wet the bed. In a school class of 30 children aged 7 years old, there could be 3 children who wet the bed. Although it can be very upsetting or embarrassing to wet the bed, you should talk to a Urologist or Pediatrician about it and they will be able to help you and your child.

Bedwetting can be caused by several different reasons. If you do visit a Urologist or a Pediatrician to talk about your child’s bedwetting, there are different things your doctor can do to make it better. The treatment of bedwetting is dependent on its cause. Your doctor has probably seen lots of children who wet the bed so there is no need to be embarrassed or shy – He will want to help your child too!

Here are a few things you could try with your child to prevent bedwetting at night:
1. Try changing their drinking habits

• Ask your child to try to drink a good amount of liquids throughout the day but reduce drinks in the evening particularly before bedtime.
• Do not put a drink on your child’s bedside table.

2. Try changing your child’s diet

• There is a strong link between constipation and bedwetting. Constipation can irritate the bladder and so, your child will need to go to the toilet more frequently.
• Make sure your child’s diet contains whole wheat rather than white bread, baked beans, cereal, fresh fruit and vegetables.

3. Try a reward system (download the reward chart)
Most children can be motivated by star charts or similar reward systems. For example, your child gets a star sticker if he/she drinks the right number of drinks that day or go to the toilet before bed without being asked.

4. Try adjusting the night-time routine
Make sure that your child makes a trip to the toilet last thing before going to bed.

Although some of the above suggestions can make a difference, the most important thing you can do is talk to a Urologist or a Pediatrician. The sooner you seek medical advice the faster you manage this condition.

Things you can do at home to help with your child’s bedwetting problem. Download

1. If your child is on a bedwetting treatment plan, make sure that he is still following it.

2. Drink less fluids: your child can’t avoid all fluids — and shouldn’t, but he/she might want to avoid fluids a couple of hours before bedtime.

3. Make sure your child has a visit to the toilet to empty your bladder before bedtime.
Following tips like these can really help your child enjoy dry nights when he is sleeping away from home

If you do visit a Urologist or a Pediatrician to talk about your child’s bedwetting, he will want to know a few things about him/her:
– How old is your child?
– How many nights a week does your child wet the bed?
– When did the bedwetting start?
– How much does your child drink during the day?
– How many times does your child go to the toilet?
– Does your child find it difficult to hold his/her pee at daytime?

Download the Drydawn app and use the diary tools to help the doctor to diagnose the cause of bedwetting and monitor your child’s progress!